Hundreds of traditional healers from across Sierra Leone gathered in the Western Area Rural District this weekend to mark the annual “Change Leaf” Ceremony, a centuries-old ritual symbolizing spiritual renewal, unity, and the passing on of sacred herbal knowledge.
Dressed in vibrant traditional attire and carrying bundles of medicinal leaves, members of the Council of Traditional Healers Sierra Leone (COTHS) danced, chanted, and invoked ancestral blessings in front of elders and local dignitaries. The event, held at the home of the national president, Dr. Sheku Tarawallie in the Western Area Rural District, drew healers from every corner of the country—including Freetown, Bo, Makeni, and Kono—who came to exchange knowledge, renew vows of service, and honor the spirits of healing.
“The ‘Change Leaf’ ceremony is more than symbolic,” Dr. Sheku Tarawallie, President of COTHS told This Day. “It’s a spiritual contract between the healer, the earth, and the people. We discard the old leaves and take on new ones, as a sign that our work must be fresh, ethical, and guided by ancestral truth.”
He disclosed that this year’s ceremony was used to pray for the government and the country to overcome its economic woes. He said that they also prayed for their ancestors and themselves for more powers and long life.
Dr. Sheku Tarawallie pointed out that the ceremony was equally used to entreat traditional healers to not misunderstand the concept of Mpox.
He said that some herbalists think that Monkey Pox is sustained from shots by witch-gun, and it’s cured with pega- gin.
“Some part of the ceremony was therefore geared toward educating traditional healers in understanding that the Monkey Pox is not caused by witch-gun nor cured with pega-gin.”
Dr. Tarawallie admonished herbalists, who do not have an idea of curing Mpox to stay off the disease, while those with ideas to coordinate with the leadership of COTH-SL to work closely with the government in curbing it.
He also advised herbalists to respect and interface with the leadership of COTH-SL and those of their respective communities in the line of their duty.
Local chiefs, religious leaders, and representatives from the Ministry of Health attended the event. Chief Rogers, a respected traditional leader, praised the council for its efforts to formalize herbal practices and root out fraudulent healers.
“Real traditional healing is not witchcraft,” he said. “It is knowledge passed through bloodlines and prayer. We must protect it, not exploit it.”
A Ministry of Health official present at the event commended the council’s efforts to register healers, promote ethical standards, and collaborate on plant-based remedies for common ailments like malaria, skin infections, and digestive disorders.
The event also served as a platform for advocacy. Dr. Tarawallie called on the government to officially recognize the Council of Traditional Healers under national health regulations and provide resources for research into local medicinal plants.
“Our remedies have worked for generations,” he said. “But we need the tools to test, validate, and improve them for the future. The forest is our pharmacy—if we don’t protect it, we lose both medicine and culture.”
The ceremony concluded with a group healing session, where healers laid hands and offered herbal treatments to attendees. Many participants expressed renewed hope that traditional medicine will be more fully integrated into Sierra Leone’s formal healthcare system.
As the sun set over the hills of Waterloo, the rhythmic sounds of drums echoed through the villages—each beat a reminder of the deep roots and living power of Sierra Leone’s healing traditions.
