diff --git a/wasmer/import.go b/wasmer/import.go
index 26f39d56..126f6e19 100644
--- a/wasmer/import.go
+++ b/wasmer/import.go
@@ -178,8 +178,11 @@ func (instanceContext *InstanceContext) Memory() *Memory {
 	return &instanceContext.memory
 }
 
-// Data returns the instance context data as an `unsafe.Pointer`. It's
-// up to the user to cast it appropriately as a pointer to a data.
-func (instanceContext *InstanceContext) Data() unsafe.Pointer {
-	return cWasmerInstanceContextDataGet(instanceContext.context)
+// Data returns the instance context data as an `interface{}`. It's up to the
+// user to assert the proper type.
+func (instanceContext *InstanceContext) Data() interface{} {
+	ctxDataIdx := *(*int)(cWasmerInstanceContextDataGet(instanceContext.context))
+	ctxDataMtx.RLock()
+	defer ctxDataMtx.RUnlock()
+	return ctxData[ctxDataIdx]
 }
diff --git a/wasmer/instance.go b/wasmer/instance.go
index 0a055cda..5872533c 100644
--- a/wasmer/instance.go
+++ b/wasmer/instance.go
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package wasmer
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"runtime"
+	"sync"
 	"unsafe"
 )
 
@@ -71,6 +73,8 @@ type Instance struct {
 
 	// The exported memory of a WebAssembly instance.
 	Memory *Memory
+
+	ctxDataIdx *int
 }
 
 // NewInstance constructs a new `Instance` with no imported functions.
@@ -419,14 +423,50 @@ func (instance *Instance) HasMemory() bool {
 	return nil != instance.Memory
 }
 
+var (
+	// In order to avoid passing illegal Go pointers across the CGo FFI,
+	// store Instance Context Data in ctxData and simply pass the index
+	// through the FFI instead.
+	//
+	// See Instance.SetContextData and InstanceContext.Data.
+	ctxData        map[int]interface{}
+	nextCtxDataIdx int
+	ctxDataMtx     sync.RWMutex
+)
+
 // SetContextData assigns a data that can be used by all imported
 // functions. Indeed, each imported function receives as its first
 // argument an instance context (see `InstanceContext`). An instance
 // context can hold a pointer to any kind of data. It is important to
 // understand that this data is shared by all imported function, it's
 // global to the instance.
-func (instance *Instance) SetContextData(data unsafe.Pointer) {
-	cWasmerInstanceContextDataSet(instance.instance, data)
+func (instance *Instance) SetContextData(data interface{}) {
+	ctxDataMtx.Lock()
+	if instance.ctxDataIdx == nil {
+		instance.ctxDataIdx = new(int)
+		*instance.ctxDataIdx = nextCtxDataIdx
+		nextCtxDataIdx++
+
+		// When instance is GC'd, clean up its ctxData.
+		// Set the finalizer on the unexported instance.ctxDataIdx,
+		// instead of directly on the instance, to allow users of this
+		// package to set their own finalizer on the Instance for other
+		// reasons.
+		runtime.SetFinalizer(instance.ctxDataIdx, func(idx *int) {
+			// Launch a goroutine to avoid blocking other
+			// finalizers while waiting for the mutex lock.
+			go func() {
+				ctxDataMtx.Lock()
+				delete(ctxData, *idx)
+				ctxDataMtx.Unlock()
+			}()
+		})
+	}
+	ctxData[*instance.ctxDataIdx] = data
+	ctxDataMtx.Unlock()
+
+	cWasmerInstanceContextDataSet(instance.instance,
+		unsafe.Pointer(&instance.ctxDataIdx))
 }
 
 // Close closes/frees an `Instance`.