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Babu wa Loliondo : Healing the Tensions between the Tanzanian Worlds

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Author

  • Mika Vähäkangas

Summary, in English

Tanzanian Ambilikile Mwasapila aka Babu wa Loliondo, a retired Lutheran countryside pastor, suddenly became the most visible media personality and healer in East Africa for half a year in 2011. He had received dreams in which God provided him with the recipe for a herbal medicine that would heal all maladies. Lutheran bishops who had all but abandoned the elderly pastor in his former remote mission field eagerly approved his ministry, while reception in Charismatic churches was mixed. After initial suspicion, the government strongly backed him, and the national research hospital vaguely endorsed the medicine, which is essentially the same as traditional medicine in several ethnic groups. Thus, in this ministry modern scientific, Christian, and traditional worldviews suddenly corresponded, thereby easing the tensions between the three lifeworlds of Tanzanian Christians. After the deaths of several HIV-positive patients who had abandoned antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, the magic of the healer vanished.

Publishing year

2015

Language

English

Pages

3-36

Publication/Series

Journal of Religion in Africa

Volume

45

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Brill

Topic

  • Religious Studies

Keywords

  • Babu wa Loliondo
  • pluralistic medicine
  • faith healing
  • herbalism
  • ritual
  • African Christianity

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0022-4200