Deba songs and dances, derived from dhikr, are the exclusive privilege of women and girls. Like the moulidi, they recall the birth of the Prophet. With an undulating sway of the neck, a nod of the head in unison, a rubbing of colorful fabric, the many young women in striking finery and beauty evoke the movement of ocean waves. The hands, with their Asian curves, draw sinuous, imaginary lines.

Originally practiced by men of the Rifâ’iyya brotherhood, debaa was first introduced to Mayotte in the first half of the 20th century, around the 1920s. It was the work of the disciples of Sheikh Ahmad ibn Muhammad Khamîs al-Hadramî, known as “Ahmad Afandî”, all dignitaries of the Ar-Rifâ’iyya brotherhood, originally from Anjouan, during their stay on the island of Mayotte.