Lexington Books
Pages: 148
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-0-7391-8144-7 • Hardback • December 2013 • $114.00 • (£88.00)
978-0-7391-8145-4 • eBook • December 2013 • $108.00 • (£83.00)
Bonaventure Mvé Ondo was born near the city of Oyem in the Gabonese Fang heartland, and is the author of several books that explore Fang history and culture. He served as the rector of Omar Bongo University in Libreville, Gabon, and most recently as vice-rector of the Association of Francophone Universities. In 2013, he was inducted into the French Legion of Honor for his contributions to the advancement of Francophone education.
James F. Barnes is professor of political science at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He is the author of Gabon: Beyond the Colonial Legacy and co-editor with Michael Reed of Culture, Politics and Ecology in the Gabonese Rainforest. He has also authored several commentaries and articles on Gabonese politics.
Foreword by Professor Douglas A. Yates Prologue Wisdom and Initiation in Gabon: A Philosophical Analysis of Fang Tales, Myths, and Legends by Bonaventure Mvé OndoAcknowledgments Preface to the Second Edition Introduction Chapter One—The Legend of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars Chapter Two—The Seven Sons of Essamnyambogë Chapter Three—The Legend of the Three Sons of Ada Chapter Four—The Myth of Evus Chapter Five—The Legend of Ngurangurane: Son of the Crocodile Chapter Six—The Tale of the Orphan and the Old Woman Conclusion Bibliography Index About the Author
Wisdom and Initiation in Gabon is an extremely valuable sourcebook for historians, ecologists, political scientists, anthropologists, folklorists, and many other social scientists interested in comparative worldviews, folklore, and inter-dependence between people and their natural surroundings. This book will be particularly suitable for teachers of evolution and creationist schools of thought about the human origins in Africa. Ondo helps to answer one question that is rarely addressed in evolutionary discourse: what do Africans say about human relationships with other primates? This is a book for your shelf—a fascinating, lucid, and readable introduction to the Fang of Gabon.
— Jeremiah Mutio Kitunda, Appalachian State Universirty