Editor's Note

Abstract

I am very delighted to introduce and welcome readers to the Special Issue No. 6.1 (November 2023) of the AASR E-Journal for the Study of the Religions of Africa and the African Diaspora, a peer reviewed, open-access journal of the African Association for the Study of Religions (AASR). We are thankful to the guest editors, Lovemore Togarasei and Rebecca Kubanji, for putting together interesting articles based on an ethnographic research study “The impact of religious beliefs on health seeking and health provision behavior: lessons for theological education review at the University of Botswana” carried out under the Nagel Institute’s African Theological Advance project, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust (TRT). This research conducted between July 2018 and September 2019 in Botswana sought to establish how religious and cultural beliefs and practices influence health seeking and health provision behaviors among Batswana and how this knowledge can help in reviewing theological education at the University of Botswana. The primary questions addressed by the study are: How do religious beliefs influence one’s health seeking and health provision behavior? Based on their reading and interpretation of the Bible, how do African Christians view traditional and modern medicine? Does the un/availability of good medical facilities in one’s society influence people’s views of the different health systems? What about the health and medical training programs, do they have courses or content on spirituality and health? How do they view the relevance of religion in their medical training? How do the answers to these questions influence the direction of theological education in Botswana and other African countries?