Zangbeto, a Form of Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

Zangbeto or traditional night guardian, is a very well-known spirit or a deity in the southern communities of the Republic of Benin, in several other communities of West Africa and particularly in the city of Badagry in south western Nigeria. According to legend, Zangbeto was invented by princes from Adja Tado (Republic of Togo) during their migrations eastward. This with the aim of overcoming their adventure-related uncertainties. To materialize that project, they were disguised with branches and leaves of raffia and other unusual objects in order to have a strange allure to the point of not being recognized on the one hand and on the other hand, to scare people on their way. This find will be perpetuated by their descendants who will use it to ensure the security of their territory once settled permanently. They will also use it during some risky night journeys to spread fear around, then reduce their own concerns and then reassure themselves. The objective of this review is to compare Zangbeto with Emotional Intelligence (EI), which consists of using negative emotions and those of his opponents in some ways to sow doubt in the latter’s mind, in order to improve oneself motivations and achieve the goals set. From this work finding, it appears that Zangbeto is actually a form of emotional intelligence that existed before Salovey and Mayer had theorized this concept in 1990. But his status as deity due to his mysterious aspect makes him less accessible and prevents him from being made available to modern knowledge. This allows the Zangbeto to remain sustainable over years and to ensure his role as night guardian in the communities where he exists, despite the evolution of conventional security means.