Streamer IShowSpeed samples food and learns traditional dances in African tour
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — American broadcaster and YouTuber IShowSpeed is on the final leg of a 28-day tour of Africa that aims to showcase the continent’s cultural diversity, which is often overshadowed by images of poverty and violence.
“I’ve done so many incredible things in my life,” he said during a stop in Botswana. “But this trip is different. It opened my eyes. Africa is not what I thought it would be.”
The tour, which covered 19 countries in southern, eastern and northern Africa, began in Angola in late December. He attended the African Cup of Nations final held in Morocco on January 18, and then visited Senegal to celebrate the cup. victory of the national football team with his fans and in Nigeria, where he surpassed 50 million YouTube subscribers and celebrated his 21st birthday. He visited Ghana on Monday, tried jollof rice, met a traditional ruler and got a massage at a shea butter museum.
His real name is Darren Watkins Jr. “I’m back home, there’s no better feeling,” the content creator said upon his arrival in Ghana, revealing his ancestry to the West African country. He is expected to arrive in Namibia on Tuesday, likely the last stop of the tour.
Watkins streamed his “Speed Does Africa” series live on YouTube. In videos lasting up to nine hours, he tasted local food, learned traditional dances and challenged athletes, often shouting with excitement. A large crowd of his followers flocked to him wherever he went.
Changing perceptions about Africa
Since the tour began, dozens of African American internet users have expressed their support in widely shared videos.
Pape Seye, a 40-year-old resident of Dakar, Senegal, highlighted Watkins’ visit. House of Slaves On Gorée Island, a symbol of the Atlantic slave trade that sent millions of Africans into captivity. “Americans, especially Black Americans, need to know that our histories are interconnected, that many of our ancestors may have been deported from Gorée,” he said.
Some critics were more skeptical. Beninese influencer Nelly Mbaa, known online as Afro Chronik, said Watkins represents the Western expectation that young Black men are valued for vanity rather than intelligence. He said he was pursued not because of subtle humor but because he portrayed an “absurd, exaggerated and grotesque character”.
“If he abandons this persona (constant grimacing, shouting and controversial remarks), his audience will likely disappear,” Mbaa said.
IShowSpeed has more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, 45 million Instagram followers, and 47 million on TikTok. He built his brand on loud, over-the-top and sometimes offensive responses that became his online persona but also sparked controversy. In 2022, he was banned from professional online gaming competitions after a sexist attack on a female gamer and was briefly suspended from YouTube for showing sexual content in a video. video game.
