American streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed is finishing a 28-day tour of Africa to showcase the continent’s cultural diversity, often overshadowed by negative media.
“I’ve done so many incredible things in my life,” he said in Botswana. “But this trip is different. It opened my eyes. Africa is not what I thought.”
The tour started in Angola in late December and included 19 countries across southern, eastern, and North Africa. He attended the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco on January 18, celebrated Senegal’s soccer victory with fans, and visited Nigeria, where he marked his 21st birthday and hit 50 million YouTube subscribers. On Monday in Ghana, he tasted jollof rice, met a traditional ruler, and visited a shea butter museum.
“I am back home, there ain’t no better feeling,” said IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., revealing his ancestry traces to Ghana. Namibia is expected to be the last stop of his tour.
For his “Speed Does Africa” series, Watkins streamed live on YouTube, with videos up to nine hours long. He tried local dishes, learned dances, and challenged athletes, often shouting in excitement. Large crowds gathered to greet him in many places.
Many African American internet users have expressed support for the tour online. In Senegal, Dakar resident Pape Seye highlighted Watkins’ visit to the House of Slaves on Gorée Island, a key site in the Atlantic slave trade. “Americans, especially Black Americans, need to know our histories are tied,” Seye said.
Some critics are less convinced. Beninese influencer Nelly Mbaa, known as Afro Chronik, said Watkins fits a Western stereotype that values spectacle over intellect. She said his appeal comes from his exaggerated persona.
“If he stopped the persona—the shouting and controversy—his audience would likely disappear,” Mbaa said.
IShowSpeed has more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, 45 million Instagram followers, and 47 million on TikTok. His loud and dramatic style has built his brand but also led to controversy. In 2022, he was banned from professional gaming for a sexist outburst and briefly suspended from YouTube for showing sexual content in a video game.
