Art, myth and education among fons from Benin: statue of the Gu

This article is sco­ped reflection on the relationship between art, myth and ancestry among the most traditional peoples of the West African coast, the Fons of Benin. In this reflection, which will take the Beninese statuary as a theme was chosen to Gu statue, a mythical ancestrality present in the culture of Fons arisen in the context of cul­tural hybridity with their Yoruba neighbors, relations historically marked by wars and con­frontations. Fon Ethnic Group, as the various African ethnic groups brought to Brazil to ser­ve as slaves in colonial Brazil, is a constituent part of the black population, and consequently left us a representative cultural heritage espe­cially in the African-based religion.O presente artigo tem como esco­po a reflexão sobre a relação entre arte, mito e ancestralidade entre um dos povos mais tra­dicionais da costa oeste africana, os Fons do Benin. Nesta reflexão, que tomará a estatuária beninense como mote, foi escolhida a estátua de Gu, um ancestral mítico presente na cultu­ra dos fons, surgido no contexto do hibridismo cultural com seus vizinhos iorubás, em rela­ções historicamente marcadas por guerras e enfrentamentos. A etnia fon, como sendo uma das várias etnias africanas trazidas para o Brasil para servirem como escravos no Brasil colônia, é constituinte de uma parte da popula­ção negra brasileira e, consequentemente, nos deixou uma herança cultural representativa, principalmente na religiosidade de matriz afri­cana.This article is sco­ped reflection on the relationship between art, myth and ancestry among the most traditional peoples of the West African coast, the Fons of Benin. In this reflection, which will take the Beninese statuary as a theme was chosen to Gu statue, a mythical ancestrality present in the culture of Fons arisen in the context of cul­tural hybridity with their Yoruba neighbors, relations historically marked by wars and con­frontations. Fon Ethnic Group, as the various African ethnic groups brought to Brazil to ser­ve as slaves in colonial Brazil, is a constituent part of the black population, and consequently left us a representative cultural heritage espe­cially in the African-based religion