Produção científica africana e afrocentricidade: beleza, saúde, cura e a natureza holística da ciência africana

Abstract

Throughout history, African people have developed different ways of producing knowledge, but the European model is hegemonic in the world and accepted as universal. Therefore, us from African communities around the world still suffer from the lack of historical references that allow us to build a positive self-image nowadays. Thus, black identity needs to be studied, so that we can recognize important African contributions to the development of science. In this project, I propose to investigate the production and use of medicines/cosmetics in ancient Africa, to make possible correlations between these productions and my experience as an African in diaspora, daughter of Salvador city, chemist, cosmetologist, aromatherapist and Omo Orixá (Orixá’s daughter). Thus, I bring knowledge that I have learned in the oral tradition of the Brazilian diaspora in the Salvador city, about the manipulation of vegetal and animal kingdoms to produce medicines/cosmetics. I also intend to make some considerations about the holistic nature of African and Afro diasporic science, seeing the holism from the African perspective of interconnection between all things and, in this way, as different from the superficial holistic understanding that has been widespread in the Western. Supported by the Afrocentricity paradigm and in the afroperspective, this work is very interested in contributing to an ongoing discussion on African and Afro diasporic science and moving towards the reconstruction of the scientific tradition of African people.