Mami Wata

"Mami Wata" is populated by men and women who dress and act as if they're still in a previous century, resisting modernity. The title refers to the Nigerian goddess of water, wealth, and health, who watches over individual lives. This is a matriarchal society. The anointed priestess and interpreter of Mami Wata, as well as the arbiter and problem-solver for everyone in the village, is Mama Efe (Rita Edochie).

Mama Efe is powerful and respected, but some of her people are starting to feel that she's losing her connection to the goddess or that she is too set in her ways to understand that the village can only survive if it adapts to modern life. Mama Efe has two children: her biological daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and her adoptive daughter Prisca (Evelyne Ily Juhen). Prisca is almost completely estranged from Mama Efe partly because she shares the feelings of dissatisfied fellow villagers, but there's a personal component as well, one that transcends culture and will be understandable to anyone who fears that blood trumps every other bond. Zinwe is more loyal, but she's got her own doubts. She wants to be reassured that the old ways are right, that the magic is strong, and that she will inherit all.