Tuesday 06 / May / 2025
Muscat: A worldwide dance craze that is putting people’s lives in danger has compelled the Royal Oman Police to release a statement warning people in the Sultanate not to do so.
Called the “Keke Challenge,” the fast-growing global dance-off has people attempting to recreate the dance routine of Canadian rapping sensation Drake in his latest song, “In my Feelings,” with the challenge first being introduced on Instagram by American DJ Shiggy.
The move has received widespread condemnation after several people were filmed and broadcast on social media performing the challenge in the middle of a high-speed drive or in the midst of heavy traffic, putting not just their own lives but the welfare of others in danger as well.
An ROP official told the Times of Oman that the dance craze could put the life of the driver and others in jeopardy.
“This is a violation of the Oman Traffic Law, which deals with the misuse of the vehicle and putting the life of the person in question and others in jeopardy,” said the police official.
“Motorists should abide by traffic rules. Anyone who breaks them will face fines and a jail term.”
Offenders will be slapped with an OMR50 fine and three black points will be added to his/her driving licence, according to the new amendments in the Traffic Law. Ali Al Barwani, CEO of the Oman Road Safety Association, also expressed concern over the harm associated with the Keke Challenge.
“I have heard about this dance, and if you follow it on social media, you will see that it is mostly young people who are doing this,” he told the Times of Oman.
“They make up their mind very quickly and they sometimes don’t know what is harmful, but I think they must follow the rules related to safety, because although dancing is a very happy activity, it can only take a few seconds for that happiness to turn into disaster.”
“We must respect the road and realise that there are certain things you cannot do on the road,” added Al Barwani.
“If you do things like dance on the road, it is extremely dangerous because you are risking the lives of so many people, not just your own. If you want to dance, do it in a safe place because the road is not a place to do such things. There are people’s mothers and fathers and sons and daughters on the road, and when you do such things, you put all of them at risk.”
Videos on social media have actually shown people performing the Keke Challenge being hit by other speeding vehicles and lamp posts on the road, causing serious injury.
In one particular video, a young woman is seen getting out of her car and dancing to Drake’s song, oblivious to the driver of an oncoming vehicle, who furiously honks as he approaches her. Unable to stop in time, he then crashes into her, causing passers-by to scream in shock and rush to her aid.
“I woke up to this Keke dance challenge,” said Twitter user Kaishou Shoukai. “What is up with all these stupid challenges?”
Traumatised
“I don’t know what the Keke challenge is but I just saw a video of a girl getting hit by a car while doing it and I’m traumatised,” said Naddy Felts, another Twitter user.
However, people continue to attempt to do the challenge despite the dangers associated with it, with Drake himself encouraging people to emulate Shiggy’s moves.
In the original Keke challenge video posted on Instagram, Drake is shown filming Shiggy while saying, “Man got me a No. 1 record today. Oh my God!” in reference to the single hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Since the release of “In My Feelings,” which is part of Drake’s studio album, “Scorpion,” the challenge has been mentioned in 2.3 million tweets from June 29, while the rapper’s name has been tweeted on more than 7.5 million occasions on the social media site.
“For every #KekeChallenge that I watch I am forever anticipating an unexpected pole to knock the challenger back into @Drake early days when he was Jimmy Brooks coaching basketball from a wheelchair,” tweeted user Theéyonce.
“People these days take these challenges too serious (sic),” added Twitter user Noah Junior. “Damn she’s doing #kekechallenge in the middle of a road... We got some dumb people in this generation. I feel so sad.”
