1. Return and Pick it An Introduction to African Counselling and Therapy Eddie C. K. Ombagi University of Kabianga

2. RETURN AND PICK IT Africans have their unique ways of looking at the universe. Africans have their own way of knowing and acquiring knowledge. This unique way or worldview has produced a culture and a way of life that has served African people for centuries

3. In the last century or so, Africa was introduced to western culture and western Christianity. Today it is possible to say that western and Christian values are part and parcel of African life. However, there are many issues that western and Christian approach have failed miserably. In such instances, African solutions are preferred and appreciated

4. Not everything Western can be said to be good for the Africans. One such thing and indeed the concern of this book is counselling. The principles of counselling are the same whether western, Eastern or African. However, the approaches to counselling are not the same given that the western worldview is individualistic while the Africa perspective is communal in approach. It is for this precise reason that western therapy has placed too much emphasis upon individual self-interest and too little interest on family and community responsibilities

5. African counselling values justice, community, truthfulness and anchored on moral commitment to the entire universe. This African approach perceives the universe as one, interconnected and dependent on each other It dictates the need for cosmic harmony for peaceful and fulfilled life in the universe. The major players in controlling the cosmic harmony are humans. Human beings are thus expected to follow the moral standards as stipulated by the Supreme Being, the ancestral spirits and the society at large. In this regard, human beings are expected to be altruistic, tolerant, hospitable, co-operative, and kind and posses a spirit of forgiveness at all times.

6. The concept of Sankofa among the Akan speaking people of West Africa is apt. It literally means “it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot” My suggestion here is that Africa need to go back and consider their therapeutic models and other ways of acquiring and appropriating knowledge.

7. Indigenous ideas are still relevant and can be incorporated to modern science for the benefit of mankind. The idea of Sankofa comes in handy to suggest that African people must go back to their roots; that they must reach out and gather the best of the African past. It is only then that they are able to move forward in order to achieve their full potentials.

8. Sankofa is symbolically expressed as a mythic bird that flies forward while looking backward with an egg in its mouth or just about to pick it up. The lesson to learn from this is that Africa’s past is as significant as its future. African people must explore their past in order to discover the pathways to excellence in the future. Sankofa, like Ubuntu is reminding African communities that the African worldview and its values have sustained human life for ages..

9. If Africans can only search their past diligently, their traditional values, and beliefs, only then can the people of the African continent face the present challenges and thus move forward. It is this past that is pregnant with ethical values that enable African posterity to live in harmony not only with each other, but also with the creator and the other creatures It is this past that carries the healing wisdom as embodied in the offices of the herbalists, diviners, priests and elders. And without any exceptions, their wisdom is derived from the African past, from the African tradition that is governed by an African worldview that is build around wholistic approach to life.

10. If Africa will ever have its renaissance as anticipated, it must begin from here. It must understand, accept and own the African worldview. It is only then that Africa will see the need and appreciate the African past by building from the knowledge of their ancestors to the current prevailing knowledge. For knowledge is acquired and systematically build from the experiences, ideas and previous knowledge

11. The End Thank You