Myth of mermaids is popular all around the world, but the African water spirit Mami Wata remained respected and celebrated from the time before the African nations came in contact with Europe.

Especially popular in South East Nigeria among the Efik, Ibibio, Igbo and Annang people, trading routes expanded Mami Wata's influence across a region stretching from Senegal to Zambia. She represented one of the most powerful goddesses in the African religion of Voudun (not to be mistaken to the newer and more heavily publicized Voodoo) and is today celebrated as a goddess that must be both loved and feared.

As with many other old mermaid deities such as Assyrian Astarte, Babylonian Ishtar and Greek Aphrodite, she is regarded as an immortal spirit that personifies polar opposites, such as of beauty and danger, natural force and healing, wealth and destruction, health and disease, and inability to follow ideas of good and evil. She is incredibly powerful, dangerous, pleasant, sexual and able to destroy anything on her path. Her image in the minds of African followers went through little changes over the millennia. She is often portrayed as a long-haired beautiful mermaid, half human and half fish, but sometimes able to walk the earth in more human form.

Under slavery, African religions were demonized as ‘devilish’, and practices were carried out in secret or under cover of Christian ritual, due to the constant threat of punishment by deportation to other colonies or even death. But somehow Mami Wata finds a way to live on...

Artist : HighlyMelanated Edition : 1/1 Location : Cotonou - Benin Republic Year Created : January 2020 Size : 23840 × 4800 Gear : Canon EOS 5D Mark III - Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM Genre : Landscape - Minimalist

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