{"id":3287,"date":"2022-05-02T17:35:12","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T16:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/?p=3287"},"modified":"2023-03-14T16:28:04","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T15:28:04","slug":"voodoo-mami-wata-mother-of-the-waters-queen-of-the-seas-and-oceans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/vaudou-mami-wata-mere-des-eaux-reine-des-mers-et-des-oceans\/","title":{"rendered":"Mami Wata - Mother of the waters - Queen of the seas and oceans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Half-female, half-fish, half-terrestrial, half-aquatic, Mami Wata is an African divinity, a legendary spirit linked to vodun. This cult is particularly prevalent among the Fon (Benin and Togo), Ashanti (Ghana) and Yoruba (mainly Nigeria) peoples. Meet this powerful siren, the object of as many beliefs as there are followers.<\/em><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/vaudou-mami-wata-mere-des-eaux-reine-des-mers-et-des-oceans\/#Legba_une_divinite_a_part\" >Legba, a divinity apart<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/vaudou-mami-wata-mere-des-eaux-reine-des-mers-et-des-oceans\/#Mami_Wata_un_avatar_du_Dan_de_locean\" >Mami Wata, an avatar of Ocean Dan<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/vaudou-mami-wata-mere-des-eaux-reine-des-mers-et-des-oceans\/#Une_divinite_supranaturelle_etrangere_aux_hommes_et_a_la_nature\" >A supranatural divinity, alien to man and nature<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/en\/vaudou-mami-wata-mere-des-eaux-reine-des-mers-et-des-oceans\/#Gabin_Djimasse_historiographe\" >Gabin Djimass\u00e9, historiographer<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p><br><br>The cult of Mami Wata, the goddess of the sea and oceans, cannot be mentioned without mentioning the religion that is the cultural foundation of the peoples of the Gulf States of Benin: vodou (or vodun in Fon). <em>\"The kingdom of Danhom\u00e9 (now Dahomey) truly instituted this vodun by bringing together in an unprecedented way what already existed in a disparate, non-hierarchical way among the Ashanti of Ghana and the Yoruba of Nigeria\".<\/em>explains researcher and historian Gabin Djimass\u00e9. Built on a hierarchical and structured cosmogony, it includes countless gods (or voduns) and entities, spirits or invisible powers that people strive to conciliate in order to obtain favours. Even today, it governs the daily lives of most Beninese. At the top is Mawu-Lissa, the supreme god who reigns over all the others and must never be represented. Mawu-Lissa created the voduns and gave them certain powers that they use to preside over the destiny of humans, within the strict limits that Mawu-Lissa has conceded to each deity in a domain that is exclusively reserved for him or her. In Benin, these voduns are divided into six major families, making up the pantheon. They can be identified with the forces of nature (lightning, water, sky, earth) as well as prestigious ancestors, most often those of royal lineage. Examples include the god Sakpata, the god of smallpox and, more broadly, of disease, Hebioso, the god of lightning, and Agassou, the deified ancestor of the Kings of Abomey, their 'tohouio'. All these voduns in turn gave rise to many descendants, gods of varying degrees of importance and an infinite number of combinations, with several deities able to associate with each other. These spirits live with humans. Each of them has its own area of activity, its own attributes and specific functions, and has its own representative in the fauna and flora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0482067-DD-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"C\u00e9r\u00e9monies KPESOSO : F\u00eate vaudou de la Pierre sacr\u00e9e\" data-rl_caption=\"F\u00eates d&#039; EPE-EKPE - 352\u00e8me C\u00e9r\u00e9monie annuelle vaudou de &quot;KPESOSO&quot; (Ekp\u00e9ssogb\u00e9) &quot;Prise de la Pierre Sacr\u00e9e par MAMA KOLEY&quot; \u00e0 GLIDJI-KPODJI - Peuples GUIN (ou GE ou GEN) du clan TUGBAN, originaire du Ghana et FON du clan KOTA venu du B\u00e9nin. \/ Danses des pr\u00eatresses et des jeunes filles nouvellement initi\u00e9es assises sur les tr\u00f4nes des anc\u00eatres. La jupe blanche et les objets pr\u00e9cieux t\u00e9moignent de la richesse de la classe familiale.\" title=\"KPESOSO ceremonies: Voodoo Festival of the Sacred Stone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0482067-DD-Copier-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0482067-DD-Copier-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0482067-DD-Copier-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0482067-DD-Copier-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0482067-DD-Copier-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0482067-DD-Copier.jpg 1153w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>EPE-EKPE Festivals - 352nd annual voodoo ceremony of \"KPESOSO\" (Ekp\u00e9ssogb\u00e9) \"Taking of the Sacred Stone by Mama Koley\" at GLIDJI-KPODJI - GUIN (or GE or GEN) people from the TUGBAN clan, originally from Ghana and FON from the KOTA clan from Benin \/ Dances by the priestesses and newly initiated young girls seated on the thrones of the ancestors. The white skirt and precious objects testify to the wealth of the family class.