Itinéraires thérapeutiques de morsures de serpents chez les Mbororo (wodaabé) de boundjoumi au Nord-Cameroun. contribution à l’anthropologie médicale.

Abstract

The current research is about “Therapeutic itineraries of snakes’ bites at the Mbororo of Boundjoumi in the North Cameroon. A research of medical anthropology’’ which is interested in describing and analysing the management of snakes’ bites of call on rural zone medical care.The Mbororo population resorts to other forms of medical cares despite the presence of ethno-medical care.Of the problem emerges the following questioning: What are the therapeutic itineraries followed by the Mbororo to cure the victims of snakes’ bites in Boundjoumi? What are the cultural representations of snakes’ bites that the Mbororo of Boundjoumi have in mind? How the choice of the resort to therapeutic care is made for the cure of snakes’ bites by the Mbororo community of Boundjoumi? How do the Mbororo of Boundjoumi take care of the victims of snakes’ bites at home? To these questions correspond the following hypotheses: The Mbororo of Boundjoumi resort to all forms of therapy including self-medication (traditional type), recourse to the modern health center, recourse to traditional therapists or itinerant sellers of Chinese products to treat people bitten by the snake because the different medicines are exercised independently of each other. The Mbororo of Boundjoumi perceive snakes’ bites as any other disease which the treatment through traditional medical care is fast. The choice of the therapeutic resort is made according to the availability of types of therapy. Among the Mbororo, a main category of reasons is retained to explain the care of victims of snake’ bites at home ‘ʻwomen’s menstruations’’ considered as misfortune the victims. Of these hypotheses, the objectives that come out are the following: Study the different therapeutic trajectories taken by the Mbororo to treat snake bites and the cultural representations granted to them. Secondary objectives are the following: First of all, understand and analyse snake bites and victim representations in Boundjoumi in the Mbororo community. Then understand the choice of the therapeutic resort made by the Mbororo community of Boundjoumi for the treatment of snakes’ bites. Finally, point out the reasons why victims are being taken care of at home in this community. Based on a qualitative approach, the current work has been realised through the exploitation of story data, the observation and deep individual interviews. The data analysis and theme-based. Hence, this research has mobilised theories of representation (Serge Moscovici, 1961), ethno-methodology (Harold Garfinkel, 1968) and ethnalasysis (Mbonji Edjenguèlè,2005) to interpret the results. At the end of this investigation, we have come to the following results: snakes’ bites are seen as all sorts of diseases which the cure must be fast. The therapy of snakes’ bites is of a cultural and financial order, snakes’ bites are more cured traditionally. The traditional auto-medication and the resort to Chinese medical care have been noticed as therapeutic itineraries of the victims of snakes’ bites in first choice. The victims of snakes’ bites are taken care of immediately at home. The choice of the therapeutic pathways is guided either by the failure of another pathway or by the surrounding who knows traditional doctors who have effective treatment medicines for snakes’ bites. This research is limited in Boundjoumi in the Mbororo.community and the representations of snakes’ bites are only from this community, but the general knowledge over this research may help understand this phenomenon in other cultures.