Theodicy, Gender, African Spirituality, and the Mami Wata Deity

What role does gender play in contemporary African understandings of theodicy, and what does Mami Wata have to do with theodical explanations of the problem of evil? To investigate these questions, we examine the precolonial Igbo and Yoruba cosmological frameworks, focusing on how gender constructs mediate African theodical negotiations across multiple dimensions: the gendered attribution of divine roles and evil (including suffering and witchcraft accusations directed at Mami Wata and, by extension, women); the shaping influence of patriarchal structures and Western Christian theology on gendered explanations of suffering; and women's paradoxical positioning as both suspected sources of evil and empowered spiritual mediators against it. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted among Mami Wata worshippers and Christian communities in Badagry, a coastal town in Lagos State, the article also examines the Mami Wata tradition and its deep roots in African traditional cosmologies and grassroots spiritual practices, with particular attention to its recent resurgence among African worshippers and the renewed conversations it has sparked around gender, theodicy, and religiosity. The paper further explores how these dynamics affect women's God-talk, sexual relationships, and gender roles within African religious contexts. Situating the analysis within Yoruba and Igbo frameworks about the existence of evil, the article argues that dominant theodical assumptions — particularly those that frame evil in terms of gender — warrant critical reconsideration. Ultimately, this study contributes to broader religious and gender discourses in Nigeria by illuminating the intersections of spirituality, patriarchy, and theodicy within African traditional religious traditions.