<\/em> (<strong>\u00a9<\/strong> F. Guenet))<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Legba_une_divinite_a_part\"><\/span><strong>Legba, a divinity apart<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\"Within these large families, there are also cross-functional entities, <\/em>Gabin Djimass\u00e9 explains<em>. Legba is the most important of all. It represents the force of fertility and male virility. He is one of the three pillars of Fon vodun, alongside the divinatory art of Fa and Minon Nan, the representation of the woman capable of engendering life. Legba mediates between all the vodun families and is the intercessor between the earthly world and the world of the gods. You can send him on a mission, ask him for help to succeed in a project, or pass on a message to another vodun, in return for a few offerings (water, oil, cowrie shells, balls of akassa - made from maize flour -, a few coins and a chicken sacrifice in front of his altar), because Legba knows all the languages of the gods and mankind\".<\/em>. However, he can also be devious and purposely transform the commissions for which he is responsible. As a result, he is held in high esteem, even veneration, because he is so feared. In practice, he is always involved in all the ceremonies, cults, rituals and sacrifices to all the divinities. As a liaison officer, Legba also plays the role of policeman and guardian of the city, warning of dangers and protecting against bad luck. Hence the need for everyone to have their own 'Legba'.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FG_72-dpiFGU0909059-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"BENIN : Sir\u00e8ne &#8211; Culte vaudou de MAMI WATA\" data-rl_caption=\"Statuette africaine du culte vaudou . Repr\u00e9sentation de la divinit\u00e9 aquatique MAMI WATA , sir\u00e8ne aux charmes dangereux , m\u00e8re des eaux, mi-femme mi-poisson. BENIN TOGO \/ XXe si\u00e8cle. collection particuli\u00e8re.\" title=\"BENIN: Mermaid - MAMI WATA&#039;s voodoo cult\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"510\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FG_72-dpiFGU0909059-Copier.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FG_72-dpiFGU0909059-Copier.jpg 510w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FG_72-dpiFGU0909059-Copier-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FG_72-dpiFGU0909059-Copier-398x600.jpg 398w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>African statuette from the voodoo cult. Representation of the aquatic divinity Mami Wata, siren with dangerous charms, mother of the waters, half-woman half-fish. BENIN TOGO \/ 20th century. Private collection.<\/em> (<strong>\u00a9<\/strong> F. Guenet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mami_Wata_un_avatar_du_Dan_de_locean\"><\/span><strong>Mami Wata, an avatar of Ocean Dan<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\"Among the transversal entities, there are also the Dan (spirits of prosperity), <\/em>continues Gabin Djimass\u00e9<em>. These include the Dan of the forest, the Dan of the termite mound, the Dan of the hills and mountains, the Dan of the watercourses and, finally, the Dan of the sea and the ocean, which, over the course of the 19th century, has become the Dan of the sea.<sup>&nbsp;\u00a0<\/sup> century, took the patronymic of Mami Wata\".<\/em>. The name is derived from \"Mother water\", which was quickly transformed into \"Mommy Water\", then \"Mammy water\". It was the English who came to seek gold on the coast of Ghana and succeeded the Portuguese (in 1870) who gave this name to the Ashanti ethnic group who lived near the coast and worshipped the spirits of the water. Unlike the other colonists, the English were tolerant and supported local cultural practices. They associated her cult with that of the mermaid, a female aquatic spirit. Some researchers believe that the image of the mermaid was introduced to Africa through the accounts of the first European sailors from the 15th century onwards.<sup>&nbsp;\u00a0<\/sup> This mythical creature was often depicted on the figureheads of their ships. The fact remains that aquatic or lacustrine divinities had already been represented for a long time, in both West and Central Africa. In the Ibo culture of Nigeria, the <em>ndi mmili<\/em>water spirits. In the Kongo civilisation, these spirits were called <em>mbumba<\/em>and often referred to a large snake. Finally, in Nigeria <em>Yemoja<\/em>whose name means: \"The mother whose children are fish\" and who became <em>Yemandja<\/em> in Brazil, mother of <em>orishas<\/em> in Candombl\u00e9 (Afro-Brazilian religion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cult of Mami Wata has spread beyond the coastal perimeter to the north. She is celebrated in a geographical area that brings together cultures and peoples as diverse as the Ibo of Nigeria, the Fon and Ew\u00e9 of Benin, the