The cult of Mami Wata is rather common in West Africa from Liberia to Benin. The interesting story about this goddess is that she is believed to disguise herself as a prostitute, to engage in sexual intercourse with men to whom she grants luck and wealth as long as they refrain from engaging in sexual activities with other women. Men who eventually find other sexual partners are eventually punished by Mami Wata.

Mami Wata is a water goddess and in some cases she is regarded as a sea goddess or, more commonly, as a mermaid.

Mami Wata is believed to grant luck, wealth but also a wide range of other (magic) powers.

Many years ago, one of the organizers of the Festival of the Black Divinities, was drinking sea water. I told her that it was not good for her health, but she said that for her drinking sea water was absolutely fine. I asked her whether she was a follower of Mami Wata, but she responded that she reported to higher powers (higher than Mami Wata)…and that’s pretty much how our conversation ended, without finding out who or what these greater power actually was