ABSTRACT
Hunter-Hindrew 2008). The relatively homogenised way of describing and speaking about Mami Wata only reflects the popularity of the mermaid goddess. Drewal (1988: 96), who traces the influence of the poster in forty-one cultures in fourteen African countries, gives the following explanation for the popularity:
Africans determined that there was a direct connection between these Indian images, the beliefs associated with them, and Indians’ success in financial matters, just as mermaids and other European icons such as marine sculptures and saints’statues have been linked with wealth and power.
