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Mami Wata and the innumerable mami and papi wata spirits have many faces, and their identities rarely remain constant. As conditions change, so do the attributes, personalities, and actions of these fascinating and enigmatic water spirits. When taken together, the case studies presented in this section reveal striking differences, as well as remarkable similarities, in the beliefs and expressive arts for Mami Wata and her cohorts in Africa.
As with the arts dedicated to her, the worship of Mami Wata as a specific spiritual entity is not a unified, homogenous phenomenon. Instead, it reveals an extremely diverse and fluid set of beliefs and practices that both reflect and guide social and religious worlds. There are many expressions of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other faiths, and this is perhaps even more true of the worship of Mami Wata and water spirits in Africa.
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Yaure peoples, Côte d'Ivoire
Circa 1970s
Wood, paint, rubber
Fowler Museum at UCLA
Photo by Don Cole
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Abdal 22 (active 1980s-early 1990s, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Mami Wata, 1989
Acrylic on canvas
Private Collection
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