Abstract
Traditional Medicine is embedded in the socio-cultural traditions of most Ghanaian communities, with about 70-80% of the population using it alone or in parallel with Conventional Medicine. Some studies have shown that people living with cancer and other chronic diseases use Traditional Healers more than the ordinary population. However, studies that have investigated the reason behind such behaviour of people living with cancer dearth. Thus, this study explores and conceptualises people living with cancers’ motivations and experiences of using Traditional Healers in the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana. The region is rich in cultural traditions and has an abundance of Traditional Healers. The methodological approach for the study was Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) in which semi-structured interviews were conducted in two hospitals and five herbal clinics (n=35). The interviews backed by a background observation of participants’ interaction with staff at the study sites. The main categories from the analysis were: ‘’’Placing trust in one’s community, ‘’Finding solace in the therapeutic hospitality and conviviality, ‘’ and ‘’Aiming to avoid upset and manage emotions. These categories underpin the theory ‘’Community of Us’’ which provides a conceptualised understanding of the subtleties of the trusting and identity relations between people living with cancer and Traditional Healers. The theory shows how these identities influence people living with cancer’ help-seeking behaviour for their illnesses and symptoms and therapeutic interaction. The ‘’Us’’ exclude Conventional doctors as people living with cancer did trust them because they were detached from the local communities’ identities. Conventional doctors represented “Whiteness” which symbolises colonial power, inequality and elitism. The study shows that people living with cancer use of Traditional Healers in Ghana are more profound than mere socio-economic factors identified in previous studies.