Dingakeng: a centre for traditional health practitioners - creating a link between traditional and modern medicine

Abstract

This dissertation explores the fusion of traditional health practise in the context of the city. The primary objective of this dissertation is to expose people to the spirituality and sacredness of the indigenous South African health practices but also help reverse the guilt and inferiority complex usually associated with such practices. People in the city find themselves having to travel long distances to rural areas to consult inyangas and/or sangomas. This dissertation also tries to fi nd a solution on how to design a facility in an urban context that is going to accommodate that is going to accommodate inyangas and sangomas that is going to reflect the indigenousness of the practice. Therefore, people will have easy access and not have to travel long distances for consultation. The Dingakeng Centre is going to be the first step in creating a link between the traditional and the modern health practice. The name Dingakeng Is a Setswana word meaning a place of the traditional healers.