Bamil\u00e9k\u00e9 of Cameroon, the Kongo of Congo, and even Togo. His cult grew in importance between the XV<sup>&nbsp;\u00a0<\/sup> and the XX<sup>&nbsp;\u00a0<\/sup> century and is still very much alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0850047-DD-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"La Route des ESCLAVES : Golfe du BENIN &#8211; TOGO\" data-rl_caption=\"Un groupe de femmes &quot;Voudoussi&quot;, adeptes de la divinite vaudou &quot;MAMI WATA&quot; franchissent la &quot;Porte du Non-Retour&quot; a OUIDAH (cote du golfe du Benin) pour la fete du Vaudou du 10 Janvier - BENIN Ouidah, l&#039;un des principaux centres de vente et d&#039;embarquement d&#039;esclaves dans le cadre de la traite occidentale, constituait l&#039;un des ports d&#039;exportation d&#039;esclaves, La - Porte du Non Retour \u00e9 fut construite en m\u00e9moire de la trait\u00e9 n\u00e9gri\u00e8re.\" title=\"The Slave Route: Gulf of Benin - Togo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"511\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0850047-DD-Copier.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0850047-DD-Copier.jpg 511w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0850047-DD-Copier-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/FGU0850047-DD-Copier-399x600.jpg 399w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 511px) 100vw, 511px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>A group of \"Voudoussi\" women, followers of the voodoo divinity Mami Wata, pass through the \"Door of No Return\" in Ouidah (on the Gulf coast of Benin) for the Voodoo festival on 10 January. Ouidah was one of the main centres for the sale and embarkation of slaves as part of the slave trade. The Gate of No Return was built in memory of the men and women who fell victim to the triangular trade.<\/em> (<strong>\u00a9<\/strong> F. Guenet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Une_divinite_supranaturelle_etrangere_aux_hommes_et_a_la_nature\"><\/span><strong>A supranatural divinity, alien to man and nature<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805646196-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-rl_title=\"Autel dans le culte vaudou. B\u00e9nin. \u00a9 Gabin Djimass\u00e9.\" data-rl_caption=\"Autel dans le culte vaudou. B\u00e9nin. \u00a9 Gabin Djimass\u00e9.\" title=\"Voodoo altar. Benin. Gabin Djimass\u00e9.\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"738\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805646196-Copier.jpg\" alt=\"Voodoo altar. Benin. Gabin Djimass\u00e9.\" class=\"wp-image-4074\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805646196-Copier.jpg 738w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805646196-Copier-288x300.jpg 288w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805646196-Copier-577x600.jpg 577w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 738px) 100vw, 738px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Voodoo altar. Benin. Gabin Djimass\u00e9.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A hybrid figure, half-woman half-fish, half-terrestrial half-aquatic, a water spirit feared by the fishermen of Nigeria and Ghana, a man-eater who roams the African night in the guise of a ghost, Mami Wata is a beautiful woman with a mermaid's tail, embraced by a snake or accompanied by a cobra. Gabin points out that <em>\"Mami Wata's imagery was strongly influenced by representations of Hindu goddesses, reproductions of which were circulating from Nigeria.<\/em>. She is also very present in markets, another allegory of the invisible world, where the crowds attract the lust of evil spirits. She also appears in bars, always in the guise of a beautiful woman who draws men in and tries to seduce them. <em>\"It is an individual entity that followers implore and venerate for themselves or collectively, <\/em>notes our historian<em>. Mami Wata's followers make her out to be a Dan in her own right, but this is not true; she does not have the same power of influence as the other gods of the great Vodun families\".<\/em>. However, it is attributed with multiple powers and is feared. She can bring wealth and happiness, and help solve problems related to procreation - infertility, impotence or infant mortality. Some see her as an irresistible seductive presence who offers the pleasures and powers that come with devotion to a spiritual force. The vast majority of her followers are women, initiated in a place called <em>hounkpa <\/em>(convent) by priestesses called <em>Mamisii <\/em>or <em>Mamissi<\/em>. In this convent, impetrants learn the dance steps and songs they will perform during the ceremonies, as well as the rituals and prohibitions. <em>\"There are days reserved for your spirit, days when a disciple of Mami Wata must not go near her husband. You have to be very careful with these women because when they're possessed, their behaviour changes, their smell changes and they can have violent outbursts. You must never take them down to the water when they are in a trance\".