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Accepted Contribution:
Mami Wata – South-South Oceanic Imaginaries
Ute Fendler
(University of Bayreuth)
This paper focuses on the construction of a shared imaginary across the Atlantic ocean based on the example of the water goddess Mami Wata - in comics, music videos and the film "Mami Wata" (2023).
Contribution long abstract:
The water goddess Mami Wata finds its echoes in Maman Dlo in French speaking West Africa and the Caribbean, as well as in the Brazilian Yemanja. While there are many versions of the respective narratives, they still hint at travelling motifs and shared imaginaries across the ocean. This becomes evident especially in recent popular culture productions like comics in Brazil and Nigeria or music video clips from Brazil and Ghana. In a second step, we propose an analysis of the feature film Mami Wata (2023) by Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Obasi that is a co-production between Nigerian and Benin. The film uses a stunning black-and-white aesthetic based on the work of the Brazilian director of photography Lílis Soares. The plot concentrates on the clash between traditional and modern ways of living where mystic beliefs seem to be reduced to mere fairy tales. The focus will be laid on the aesthetic work turning the film into an artwork that creates iconic images that strengthen the shared imaginary.