Thomas Bavo Azongo

Some Supernatural Beliefs and Practices in Ill-health and Therapy: the Role of Divination in Health-seeking Practices in the Talensi and Nabdam Districs in Northern Ghana Thomas Bavo Azongo

This book is derived from a well-researched PhD thesis on the use of divination (soothsaying) in health seeking in Northern Ghana. The content reflects the versatile nature of the background of the author: He was a Science/Mathematics student in Secondary School, became a professional nurse, and later pursued a Bachelors degree in Sociology. He subsequently studied Public Health, first obtaining a Masters degree (MPH) and later a PhD. He has taught and practiced nursing for several years. He is particularly interested in the role of socio-cultural factors in health. The book will interest any general reader but is particularly recommended to healthcare practitioners such as Nurses, Midwives, Nutrition and Disease Control Officers, and doctors. It draws attention of such healthcare practitioners that their clientele do not necessarily leave behind their religious and socio-cultural beliefs and practices when they come to them for therapy. Understanding this will enable a more mutually beneficial professional-client encounter because it enables the practitioners to be able to better 'decode' the 'language of distress' of their clients and hence result in better therapy outcomes.