Acknowledgements

Very many individuals made the international conference, whose proceedings are reported in this publication a reality. Many others made the synthesis of the various papers that were presented at the conference into this volume possible. To all these, we wish to express our most profound acknowledgement and gratitude.

More specifically, we wish to acknowledge the encouragement rendered by His Excellency Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, Chairman of the South Commission. Indeed, it was Mwalimu's personal interest and initiative that set the ball rolling.

We would also like to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation and gratitude for the support and encouragement accorded by Mr. Frank Brancho, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner of the South Commission; to Dr. J. Lozoya of the Institute of Traditional Medicine, Mexico; and also to Prof. W. Makene, formerly Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Dar es Salaam and Personal Physician to the Chairman of the South Commission, who (together with Mr. Brancho and Dr. Luzoya) drafted the original objectives of the International Conference whose proceedings are presented in this book.

We wish also to express our deep appreciation and acknowledgement to His Excellency Ali Hassan Mwinyi, President of the United Republic of Tanzania; to Hon. Or. A.D. Chiduo, then Minister of Health, United Republic of Tanzania; H.E. A. Jamal, Tanzania Ambassador in Geneva, whose collective personal interests and commitments, enabled the conference to be successfully executed in Tanzania.

The contributions made by Hon. Dr. W. Johnson, Minister of Health, Sierra Leone; Hon. Professor J.B. Kouri, Deputy Minister of Health, Republic of Cuba; and Ms. Zahra Nuru, then Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health, Tanzania, who graced the conference with their presence and useful inputs, are also deeply acknowledged.

Furthermore, we would wish to express our deep gratitude to all the members of the international and national organising committees, and especially to Hon. Prof. P.M. Sarungi, then Director General of the Muhimbili Medical Centre, Tanzania, and currently Minister of Health, United Republic of Tanzania; Prof. G.M.P. Mwaluko, then Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (incorporating the Muhimbili Medical Centre), and currently the Director General of the Centre; Mr. E.N. Mshiu, Director of the Traditional Medicine Research Unit, Muhimbili Medical Centre; Dr. S.P. Dyauli, Assistant Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, Tanzania; to all the authors of the various papers presented at the conference; to all the interpreters and translators; to all the members of the editorial committee; and to all the other silent and unseen hands, who contributed to the success of the workshop in one way or the other.

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, we wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge financial support from the UNDP and the World Health Organisation, who provided the financial fuel that set everything in motion. More specifically, we wish to acknowledge the personal interest of Dr. H. Nakajima, Director General of WHO, Geneva; Prof. G. Monekosso, African Region Director, WHO, Brazzaville; Dr. E.A Duale, WHO representative, Tanzania and the Seychelles; Dr. O. Akerele, WHO, Traditional Medicine Programme, Geneva; and Dr. W. M. Mtenga, WHO Office, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

To all the others, who deserved to be mentioned by name, and who, indeed, played significant roles towards the success of the conference, but whose names are not included above, we submit our sincere apologies. The full list would have filled many pages.