Shock in Accra as House Help Reveals Allegiance to Mami Wata

Note: To protect the privacy of the individuals involved, names and specific locations have been altered or omitted.

A 15-year-old house help, working in a quiet neighborhood in Accra, has left a home and its community in shock after revealing her unusual religious practices to the employer, Mrs. Bentum, a retired educationist and widow. What began as a normal employment process soon turned into a development of a most confusing and disturbing nature, causing quite an uproar and raising concerns all over the place. 

After a long quest for dependable assistance, Mrs. Bentum finally got Hannah, a young girl from the Volta Region, to help her around with the household chores and in running her shop. The relief that came with Hannah, however, turned out to be more than that—it was a twist of challenge.

On her very first day, Mrs. Bentum invited Hannah to accompany her to church, where they started discussing faith—a topic close to Mrs. Bentum's heart as an ardent Christian. It was during that discussion that Hannah said something shocking: "I am not a follower of Christ but a worshipper of Mami Wata." 

Mami Wata is a water spirit venerated across different West African cultures, one of which is Ghana. This spirit is usually personified as a mermaid and said to be responsible for bestowing such blessings as prosperity and even fertility, among other things, and is usually revered by many with regard to specific spiritual rituals. In coastal-adjacent areas, it is not unusual to find worshippers of Mami Wata, who adhere to strict practices. Hannah observes prescriptions that include dressing in white on Fridays and not eating food made from maize. Hannah said the physical appearance of the mermaid constantly engaged her in talks, guided and protected her.

Mrs. Bentum was startled. Her home, a Christian shrine, was now invaded by someone following a different faith. Despite her shock, Mrs. Bentum struggled with the decision of either throwing Hannah out instantly or accepting the young girl for where she came from. Deciding to give it some time, Mrs. Bentum felt she needed to work her mind and pray from above about how she was going to deal with the matter. Not known to Hannah, Mrs. Bentum secretly made recordings of their conversations, documenting all the claims Hannah made and her behavior for further study of her with the hope of probably assisting and leading the way for her to the Christian faith.

Unfortunately, within two days of Hannah's arrival, her behavior turned out to be quite alarming. After an in-house personal spiritual exercise on the part of Mrs. Bentum, during which she used a couple of items she had considered to be holy, Hannah began to act erratically. She demanded to bring a white cloth and waist beads, key for her rituals, and displayed some disturbing behavior, such as talking back, and openly declaring her mermaid worship to guests. "Hannah started acting funny when I anointed myself and used some prayer items as a mantle," Mrs. Bentum recounted. "She just began crying and explaining to all that visited the shop that she worships a Mami Water."

Worried, Mrs. Bentum recorded the happenings and sent them to her sister who had helped place Hannah in her care. Upon hearing the recordings, her sister immediately decided that Hannah should be sent away.  She confronted Hannah, who at first denied everything until the recordings were played. The neighborhood got divided as word went around about Hanna's confession. Some were worried about the spiritual implications of having a neighbor who worshipped Mami Wata, while others became more sympathetic and saw things in the light of Hanna's age and generation. The incident led to further arguments on how Mrs. Bentum would deal with such a delicate issue by virtue of her being a staunch Christian.

Mrs. Bentum had been unable to sleep for days on end from mental torture over this issue, but finally, after seeking a lot of advice from her pastor and other relatives, she decided to bid Hannah goodbye. She found that the contradiction of the difference in their spiritual beliefs was too conflicting, so it was better for them to part ways. Hannah's response was harsh; she threatened Mrs. Bentum, "If you only knew what was headed your way, you would be on your knees at my feet pleading for mercy." The undaunted Mrs. Bentum retorted, "You cannot touch me because I have got a God who shields me and my household."

At last, with the intervention of her sister, Mrs. Bentum contacted the mediator through whom Hannah's employment was arranged. When Emmanuel arrived, Hannah attempted to deny everything until he played the recordings for her one more time. Mrs. Bentum gave Hannah and the mediator transportation back home and said her goodbyes.

As this story unfolds, one cannot help but notice the grave concerns it raises about how diverging spiritual belief systems can manage to find a way to coexist under a single roof. Is it conceivable that disparate spiritual practices can coexist in peace, or conflict is always bound to be the endgame? Herein lies the dilemma that Mrs. Bentum finds herself in and a question that runs through the minds of the community, who are now reconsidering what has happened in the Bentum household. 

What would you do in Mrs. Bentum's situation? Can you reconcile two such disparate spiritual positions, or is the chasm too deep to fill?