The Dioula minimize, even dissipate, the differences
between the two historically contentious groups.
One Dioula narrative of the founding of the two
groups maintains that the Qadiriyya and the
Tijaniyya were founded by Ahmad Tijani Qadiri,
a name that is a conflation of the respective
founders. The story suggests that one of his sons
initiated the Qadiriyya, while the other started the
Tijaniyya. Nevertheless, this is an intriguing but
totally fictitious version of history.
The religion and culture of the Dioula is truly
unique even among West African Muslims. Much
potential remains to study even its most well-
known members, such as al-Hajj Salim Suwari,
the scholar who originated the most important
pedagogical tradition among the Dioula and
Samori Touré, the great jihadist and reformer
(mujadid) of the late 19th century who fought
French colonists. Notwithstanding, the Dioula are
a fascinating people worthy of scholarly inquiry.
Stephen C. FinleyFurther Readings
Launay, R. (1982).Traders Without Trade:Responses to
Change in Two Dyula Communities. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press.
Launay, R. (1992).Beyond the Stream:Islam and
Society in a West African Town. Berkeley and Los
Angeles: University of California Press.
Wilks, I. (2000). The Juula and the Expansion of Islam
Into the Forest. In N. Levtzion & R. L. Pouwels
(Eds.),The History of Islam in Africa(pp. 93–115).
Athens: Ohio University Press.
DISEASE
As the birthplace of humankind, Africa has the
longest history of addressing disease and its
spread among the population. Africans were
aware of the history of many diseases and cata-
logued their course in society. The ancient
Egyptians (Kmts) were among the first Africans to
study and treat disease.
First and foremost, the idea of disease (sick-
ness, illness, disorder, etc.) in traditional African
societies is most commonly associated with the
legacy of spirituality and the mind–body–spirit
connection. In this worldview, disease is explained,
in part, through natural circumstances, but
always in terms signifying the primacy of the
supernatural realm. Men and women in early
Africa actively sought to explain the nature of dis-
ease, define its origin, and explain the disturbance
manifested in the physical body and how it could
be confronted. Many African societies have held
this fundamental analysis of disease. Primarily, it
involves the flow and awareness of god energy
(which included the role of nature, orishas, ances-
tors, ashe, chi, etc.) and the limitations of the
physical body.
Within the larger African medical system, the
intention is to restore balance to the human
mind–body–spirit. The elimination of disease is an
important occupation to people because illness
causes suffering, injury, and death among the pop-
ulace. Specially trained healers, mainly women
and men who have studied herbs and human psy-
chology, are the front-line doctors in most socie-
ties. Diseases (even those suffered by plants and
animals) not only affect the person, but the dys-
functional consequences of the illness also affect
the family and the entire community. Since the
HIV epidemic in many countries, healers have had
to deal with the wasting disease with traditional
medicines. There has been some evidence of suc-
cess among some of the doctors in Ghana and
Zimbabwe. However, it is an epidemic that has
been attacked by African and Western medicines.
In most traditional African societies, the origins
of disease are evident. The overarching focus
comes from the Supreme Being (God), the ances-
tors, or individuals who manipulate the cosmic
energy negatively against other people. Instilling
negative energy into an individual may cause dis-
ease. In addition, disease is believed to appear if a
person in community fails to adhere to admoni-
tions against carefully conscribed sociospiritual
activities (such as sexual abstinence during
menses, eating certain animals/plants, and failing
to honor the ancestors). There are some ethnic
groups that believe that disease manifests itself
through a form of spirit possession, which can
involve the specter of the dearly departed. A more
complex way that individuals can become sick is
the loss of their soul through means other than
spirit possession. Finally, many ethnic groupsDisease 205