Wisdom and initiation in Gabon
Subtitle: a philosophical analysis of Fang tales, myths and legends
By: By Bonaventure Mvé Ondo ; translated by James F. Barnes
Contributors: Barnes, James F. (James Franklin), 1934-
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Lanham, Maryland
Language: eng
Number of pages: 151
ISBN-13: 9780739181447; 9780739181454
Subjects: Fang (West African people); Folklore; Fang Mythology; Legends; Tales
Work titles: Sagesse et initiation à travers les contes, mythes et légendes Fang
Description: "Wisdom and Initiation in Gabon: A Philosophical Analysis of Fang Tales, Myths, and Legends is a study of the philosophical significance of Fang mythology and the rituals of initiation that lead to wisdom. Bonaventure Mvé Ondo argues that Fang tales, myths, and legends are components of the foundation of a worldview that sustains and protects a unique, historical Fang identity. For Mvé Ondo, the contemporary challenges to the existence and identity of the Fang require, perhaps more than ever, recognition of the central role of mythology. At an historical moment when Africans are faced with the challenges of westernization, the metaphysics of the Fang, illustrated and preserved by tales, myths, and legends, is a critical element of Fang survival. Mythology is far more than a collection of amusing or awe inspiring stories, they are profoundly important moral lessons for the Fang in their continuing encounters with such contemporary challenges as materialism and, as the "stories" in this book illustrate, the constant struggle to live lives of purpose and meaning. For Mvé Ondo, the critical, central issue for the Fang is to focus on the distinction at the heart of his analysis, i.e., the crucial distinction between "to have" and to "to be." The lessons transmitted from generation to generation by these marvelous stories are, Mvé Ondo argues, central to living lives that reflect and perpetuate the eternal truths of the Fang experience."
Notes: Translation of Sagesse et initiation à travers les contes, mythes et légendes Fang. Paris : L'Harmattan, 2007.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 141-144) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: The legend of the sun, the moon, and the stars; title: The seven sons of Essamnyambogë; title: The legend of the three sons of Ada; title: The myth of Evus; title: The legend of Ngurangurane, son of the crocodile; title: The tale of the orphan and the old woman; title: Conclusion.