Utoenyin: Discourse and Counter Discourse on Malaria Among the Ibibioof Akwa Ibom State

The western Bio-medical concept of diseases runs parallel to the local conceptions of disease that exist in most communities in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the case among the Ibibio of Akwa Ibom State, south-south Nigeria where the people interpret and respond to symptoms of diseases in the context of their culture. Using malaria as a case, this study examined this parallel –this was done with a view to finding out if the perception of diseases in any way influences the responses to malaria among the people and to get first hand knowledge of the beliefs associated with malaria. Ethnographic field techniques of observation, key informant and in-depth interview as well as focus group discussions were employed in the collection of data. Content analysis and explanatory elaborations were used for data analysis. This study has discovered that there exist different shades of opinion in relation to malaria; its causation and management, among the Ibibio people.