240339 - Rare African Mami Wata Cult Voodoo statue - EWE- Togo

Mami Wata Cult Voodoo statue - EWE- Togo
Size are 33 cm high and made from wood.
Mami Wata: her name is an adaptation of the English mommy water: she is the mother goddess of water, a mythical and very popular figure in the Voodoo cult (official religion in Benin).Feared by fishermen, this goddess symbolizes both the nourishing sea and the destructive ocean.Mami Wata is above all an Ewe divinity, whose cult is very present on the Atlantic coast of Togo (but also in Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo) where she symbolizes supreme power.But the spirit of Mami Wata also seems to be linked to other older water spirits, such as the "ndi mmili" of the Igbo.Mami Wata is often represented in paintings where she appears as a mermaid or a beautiful young woman brandishing snakes. Its colors are red and white, colors adopted by most of its followers.Mami Wata can give wealth to her followers, her "daughters", or to their spouses, but she is not known to bring fertility.
According to Voodoo belief, whoever finds one of her hairs on the beach will have wealth provided they remain faithful to it. But beware ! Mami Wata can also have a darker side, holding in sexual slavery the man she enriches, in exchange for a member of her family or the gift of his virile member. In the event of infidelity, the unfortunate person is punished with death.Nowadays, very contemporary offerings are made to Mami Wata: perfumes, sunglasses, Coca-Cola and, in general, everything imported into Africa.
Here is a statuette dedicated to the Voodoo cult of Mami Wata.