<\/em>Gabin warns. During the ceremonies, which can involve several convents, the initiates, adorned with necklaces and bracelets, wear long white cotton skirts. They make offerings to the goddess and pray as they advance into the sea, taking dance steps that imitate the movement of the waves, bending and straightening their bodies and undulating with their raised hands. <em>\"Mami Wata only accepts imported products as offerings: sweet drinks, boiled maize with sugar or honey, beans and nuts. Not forgetting lots of powder and perfume\".<\/em>says Gabin Djimass\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805673959-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-4\" data-rl_title=\"Autel dans le culte vaudou. B\u00e9nin. \u00a9 Gabin Djimass\u00e9.\" data-rl_caption=\"Autel dans le culte vaudou. B\u00e9nin. \u00a9 Gabin Djimass\u00e9.\" title=\"Voodoo altar. Benin. Gabin Djimass\u00e9.\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"575\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805673959-Copier.jpg\" alt=\"Voodoo altar. Benin. Gabin Djimass\u00e9.\" class=\"wp-image-4078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805673959-Copier.jpg 575w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805673959-Copier-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1678805673959-Copier-449x600.jpg 449w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Voodoo altar. Benin. Gabin Djimass\u00e9.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Today, the myth of Mami Wata is far from set in stone. It is nourished every day by the new symbols bestowed on it by those who make it their own. Different ethnic groups and beliefs worship it in different ways. And our vodun specialist concludes: <em>\"Men and gods are alike, and they need each other: men, the indulgence and favour of the gods; the gods, the offerings and sacrifices of men.\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gabin_Djimasse_historiographe\"><\/span><strong>Gabin Djimass\u00e9, historiographer<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/04-Bernard-Gabin-Copier.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-5\" data-rl_title=\"04 Bernard Gabin (Copier)\" data-rl_caption=\"Bernard Gabin Djimass\u00e9\" title=\"04 Bernard Gabin (Copy)\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/04-Bernard-Gabin-Copier-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/04-Bernard-Gabin-Copier-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/04-Bernard-Gabin-Copier-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/04-Bernard-Gabin-Copier-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/04-Bernard-Gabin-Copier-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/04-Bernard-Gabin-Copier.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Bernard Gabin Djimass\u00e9 (<strong>\u00a9<\/strong> globe-reporters.org)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Bernard Gabin Djimass\u00e9 was born in 1959 in Abomey (Benin), where he lives. After studying sociology, he decided to devote himself exclusively to studying Fon culture and the Vodun religion through the study of its convents. A researcher and historiographer, he is director of the Abomey and Region Tourist Office, and in this capacity has carried out missions in France, Italy and the Netherlands. He is the author of several articles on the culture of Abomey, including <em>The installation of artists and royal patronage<\/em>published by the Fondation Zinsou for the mus\u00e9e du quai Branly (2009) and <em>Vodun. Origin, contemporary practice, European perception and misunderstanding, and coercive psychology<\/em>. He is a Grand Initiate of the Tohouio Agassu royal lineage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Text: Brigitte Postel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photos: Fran\u00e7ois Guenet (unless otherwise stated)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This report appeared in issue 4 of Natives, des Peuples, des Racines. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revue-natives.com\/editions\/natives-n04\/\">https:\/\/www.revue-natives.com\/editions\/natives-n04\/<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Half-female, half-fish, half-terrestrial, half-aquatic, Mami Wata is an African divinity, a legendary spirit linked to vodun. This cult is particularly prevalent among the Fon (Benin and Togo), Ashanti (Ghana) and Yoruba (mainly Nigeria) peoples. Meet this powerful mermaid, the object of so much...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118,168,170,171,169],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afrique","category-benin","category-ghana","category-nigeria","category-togo"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mami Wata - M\u00e8re des eaux - Reine des mers et des oc\u00e9ans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mami Wata, d\u00e9esse de la mer et des oc\u00e9ans est une divinit\u00e9 africaine, un esprit l\u00e9gendaire rattach\u00e9 au vodun, v\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9e par les peuples Fon (B\u00e9nin et Togo), Ashanti (Ghana) et Yoruba (Nig\u00e9ria). 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