SESSION
Science journalism and traditional medicine: is there a match?
Health issues, in particular the treatment of diseases, are undoubtedly those that require the most rigour and precision in science journalism. This is why almost all articles on this subject are based on information published in scientific journals, and once the drugs or treatments have passed all the tests for their efficacy and safety.
Traditional African medicine, which appeals to the overwhelming majority of the population—up to 80%, according to the WHO—brings unique risks in this context. These products do not undergone clinical evaluation, leaving science journalists faced with a difficult choice: should they simply ignore the existence of these traditional remedies and solutions? Should they devote articles to them, given their popularity in society where there is no shortage of testimonies of cures?
This session invites the various stakeholders to discuss the issue in order to propose an approach to journalistic coverage of traditional African medicine.
Ogechi EkeanyanwuSession producer and moderator | CABI / SciDev.Net | Nigeria
Ogechi Ekeanyanwu is the regional coordinator and editor of the English edition of SciDev.Net for Subsaharan Africa.
Amel BouzabataSpeaker | Badji Mokhtar University | Algeria
Amel Bouzabata is a pharmacist and professor, and a specialist in pharmacognosy at the Faculty of Medicine, Badji Mokhtar University, in Algeria. She is an advocate of the value of traditional medicine, and works towards improving regulation of herbal medicines and official recognition of their place in the Algerian health system.
Luisa MassaraniSpeaker | Brazil
Luisa Massarani is a Brazilian science journalist. She is the regional coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for SciDev.Net. As such, she is responsible for managing the independent collaborators of SciDev.Net and other key people and organisations in the region, as well as writing journalistic articles. She also coordinates meetings, workshops and other training events on science communication and science journalism. She coordinates the Brazilian Institute for Public Communication of Science and Technology, and is a researcher in science journalism at Casa de Oswaldo Cruz, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. She has a doctorate in science communication and has published several scientific articles and books in this specialty.
Julien ChongwangSpeaker | CABI / SciDev.Net | Cameroon
Julien Chongwang, a Cameroonian journalist, is deputy editor-in-chief of the French edition of SciDev.Net. He is the former editor-in-chief of Le Quotidien de l’économie in Cameroon and contributor to international media such as Voice of America. He also covers economic news for the Moroccan newspaper Les Eco. He has written extensively on issues relating to health, environment, agriculture, and ICTs.