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Afrique Victime
A pied crow flying over a purple outline of Africa, which morphs into a woman's face at the south end of the continent
Studio album by
Mdou Moctar
Released21 May 2021 (2021-05-21)
StudioNiamey, Niger[1]
Genre
Length41:23
LabelMatador
ProducerMichael Coltun
Mdou Moctar chronology
Ilana: The Creator
(2019) 		Afrique Victime
(2021) 		Funeral for Justice
(2024)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic86/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Exclaim!9/10[4]
The Guardian[5]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[6]
MusicOMH[7]
Paste9.0/10[8]
Pitchfork8.4/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Uncut[11]
Under the Radar[12]

Afrique Victime is the sixth album by Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar. It was released on 21 May 2021 as the artist's first album with Matador Records[13] and received positive reviews from international publications including Rolling Stone,[10] Paste,[8] Pitchfork,[9] and The Guardian.[5] The album is sung almost entirely in Tamasheq, though parts (including the name of the album and its title song) are in French.[14]

The band released a companion documentary about the making of the album, including the difficulties faced with their bandmembers living on two continents: three Nigerien musicians and one American, their producer and bassist, Mikey Coltun.[15]

Several critics added the album to their end-of-year best album lists for 2021, including the New York Times (number 5),[16] Pitchfork (number 8),[17] The Guardian (number 10),[18] Rolling Stone (number 26),[19] and Consequence (number 35).[20]

Background[edit]

Mdou Moctar released his debut album in 2008, titled Anar,[21] He later partnered with American record label Sahel Sounds to release his music globally,[22] he also released other albums like Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, Sousoume Tamachek and Ilana: The Creator.

He later switched his label to Matador Records, releasing Afrique Victime.[23]

The album was recorded on different places, including Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Three Oaks, Michigan, Los Angeles and New York City.[24]

Meaning[edit]

Afrique Victime[edit]

The song is about the "violence" of the colonial past and present, hence its' name "Afrique Victime" (transl. Africa Victim). The song mentions the Voulet–Chanoine Mission, a mission which French troops killed Nigerian people and hanged the bodies into trees.[23]

Track listing[edit]

The song features Rock music and some Blues and Assouf music.

All tracks are written by Mdou Moctar.

Afrique Victime track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Chismiten"4:58
2."Taliat"3:48
3."Ya Habibti"3:31
4."Tala Tannam"5:38
5."Untitled"1:25
6."Asdikte Akal"4:31
7."Layla"4:26
8."Afrique Victime"7:25
9."Bismilahi Atagah"5:36
Total length:41:23

Personnel[edit]

Mdou Moctar

  • Mahamadou 'Mdou Moctar' Souleymane – lead guitar, vocals
  • Ahmoudou Madassane – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Michael Coltun – bass guitar, backing vocals, drum machines, production
  • Souleymane Ibrahim – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional personnel

  • Robert Beatty – artwork

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Afrique Victime
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 180
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] 92
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 31
UK Album Sales (OCC)[28] 36
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[29] 57
UK Physical Albums (OCC)[30] 36
UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[31] 22
UK Record Store (OCC)[32] 14
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[33] 16
UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC)[34] 2

The album peaked on number 2 in the UK Independent Singles and Album Breakers Charts, the album also entered the top 30 in the UK Vinyl Albums Chart, UK Physical Albums chart, the UK Record Store Chart, and the UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts. The album entered the top 100 in the Dutch Album chart, the Scottish Album chart, the UK Album Sales chart, and the UK Physical Album chart. The album also entered the top 200 in the Belgian Album chart.[28][30][31][32][34]

Reception[edit]

The album was "highly respected" in the country of Niger, with their outdoor performance "creating dancing crowds", the crowds were also reportedly "chanting and singing" during the performance.[35] The album was also respected for their "rebelling lyrics" about War crimes, Sexism, and other important matters.[35]

The album got 31st Best Album of 2021 on Metacritic, a popular song/album reviewer.[36]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sodomsky, Sam (2021-05-20). "Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  2. ^ "Afrique Victime by Mdou Moctar Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  3. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  4. ^ Khanna, Vish (17 May 2021). "Mdou Moctar Takes His Peerless Guitar Rock to New Heights on 'Afrique Victime'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime review – wild, virtuosic Tuareg blues". The Guardian. 2021-05-23. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  6. ^ Scott, Paddy (17 May 2021). "On Afrique Victime, Mdou Moctar and his band are the true sound of youth resistance". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  7. ^ Bemrose, Bekki (19 May 2021). "Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Mdou Moctar's Vision Blossoms into a Desert Flower on Afrique Victime". pastemagazine.com. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  9. ^ a b "Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  10. ^ a b Grow, Kory (2021-05-20). "Mdou Moctar's 'Afrique Victime' Redefines Freedom in Rock". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  11. ^ O'Connell, Sharon (21 May 2021). "Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime". Uncut. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  12. ^ Krcatovich, Dustin (20 May 2021). "Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime (Matador) - review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Mdou Moctar Announces New Album Afrique Victime, Released Music Video For Single Tala Tannam". Guitar.com. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  14. ^ Ayers, Mike (2021-07-02). "Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime". relix. Retrieved 2021-12-09. Aside from a bit of French in spots, the songs are all sung in Tamasheq...
  15. ^ Minsker, Evan (2021-09-16). "Mdou Moctar Releases Afrique Victime Documentary: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  16. ^ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (2021-12-02). "Best Albums of 2021". New York Times. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  17. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Pitchfork. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  18. ^ Szatan, Gabriel (2021-12-06). "The 50 best albums of 2021, No 10: Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  19. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (2021-12-03). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  20. ^ Consequence staff (2021-12-07). "Top 50 Albums of 2021". Consequence. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  21. ^ "Mdou Moctar: 31 July 2014". web.archive.org. 2014-03-30. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  22. ^ "Artist To Watch: Mdou Moctar". Stereogum. 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  23. ^ a b Yoo, Noah. "Mdou Moctar: "Afrique Victime"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  24. ^ Afrique Victime - Mdou Moctar | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-07-04
  25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Official Albums Sales Chart top 100". Official Charts Company. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  29. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Official Physical Albums Chart top 100". Official Charts Company. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Official Vinyl Albums Chart top 100". Official Charts Company. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  32. ^ a b "Official Record Store Chart top 100". Official Charts Company. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  34. ^ a b "Official Independent Album Breakers Chart top 100". Official Charts Company. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  35. ^ a b Sodomsky, Sam. "Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  36. ^ Afrique Victime by Mdou Moctar, retrieved 2024-07-04
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