Global and Local Discourse Encounters: The case study of Epilepsy among the Wapogoro People of Mahenge, Tanzania

Abstract

Despite being a global health priority, epilepsy has remained a public health crisis among the Wapogoro people in Mahenge, Tanzania. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has pointed out Mahenge as a hotspot area of epilepsy in the World. Decades of biomedical intervention have failed to curb the disease, presenting a critical challenge to global health. Employing a qualitative research method, life histories, oral traditions, and in-depth interviews, this paper examines the complex encounter between global biomedical discourses and local knowledge systems using epilepsy as a case study. It specifically examines the manner in which globally constructed ideas about epilepsy were received by the Wapogoro people of Tanzania, who had their own perceptions of epilepsy for many generations that engage dynamically with global ideas. This study concludes that the failure of past interventions stems from the failure to acknowledge this complexity and the systematic exclusion of local voices and epistemologies about epilepsy. It argues that defeating ancient diseases like epilepsy in Mahenge and similar contexts requires a community-integrated approach that treats local knowledge and wisdom not as a barrier, but as a crucial resource in crafting effective and sustainable public health strategies against ancient diseases in the 21st century.