Systèmes de croyances et trajectoires thérapeutiques dans l’univers culturel Bafou de l’ouest Cameroun : cas de l’érythème fessier. contribution à l’anthropologie médicale

Abstract

This work entitled Belief Systems and Therapeutic Trajectories in the Bafou Cultural Universe of Western Cameroon: The Case of Diaper Rash explores the various belief systems associated held by members of the Bafou community, as well as the therapeutic pathway related to them. The main research question is as follows: What are the different factors influencing the belief systems and therapeutic pathways of diaper rash? From this initial question, we have identified the following specific research questions: What are the different factors influencing belief systems among the Bafou? What are the therapeutic pathways developed by the Bafou to deal with these various illnesses? What is the influence of belief systems on the choice of therapeutic pathways for Roh me Kwah among the Bafou? As the main hypothesis, we state that the Bafou are a people among whom several religious systems coexist, including animism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam. These different religious systems correspond to various therapeutic pathways, such as self-medication, ethnomedicine, and biomedicine. The specific hypotheses are formulated as follows: The belief systems of the Bafou are generally influenced by factors such as religion, experience, and the environment. Self-medication is the first therapeutic recourse that the Bafou refer to. Diaper rash is a disease originating from the kwah, hence its name "Ro'h me nkwa'a." Therefore, although the Bafou have developed local treatment methods, they do not hesitate to consult the kwah in the treatment of this disease. The main objective of this research is to identify the different belief systems and therapeutic pathways present in the socio-cultural context of the Bafou in western Cameroon. As for the specific objectives, we have to determine the different factors that influence belief systems among the Bafou, presenting the different therapeutic pathways adopted by the Bafou, and showing the influence of belief systems on the choice of therapeutic pathways for Roh me Kwah among the Bafou. We adopted a qualitative methodology by combining three methods, namely data collection, analysis, and interpretation. In other words, it involves creating a corpus based on readings and field surveys. The collected material was organized into several units, the respective meanings of which were deciphered through diffusionism, interpretive cultural approach, and content analysis. All of this allowed us to arrive at results indicating that an individual's belief system is influenced by the different environments in which they evolve, and the choice of therapeutic trajectory, although individual, is mainly influenced by their sociocultural environment. This also applies to diaper rash, which, despite its status as an exogenous disease, does not exclude itself from this rule.