I am always amazed when I think about how our people – African people at home and across the diaspora – have found ways to hold on to the deepest parts of our cultural practices and spiritual beliefs, despite forcibly being removed from the continent and our source. We have found ways to persevere and continue to use these beliefs as compasses, even when our belief systems, cultures and practices had to transform and alchemise in response to the different environments we encountered.
Whether you are on the continent of Africa, in the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe or elsewhere in the African diaspora, the seeds remain consistent. One example of this is the legend of the water deity Mami Wata, which has maintained a particular significance across the ages. This powerful goddess of water is often associated with beauty, fertility, wealth, and good fortune. Yielding sexual prowess and strength, she is an entity to be admired, feared, and respected in equal measure.