Skip to main content
Article
Madagascar's Green Gold: Nature Religion, Biotechnology, and the Global Race against Covid-19
Journal of Africana Religions
  • Amanda Furiasse, Nova Southeastern University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2022
Keywords
  • Nature religions,
  • Pharmacology,
  • Biotechnology,
  • COVID-19,
  • Ethnobotany
Abstract

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Madagascar’s government garnered international media attention for their herbal remedy to COVID-19, made from the Artemisia plant, called “Covid-Organics” (CVO). While global media outlets presented CVO as yet another example of an inherent conflict between traditional African medicine and Western medicine, this article hypothesizes that the release of CVO offers a rare window into the dynamic processes by which ecological, technological, and cultural developments in the production and distribution of artemisia and plant-based medicines in the country are giving rise to a multifaceted system of medical pluralism that attempts to strike a difficult balance between appeasing the rapidly growing global demand for plant-based medicines and preserving the country’s unique religious heritage and biodiversity.

Comments

Copyright © 2022 by The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved.

DOI
10.5325/jafrireli.10.2.0212
Citation Information
Amanda Furiasse. "Madagascar's Green Gold: Nature Religion, Biotechnology, and the Global Race against Covid-19" Journal of Africana Religions Vol. 10 Iss. 2 (2022) p. 212 - 236 ISSN: 2165-5405
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/amanda-furiasse/36/