In recent years, so-called “mer-culture” has been on the rise. Take, for example, Disney’s 2023 remake of “The Little Mermaid,” the 2023 Netflix documentary “MerPeople” and Fairgrounds St. Pete, an ...

King Togbe Yedy, one of the heads of the convent of the Temple of Mami Wata, poses in front of an altar at the Temple in Ouidah, Benin, on Jan. 11, 2025. In the summer, many Americans daydream about ...