Background
Psycho-oncology research increasingly recognises the importance of cultural context in cancer care. However, there remains a limited amount of context-specific research into Indigenous innovation within Zambia's oncology ecosystem. This ongoing study explores how people with cancer (PwC) at Lusaka's Cancer Diseases Hospital navigate illness, create meaning, and build community within resource-constrained settings.
Methodology
Using Indigenous research methodologies, this participatory study engages PwC and caregivers through conversation circles and ceremonies grounded in Indigenous musical arts. Data collection involves collaborative storytelling, musicking, and arts-based expressions of illness experience. The concept of 'tilitonse' -participatory attentiveness- guides both the methodology and analysis, centring reciprocal witnessing and community-based knowledge creation.
Findings
Preliminary findings reveal tensions between biomedical frameworks and Indigenous healing practices. Participants demonstrate remarkable agency in transforming institutional settings into communal space through the practice of placemaking. Emerging themes include resistance to "diseasefication", kin-making beyond biological ties, preserving visibility and dignity within the healthcare system, and hospitality as a form of healing. Spiritual meaning-making also emerges as central, encompassing faith, legacy, and existential reflection. The study highlights "prohibited death" as a cultural phenomenon whereby mortality awareness is suppressed, resulting in internalised shame and isolation. Conversely, community storytelling fosters resilience, voice, and stronger navigation of healthcare systems.
Implications
These early insights suggest that psycho-oncology interventions in similar contexts must honour Indigenous heritage while supporting biomedical care. Navigation becomes more than coordination- it becomes a pathway to humanisation. Recommendations include integrating gathering circles into hospital routines, supporting patient-led advocacy, and designing spaces that foster community connection and cultural expression.
Conclusion
This research reframes patients not as passive recipients but as active meaning-makers and contributors to a more inclusive model of psycho-oncology.