"Tchakaloké" or the art of healing fractures and sprains in Idaatcha country, Benin: an intangible heritage combining know-how and spirituality

Abstract

Traditional therapy in Benin remains, despite the proliferation of public and private hospitals and health centers, the most accessible medicine to the population in the first place, because of its affordable cost compared to modern medicine, but also, because above all, it continues to represent the heritage of the ancestors.

The main objective of this article is to present the deep and still very much alive anchoring of knowledge and know-how of the "Tchakaloké", traditional therapists specialized in the care of sprains and fractures in Idaatcha country, in the commune of Dassa-Zoumè, department of Collines in north central Benin. This research was based on a participatory observation methodology based on field surveys, an empirical approach and specialized documentary research. It resulted, on the one hand, in collecting information on the usual care practices for sprains and fractures among the Tchakaloké and, on the other hand, in highlighting the major knowledge and skills, as well as the socio-cultural and social conditions, socio-environmental factors that surround this know-how of traditional medicine.

It follows that despite, the difficulties of intergenerational transmission of several elements of the intangible cultural heritage in Benin, there exists in our current societies, knowledge and know-how which continue to carry the torch of a centuries-old ancestral heritage.

The reflection begins with the challenges of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, to then address the characteristics and challenges of intangible cultural heritage at the African level. The third point presents the Tchakaloké and their art of treating broken bones and sprains. The article ends with the challenges of promoting this know-how.