The long-standing and complex role of religious actors in health and healing, its gendered manifestations, and its relationship to external forms of humanitarian aid demands further investigation, especially given the dynamism of African religious contexts and the fact that the transnational humanitarian community has been slow to learn about traditions of healing on the continent.
Our upcoming conference which takes place next week (Dec 11 – 16) brings together participants from a range of religious traditions present in Africa, NGO health and gender experts, and scholars on health, gender and religion, to assess the state of knowledge regarding systems of healing and health, both material and spiritual, in religion, gender and humanitarianism on the continent, and provide directions for future policy, scholarship, and religious leadership.
Where possible, we will be covering the proceedings live via Twitter (hashtag #CIHA2017) and Facebook and also actively blogging about it. Stay tuned!