Monograph by N. A. Ksenofontova, A. N. Moseyko, A. A. Kazankova " Man and woman. Book 4. History. Culture, Mythology", published by the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, 2013, 406 p), continues the series of books published in 2004 - 2011 under the general title "Man and Woman", which explore the dynamics and features of tender relations in various socio-cultural and historical environments.

Tracing the fate of African women since the reign of the Egyptian pharaohs, the authors convincingly prove that both in traditional societies of the Black continent and in modern societies, the relationship between the strong and weak sexes affected all aspects of "industrial, social and family-tribal life". According to the apt and somewhat ironic expression of N. A. Ksenofontova, "once at the dawn of human history, men achieved superiority over the other half of humanity and now live in constant anxiety and fear, as if a woman would not take revenge in the struggle for a dominant position in society" (p.11). However, as the same researcher points out, the Africans did not so much strive for such a rematch as they tried to establish themselves in their right to influence the course of events.

As a result of studying the moral and ethical norms of various African peoples, N. A. Ksenofontova comes to the conclusion that human history has been distorted for thousands of years in the interests of men who seized power, while in many cosmogonic myths of Africa there is an idea of the indivisibility of male and female principles. So, among the "first people" and deities who combined male and female characteristics, the author singles out the god Ra (ancient Egypt), Oduduwa (among the Yoruba people), Nommo (among the Dogons), Faro (among the Pemba) and Mavu-Lisa (among the Fon).

Over time, the rivalry of competing tenders for dominance in a society that could belong to representatives of different genders became more and more pronounced: African history is rich in examples when women played the main roles on the political stage. These are the progenitors-founders of ruling families and dynasties, and full-fledged rulers, and military leaders, prophetesses and leaders of national liberation movements.

N. A. Ksenofontova rightly points out that the status of the fairer sex varied by region and depended on many factors. Almost everywhere, power was held by men, who also had absolute property rights, but in a large number of African peoples, men had only symbols of power, and the real control over it was exercised by their fellow tribeswomen.

Myths, legends, and popular rumor often linked the origin of a particular clan, tribe, or dynasty to female heroines. The author shares the opinion of a number of researchers that the bronze head of the ruler's mother (Benin), wooden round figures and ritual masks of the Fon, Yoruba, Yembe, Senufo, Mpongwe, Makonde, Lunda, Chokwe, Luba, Pende peoples, etc. they are portraits of real progenitors and founders of clans and "ruling houses". The names of some of them have been preserved: Mwambwa (luyi, Zambia), Mbulu (lenge) and Mumbanda a Mbulu (pende) in Angola, Mjunaka (modern day). Uganda), etc.

Historical chronicles often pointed to the existence of a situation among most African peoples in which the mothers of leaders and "sovereigns" acted as dispatchers, in terms of their functions and status, not only not inferior to the rulers, but sometimes having a higher position and authority. Thus, the mother of the ruler of Buganda had a great influence on the affairs of the state and had extensive land, many slaves and courtiers.

N. A. Ksenofontova also examines in detail such an important aspect of tender development in Africa as the formation of the religious and political institution of the "official mother" of the head of state, who was chosen from the most prominent representatives of the ruling dynasty. As a rule, she was not the natural mother of the ruler. The position was given a sacred meaning, and the woman chosen for this role often served as a priestess of the supreme deity and guardian of the royal funeral vestments (for example, in the Yoruba state of Oyo). In some African societies, from-

the author notes that " the holders of such titles and positions significantly restricted the freedom and power of their illustrious "sons"; they could even contribute to their murder if they believed that they were no longer able to effectively manage" (p.15).

Of particular interest is N. A. Ksenofontova's study of the social group of female warriors, who can be said to be the predecessors of the current participants in the insurgent movements and civil wars on the continent. As today, African women in the Middle Ages were not only ordinary soldiers. There are cases when the rulers of states were also the leaders of their troops at the same time.

A. N. Mossyko focuses on the peculiarities of Madagascar's culture, where, according to the author, "relations between men and women are not only really full-fledged, but women in popular representations are endowed with high qualities - wisdom, prudence, hard work, courage, patience, and at the same time tenderness and devotion" (p. 47).

Like N. A. Kssnofontova, A. N. Moseyko dwells in detail on the study of female rulers, in this case Malagasy, who possessed a number of specific features that are not typical of other African "sovereigns". When Malagasy women became queens, they acquired a partial male status: they inherited their husband's harem, whose inhabitants they kept and sometimes married off. Among the rulers of Madagascar, there were many outstanding historical figures who left their mark on the people's memory and became objects of veneration. One of them, for example, was Queen Ndramandikawawi, who, according to legend, sacrificed herself for the sake of her people-Sakalawa.

Tracing the evolution of the political role of women in Madagascar, the author draws a bridge from the Middle Ages to the present day: "...the time of queens has passed, but the participation of Malagasy women in the life of the country has not ended... There are new heroines, active members of social and religious movements, and simply workers who contribute to the construction of a new life" (p.56). Of particular value are the author's impressions of meetings with these women, for example, with Giselle Rabesahala, who was appointed Minister of Art and Revolutionary Culture in 1976 and awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples in 1979.

A. A. Kazankov in the section" Comparative Mythology "makes an amazing attempt to reconstruct the" way of thinking of Paleolithic Homo Sapiens " (p. 115), as well as some mythological plots that supposedly existed in the Levant (the author does not insist on their existence in Africa) 40-45 thousand years ago. Around this time, the so-called Proto-language appeared with a corresponding "corpus of myths", to which the author gave his own name - "May Day". Considering mythological conflicts such as "Sun - Moon" and others, A. A. Kazankov points out the possibility of "inversion of the sex of luminaries" among individual peoples and, moreover, outlines the boundaries of the spread of certain mythological ideas, noting, in particular, that there are examples of cultural traditions in which the Sun is a man and the Moon is a woman, there are 344 of them. And vice versa, when the Sun is female and the Moon is male-180.

The main advantage of this paper is its applied nature: the provisions, conclusions and empirical material contained in it can be used in the preparation of training courses on the history and sociology of Africa.

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