A fantastic article on Mami Wata, the African goddess of water, fishing, & prosperity. She reminds me of Laxshmi. In modern times, she has come to represent female empowerment.
You can see the influence of Indian immigrants in Africa on the depiction of the goddess:
Image credit : NYTimes slideshow "An African Mermaid"
As well as the influence of European culture:
Image credit : NYTimes slideshow "An African Mermaid"
Mami Wati has a great legacy in the West Indies, with different avatars in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil:
Image credit : NYTimes slideshow "An African Mermaid"
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