Christianity and Traditional Healing Practices Among the Efik People of Akwa Ibom State

Among the Efik people of Akwa Ibom State in South South Nigeria, traditional healing practices including herbal medicine, ritual cleansing, and consultations with traditional healers continue to operate alongside Christianity. This study examines how Efik Christians navigate the coexistence of traditional healing practices and Christian faith, and how churches engage with or respond to this reality. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, incorporating semi-structured interviews with 25 Efik Christians who had consulted traditional healers, twelve pastors, and five traditional healers in Uyo and Itu LGAs. Observations at three church healing services and two traditional healing events were conducted. Findings reveal a pragmatic pluralism among many Efik Christians, who consult traditional healers for conditions perceived as culturally specific (such as spiritual attacks and ancestral afflictions) while maintaining Christian practice. Pastors hold diverse views, from outright condemnation to nuanced contextual engagement. Catholic and mainline Protestant pastors show greater tolerance for culturally adapted responses to illness than Pentecostal leaders. The study concludes that the engagement between Christianity and Efik traditional healing requires theologically informed pastoral response that discerns authentic cultural resources from spiritually incompatible practices. It recommends that the Akwa Ibom Anglican and Catholic dioceses develop contextual healing ministries as an alternative to traditional healer consultation.

Keywords: traditional healing, Christianity, Efik people, Akwa Ibom State, contextualisation