That’s what came out of the show put on by Defa and Mamy Victory, aka Def Mama Def, last night at Le Ministère, during the 38th edition of the Festival Nuits d’Afrique. The explosive Senegalese female duo of the moment is much more than a duo, they’re sisters in art. Dressed in skin-tight hooded jumpsuits, wearing smoked glasses, they arrive on stage accompanied by Simsa on drums and Mr No One on turntables.
Between rap and singing, the two artists complement each other and engage in a musical dialogue on stage. “We almost didn’t sleep last night, we were so excited,” confides Mamy Victory, her hair dyed blue for the occasion. As well as singing and rapping, they dance perfectly well, play percussion, all with an electrifying energy. “The next song is for lovers,” they tell us, before teaching us the lembel, one of Senegal’s many dances.
In front of a still shy audience, they managed to raise the temperature in the room on the track Jigeen, which means woman in Wolof. On several occasions, they address the crowd in their native tongue, much to the delight of the Senegalese in the room. “This time, we’re going to the north of Senegal”, warns Defa, as she performs dance steps from her homeland and gets the audience singing along. The two artists tease each other a lot, especially when they tackle the delicate question of ethnicity. “Y’a pas que les Toucouleurs, y’a aussi les Sérères”, Mamy Victory defends herself.
Another highlight of the evening is the song Oh Maliko, on which tradition and modernity are fused.
The second half of the concert opens with percussion, as they reveal their talents with this instrument. The two women return to the stage equipped with sticks, and it’s immediately clear that the level of intensity is about to rise. The complicity of the two women is evident throughout the performance. Through glances, smiles and improvised choreography, you can tell they’re enjoying playing together, like yin and yang, waltzing between softness and hardness. Softness in Defa’s honeyed voice when she pushes the note, and hardness at times during Mamy Victory’s torrid raps.
Another electrifying moment is undoubtedly the song Dieuredieuf, released in 2022, which means thank you in Wolof. “We’re going to sing for the whole of Africa”, they announced, in a discotheque-like atmosphere. We were even treated to a little cardio session during which they got our arms moving, before returning to percussion accompanied by their DJ, who also got in on the act. My favorite track was Kalanakh, from the Oh Maliko EP, which they described as “an alarm bell announcing their next album” during my interview with them. Indeed, 2025 will be the year of Djar Djar, the duo’s debut album. Before closing their show, they paid tribute to all the artists who had gone before them, including Positive Black Soul (PBS) and Orchestre Baobab, to name but a few. The only disappointment is that the Senegalese community didn’t turn out in large numbers to welcome the two sisters in art, but let’s just say that this is their first concert in the city, and certainly not their last. Until then, let’s hope the word of mouth will do its job.
