The new queen of French drag is Ivorian. Towering and statuesque, Mami Watta claimed the crown on August 28, after triumphing in the final round of the latest season of Drag Race France, the French adaptation of the American franchise RuPaul’s Drag Race, which has been a ratings hit for France Télévisions since 2022. The 27-year-old drag queen had already competed on the show in 2023, returning two years later for this year’s « All Stars » program, which brought together contestants from previous seasons.
Mami dominated this season, winning in three out of seven episodes before claiming victory in the final lip-sync challenge. In the challenge, which consists of a combined dance and lip-syncing musical performance, she wore a « second skin »-style bodysuit adorned with white symbols and cowrie shells. The shells were traditionally used as currency in West Africa and have now come to be reinterpreted by African fashion designers. « It’s a double reference to the Komians, Akan priestesses who cover their bodies with kaolin, and to cowries, used for divination in the Vodún religion, » she told Le Monde. « I am a bimbo, but a Black and Ivorian bimbo. There are stories, a culture behind me. »
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