THE CULT OF LEGBA IN THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF THE PEOPLES OF WEST AFRICA ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE EWE PEOPLE.

Medushevsky Nikolay Andreevich

This article is devoted to the consideration of the cult of Legba, traditional for the African religion of Vodun. The cult of Legba is one of the most popular in the countries of West Africa. The article discusses the historicity of this cult, its structure, practice of implementation, as well as social and historical significance. The article is written based on a wide range of Russian and foreign sources and literature, as well as taking into account the author's field research conducted in Ghana and Togo in 2021-2024. It should be noted that a separate type of source was the museum collection of the Bremen Mission in Ubersee, Germany. Based on the results of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that the studied cult of Legba is extremely significant for African societies of West Africa, not only due to tradition, but also because of its mobilization and protective function, which is in great demand due to the crisis of the traditional way of life and Christianization. The author notes that the studied cult retains its significance in Christian communities, becoming part of a combined religious tradition.

Keywords:cult, Legba, Vodun, traditional society, Christianization, trickster.