Mami Wata

In the framework of its partnership with the Ouaga Film Lab, Le Groupe Ouest hosted C.J. Obasi (Nigeria) in 2019 in LIM | Less is More programme .

Synopsis

In the village of Iyi, the people worship the mermaid deity Mami Wata. Their connection to her is guided by the village healer, Mama Efe, who serves as her spiritual intermediary, alongside her daughter Zinwe and Zinwe’s young protégé, Prisca. But when children begin to vanish and die, fear spreads. Jabi, a skeptical local, sows doubt among the villagers, and Zinwe, overwhelmed by grief and inner turmoil, runs away. Tensions rise with the arrival of Jasper, a defiant warlord whose presence shifts the village’s balance of power in Jabi’s favour. As Iyi falls under new rule, Prisca and Zinwe must reunite and fight to save their community—and to restore the fading presence of Mami Wata

C.J. Obasi during LIM’s first workshop of the year 2019, held in Poland | © Robert Słuszniak

Intentions

Mami Wata is a popular West African folk tale. When the figure of Mami Wata struck me, I saw a sublime image of the goddess on the ocean shores, standing in all her glory and beauty as she calls for her long lost child. I saw this image in deeply contrasted monochrome, and knew exactly the story I wanted to tell!

I wanted to tell the story of a beautiful village.

I wanted to talk about a powerful Goddess, who gifted her daughter to the people.

I wanted to talk about destiny and human strength.

I want to make a kickass fantasy film about African spirituality grounded in universal themes, exploring genre through an ancient belief system, as well as subverting genre through that same belief system. African cinema has come a long way but we need to take it to the next level; in some ways, maybe create a new cinema. I believe we must do this through genre. And Mami Wata for me epitomizes this need to see a new kind of African cinema.