Child Taken by Mermaid, Melania Mazinyani

In this painting, a young boy’s family consults a spiritual healer, called a n’anga, to find out how to rescue him from a water spirit or mermaid. On the n’anga’s advice, they brew beer and take medicine to the water spirit to release the boy. After reemerging from the water, the boy is now also a n’anga. The bottom of the painting shows his community playing drums and celebrating his important and powerful new status.

When the Shona people of Zimbabwe need medical or spiritual guidance, they may seek out a n’anga—a traditional healer with the power to bless, harm, or restore health. Today, many n’anga are recognized as part of the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healer’s Association. This painting depicts a mythological narrative in which a young boy is transformed into a n’anga after being snatched by a water spirit. After his family follows the advice of an established n’anga to secure his safe return, the boy emerges with the knowledge and skills to be a healer himself. He is shown in his transformed state in the center of the painting, wearing the red and white cloth skirt associated with this revered station.

When the Shona people of Zimbabwe need medical or spiritual guidance, they may seek out a n’anga—a traditional healer with the power to bless, harm, or restore health. Today, many n’anga are recognized as part of the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healer’s Association. This painting depicts a mythological narrative in which a young boy is transformed into a n’anga after being snatched by a water spirit. After his family follows the advice of an established n’anga to secure his safe return, the boy emerges with the knowledge and skills to be a healer himself. He is shown in his transformed state in the center of the painting, wearing the red and white cloth skirt associated with this revered station.

This lively painting depicts a mythological story of how one child acquired the skills and knowledge to become a n’anga—a traditional healer of the Shona peoples of Zimbabwe. The narrative begins in the upper left of the painting, where a woman attends to her chores while her children play in the nearby water. When one child is kidnapped by a water spirit, the woman and her family visit a n’anga who advises them on how to secure the child’s safe return. After placating the water spirit with ritually brewed beer and drumming, the child is returned to the mortal realm with the skills and knowledge to become a n’anga himself; indeed, he is shown as the large, central figure toward the center of the painting wearing the headdress and skirt of a n’anga. The artist explains that the child’s transformation into a healer was cause for much celebration.