Long before 'The Little Mermaid' remake, Black mermaids were swimming through African folklore

From the moment Disney released the first trailer for the upcoming live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” the internet has been dominated by angry voices who say it’s “unrealistic” for Black actress Halle Bailey to play Ariel.

But stories about mermaids aren’t exclusive to Western fairytales. Long before Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” was published in 1837, Black mermaids were swimming their way through West African folklore.

Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee talks with Natasha Bowen, author of “Skin of the Sea,” a young adult fantasy novel based on West African mythology about mermaids.

Book excerpt: ‘Skin of the Sea’

By Natasha Bowen

Excerpted from Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. Copyright © 2021 by Natasha Bowen. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org. [Copyright 2022 NPR]