By Amira Sayed A new challenge, involving dancing beside slow-moving cars, has recently become trendy worldwide, with numerous videos being uploaded via the social media. The so-called Kiki Dance Challenge or In My Feelings Challenge has also reached the Arab region, stirring up a great deal of controversy. In Egypt, this challenge has been regarded as an illegal act that may lead to a fine or jail. The former head of the General Traffic Directorate, Major General Magdy el-Shahed, announced in a telephone interview with a TV channel that this challenge was at odds with the provisions of the traffic law and posed a serious threat to people's lives. "Those who perform this dance shall face up to one year in jail or shall be fined a maximum of LE3,000. If the dance leads to major injury or to the death of another person, the dancer shall be referred to the public prosecution," he added. The debate over this dance flared up even further last week when the Interior Ministry announced that it had arrested a university student for performing the Kiki Dance Challenge while driving, on the grounds of having endangered people's lives. The student was released after paying a fine of LE1,050 (around $50). The challenge started last month when the Canadian rapper Drake released his new song "In My Feelings". This song prompted comedian and online personality Shiggy, creator of The Shiggy Show, to post a video while dancing alongside his car to Drake's song. Within a few hours, the video had gone viral worldwide, with many celebrities like Will Smith taking part in the challenge. The challenge involves getting out of the car and dancing beside it, while moving in the street and playing the first lyrics of the song. In Egypt, many actors, actresses and sports icons have participated in the challenge, uploading their videos while performing the dance. While some experts say all the people who performed the dance should be punished, others claim it is just a funny trend and should not be taken too seriously. "This dance is catastrophic. It may lead to major road accidents. We should not blindly follow the western trends that put people's lives in danger," Saeed Te'ima, a member of parliament's transport committee, told The Egyptian Gazette. "It is not funny at all," he said. More importantly, Te'ima said that kids might try to imitate the videos, exposing their lives to grave danger. "Celebrities are role models for a huge segment of society and they should not take part in trivial activities. They should be involved in something worthwhile like awareness campaigns. I was shocked when I saw hundreds of the 'Kiki videos' being posted via the social networking sites. This phenomenon has reached alarming levels, and that is why, the Interior Ministry has taken serious action to put an end to this farce," he continued. "Egypt," Te'ima continued, "is already suffering from soaring road accident rates and strict regulations have been introduced to put an end to this bloodshed on the roads.". According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), there were 11,098 road accidents in the country in 2017, with 3,747 fatalities and 13,998 injuries. The human factor causes approximately 78.9 per cent of these accidents, according to the report. Presenting a different view of the Kiki dance, University student Moustafa Ali told The Gazette that the dance was simply fun and many celebrities and people from all over the world had taken part in it. The videos brought a smile to people's faces and that was why they went viral and became trendy. "It is better to find real solutions for the key economic challenges facing the country rather than waste time discussing the Kiki Challenge," said Ali, who has himself performed the Kiki dance.
