By all accounts, she’s gorgeous, intelligent, able to attract money and â?? just in case the need arises â?? she can also charm snakes.
She is the water spirit Mami Wata, a fabled mermaid-like deity whose roots date back to the 15th century and who remains a revered figure throughout much of Africa. In English, her name translates to Mother Water.
The exhibition was developed by curator Henry John Drewal, an art history and Afro-American studies professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.