the creator of the first ancestor,ZambeorSekume,
who was fashioned from clay and whose form was
first as a lizard. Mebere placed this lizard in the
waters for 8 days; on the final day, the lizard grate-
fully emerged from the water as a man.
The Fang also believe that Mebere was one
god with three different aspects: Nzame, Mbere,
and Nkwa. These three parts consulted with one
another during the creation process and particu-
larly in the creation of the first man. It was the
Mbere and Nkwa parts of the god that sug-
gested that there be a chief of the Earth; whereas
the elephant, the monkey, and the leopard were
all considered, this first creation was named
Fam and was given three things from each part
of his god. He received strength from Nzame,
leadership from Mbere, and beauty from Nkwa.
Unfortunately, Fam became arrogant and
attempted to usurp the authority of his god.
Mebere could not tolerate this and destroyed the
Earth with the exception of Fam, who had been
promised to never experience death.
Mbere then desired to create a chief of the
Earth that would be reflective of the god’s own
image and therefore created the new man
known as Zambe or Sekume. This new creation
became the first ancestor of the Fang. Mbere
created a woman whom he called Mbongwe
from a tree. Fam, now with no dominion and
forced to live below the Earth, is believed to still
find his way to the surface of Earth to harm the
descendents of Zambe/Sekume. The Fang also
believed that Zambe, the first ancestor, was the
creator of the races.
There are multiple variations to the story of
creation within the Fang religion. Another version
of the creation belief in the Fang religion has
Mebere alone in the universe except for a mythi-
cal spider. The spider was suspended by a thread
above the sea. Later, the spider came down from
the sky releasing its egg sac, which housed both
the souls of men and termites. The spider then
dropped the termites into the water and the ter-
mites descended to the ocean floor, pulling the
Earth below the water to the surface and allowing
space for animals and humanity.
Tracey Michael LewisSee alsoAncestors; Earth; God
Further Readings
Aniakor, C. C. (1997).Fang. New York: Rosen.
Balandier, G. (1970).The Sociology of Black Africa;
Social Dynamics in Central Africa(D. Garman,
Trans). New York: Praeger.
Ikenga-Metuh, E. (1981).God and Man in African
Religion. London: Geoffrey Chapman.
Perrois, L. (2006).Fang. Milan: 5 Continents.FARO
Faro, according to the Mande people of ancient
Mali, is commonly referenced as the god of restora-
tion and fertility. In this respect, he is similar to the
deity Ausar in ancient Kemet, who was also called
the god of restoration, resurrection, and fertility.
The Bamana, also called Bambara, like other
Mande communities, honor Faro as the great light
and creator god. In the Mande creation story, he
symbolizes the restoring organizer of the universe.
The role that Faro plays in the Mande creation story
is widely shared among Mande-speaking communi-
ties (e.g., the Bozo, Bambara, Kurumba, Samogo,
and Dogon), thus solidifying his significance in
many Mande communities. The importance of Faro
is illustrated in the Mande creation story.
According to the Mande creation story, God suc-
cessfully created twin varieties of the eleusine seed,
known as the egg of the world. God proceeded to
created six more seeds and combined with this
group of eight seeds the four elements and the
cardinal points to mark out the organization of
the world and its expansion. In accordance with the
narrative, each egg contained one male and one
female. These were to be the prototype of the future
human. One of the males, Pemba, seeking to domi-
nate creation emerged prematurely before full devel-
opment was complete, tearing a piece of his placenta
in the process. He descended through empty space,
and the piece of his placenta became the Earth.
However, it was dry, barren, and infertile.
After realizing this, Pemba returned to the heav-
ens and attempted to return to his place in the
placenta. However, God had restructured the
remaining part of his placenta into the sun. Pemba
stole eight male seeds from God’s clavicle and
returned to Earth sowing them in the piece of
placenta that had become Earth. In the field, onlyFaro 261