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The President of the Sierra Leone Indigenous Traditional Healers Union, Dr. Alhaji Sulaiman Kabbah has strongly defended the role of traditional healers in society, declaring that they are “not killers but healers,” while calling on government and partners to support the Union to function more effectively.
Speaking at a recent stakeholders engagement meeting in Freetown, the Union leader said traditional healers have often been misunderstood and wrongly associated with violence, when in fact their work has contributed to peace and social stability in communities.
“We are healers, not killers,” he emphasized. “Our responsibility has always been to protect lives, restore balance, and help communities live in peace.”
Dr. Kabbah referenced a troubling period in the country’s past when, according to him, violent deaths were frequent and life had little value in some places, with people allegedly being killed for as little as Le10,000 or Le15,000. During that time, he said, fear and suspicion were widespread, and some institutions were believed to be affected by harmful practices linked to witchcraft or voodoo.
The Union president claimed that traditional healers played a critical role in helping to curb these killings. According to him, members of the Union were able to identify and track perpetrators and “disarm them of their wizardry gun,” a phrase he used to describe neutralizing harmful practices and restoring calm.
“Because of our interventions, many of those acts stopped,” he said. “We worked quietly to protect lives and bring stability where there was fear.”
He stressed that despite these contributions, the Traditional Healers’ Union continues to face challenges, including lack of recognition, limited resources, and minimal institutional support.
He appealed to the government, civil society organizations, and development partners to engage the Union constructively and provide support that would enable it to operate in a more organized and regulated manner.
“With proper support, training, and collaboration, we can do more to promote peace, health, and harmony in our communities,” he noted.
The president also called for dialogue between traditional healers and formal authorities, arguing that mutual understanding would help dispel misconceptions and ensure that traditional practices align with national laws and public safety standards.
