Dr Chilwa says he was called by his ancestors to do this work. He spent three years training in the mountains of Malawi, where he got to know the various herbs and plants that are able to effect cures. He emphasises that he is not a sangoma, but a herbalist healer. A herbalist can learn his craft but a sangoma is a spirit in a household, and was meant to be. The two say they have a good deal of success in helping people.
Clients don t immediately have to tell the doctors why they have come knocking on their door.
This the oracle in the consultation room will reveal, they say. I was allowed into the consultation room, shoes left behind at the door and legs covered by a cloth, as they were considered to be naked, peering as they did out of a skirt that ended just above the knee. He said that if he should now lay the rod on the head of anyone, by the grace of God, their problem is solved . And clients are then welcome to give more money, he adds. He says he and Dr Chilwa also use the help of spirits to effect cures, such as the spirit Anjambetu from Eliphi in West Africa.