Medicinal plant use in a context of coloniality: Congolese perspectives on lost and preserved healing traditions in Belgium

Coloniality refers to patterns of power that emerged as a result of colonialism beyond the strict limits of colonial administration. Members of the Congolese community in Belgium -being the formerly colonized in the country of the former colonizer- live in an obvious context of coloniality. Medicinal plant use is common among the Congolese community in Belgium, and cultural forces play a significant role in the health and healthcare beliefs and perceptions of minoritized groups. Therefore, our main objective was to understand the lived experiences of the Congolese community in Belgium regarding their use of medicinal plants, with a focus on the influence of coloniality dynamics and cultural transmission in a postcolonial setting. We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with people of Congolese heritage in Belgium and analysed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. Medicinal plant use dynamics were found to be deeply influenced by experiences of living in the context of coloniality. Our results suggest that in contexts where migrant and diaspora communities are minoritized, subject to discrimination and/or racism, and particularly where host countries are shaped by or continue to be influenced by a colonial past, the preservation of traditions, cultural concepts, habits, and belief systems regarding health and healthcare, including perceptions of medicinal plant knowledge and use, cannot be understood without acknowledging the context of coloniality.