Photos: For JJC, Ali Baba joins LASTMA

Now that the Lagos State government is trying to strengthen traffic laws, it may need more hands to work with the dreaded Lagos State Transport Management Authority. If it truly does, it already has a candidate who may neither collect salary nor indulge in any form of extortion because he is already a very big boy. The only danger is that the person may turn every junction to a comedy spot.

The guy in question is popular comedian, Ali Baba, who, alongside other top artistes, practically seized Campbell Street area in Lagos Island on Sunday. At a time many other people were in church, Ali Baba and the forty thieves – sorry, artistes – had rallied round afro beat singer, JJC, who exploited the relative sanity of the Sunday morning to shoot the video of his new single, African Skank.

The goal of the hot-paced track is to invite the whole world to the stage, to partake in several types of beats and dances from various parts of Africa.  JJC’s motive is clear and square in the work.

Among the songs/dances so celebrated are Ghana’s azonto, Kenya’s massia and South Africa’s hlokoloza.

But how does this get Ali Baba into Lastma’s uniform? The director’s idea of dramatising Skank is to situate the comedian at a junction in an area as busy and densely populated as Lagos.

Even on the spot, the man who is supposed to be a paramilitary official has started hearing the music, which moves him into shaking his body right and left.  By the time the first car approaches, all he can do is to stop it and orders the driver to stay still. He does the same to another coming from another direction and launches into a fervent dance.

Angered by the nightmare, the drivers jump out one after the other, fuming and cursing the traffic controller. By this time, the crowd have joined Ali Baba in the dance, while the Skank spirit also eventually grips the angry motorists.

Playing different role in the video are Weird MC, Kate Henshaw, Goldie and Capital Femi. Although Skank may not at first sound like a ‘serious’ piece of music, it has the potential to make wave in the dance arena where many new generation artistes direct their focus.