Man ak Mom

Sunday afternoons here only mean one thing, ridiculous music videos. After lunch I decided to watch TV as my stomach digested the greasy rice and pork I had had. First it was all concert footage of French “adult contemporary” artist (think Celine Dion) and it was like watching the French VH-1. That at least seemed more “authentic” than the blatant imitations I saw on the French BET that came on afterward. So after seeing Cherish “Do it do it” and Young Jeezy spew his latest nonsense about cars, hos, clubs and jewelry, I saw the French imitations. The first video “Ma soeur” (my sister) by Vitaa is about the French Cherish finding out that her friend was sleeping with her boyfriend (and after she bought her that great bag for her birthday!) I shouldn’t have to explain how this is a ludicrous. The second is Kenza Farah’s "Je me bats." Maybe it’s just cause she’s not white, but I think she does a better job imitating American R&B. (The third clip is some of that VH-1 French pop nonsense.) Then just when I had forgotten that it could get worse the Senegalese imitation of American hip hop and R&B came on. Gaston featuring Titi in “Man ak Mom.” It’s Wolof for “Me and Him/Her” but it’s clear that it’s “her.” This clown had the audacity to wear a fur coat while shooting a video in Dakar. It’s hot as fuck. Motherfucker are you crazy? Do you seriously fantasize yourself as a flossin’, ballin’ American rapper so much (already a fantasy none of those clowns live either) that you lost your mind? A fur coat in Dakar! A fur coat! An animal died so this fool can wear a fur coat in 90 degree weather. Gente pero es verdad, en este mundo se ve todo.

I was happy that after that the shows shifted to the less enraging, more laughable absurdity of mbalax music videos. I love them. They too imitate American music videos in always trying to have the singer perform surrounded by luxury, except that they don’t have big houses and nice cars so the videos always looked like they are filmed in some rich Senegalese person’s living room. The rest of the scenes will be in front of a nice car (just one) that while genuinely a nice car like a Ford Explorer is something I could own if I ever get a regular job. No Bentleys. But at leas they are trying and the acrobatic, lively dancing is much more endearing than trying to look cool in your fur coat when you live in a poor, hot African country.