Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz – July 26, 2022
George Soros has invested $32 billion via his Open Society Foundation in extreme left-wing political initiatives, but it is now clear that he is branching out into the arts. One project has brought a pagan African voodoo goddess to the center of New Orleans.
In May 2017, the city of New Orleans removed a historic 16½-foot-tall bronze statue dedicated to Confederate General Robert E. Lee from its perch 60 feet above Tivoli Circle. The statue was one of four Confederate monuments New Orleans removed that year.
The statue, created by noted American sculptor Alexander Doyle, was installed in 1884. The monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It was included by New Orleans magazine in June 2011 as one of the city’s “11 important statues”.
The historic statue was replaced with a modern sculpture by Simone Leigh called “Sentinel.” The sculpture depicts a snake wrapped around the slender, spoon-like body of a female. The woman is a stylized depiction of the water deity Mami Wata, while the spoon is a symbol of status in Zulu culture.
In a statement, Naima J. Keith and Diana Nawi, artistic directors of the 2021 New Orleans triennial, wrote: “Ultimately, Simone felt, and we agreed, that because the original placement of the Robert E. Lee atop the pedestal was one of power and domination—the statue loomed over the city, symbolizing the tyranny of white supremacy—that her work should be closer to the level of the individual.”
Mami Wata, also known as Mammy Water or La Sirene, is a water spirit venerated in Africa and the African diaspora in the Americas. Mami Wata spirits are usually female but are sometimes male. Mami Wata is frequently depicted with a snake wrapped around her waist.
According to the pagan beliefs associated with the idol, she demands sexual fidelity from her followers while representing sexuality and promiscuity. Her followers claim that she wants her followers to be healthy and well off, while at the same time, they blame the spirit for misfortune such as treacherous ocean currents or illness. While believed to be infertile, barren mothers often call upon the spirit to cure their affliction.