One of the world’s most popular content creators has been attracting huge crowds, mostly young fans, as he undertakes a 20-nation tour of Africa, a continent he says is “full of surprises.” Pre-teen boys in Rwanda and Ethiopia cried with joy and excitement as they hugged their online hero in real life—known by his gamer tag IShowSpeed or simply Speed—who now has more than 48 million YouTube subscribers. He is famous for his high-tempo, frenetic, and unscripted broadcasts that last anywhere from three to 11 hours. African Americans have also been moved to see the outpouring of love and respect shown to their countryman, who will turn 21 during his “Speed Does Africa” tour.
In Eswatini, he was given the name “Logijimako,” meaning “the one who runs,” during an initiation ceremony at a royal palace to become a warrior who protects the king and family. Others on social media have named him “Speedani.” Speed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., was momentarily overwhelmed by the reaction of people in Angola, the first country he visited, where a fan recreated on the beach a meme of his famous “my mom’s kinda homeless” face. “Bro, I’m not going to lie,” he told the livestream chat. “I love the love in Africa. The energy here is crazy.”
Over 28 days, he and his team of recording, security, and logistics personnel plan to visit 20 countries in Africa, including Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Ghana. He is planning to see the sights, learn some history, explore daily life, culture, and food, play sports, perform high-risk stunts, meet fans and lookalikes, meet some ministers of tourism, and generally experience whoever and whatever comes his way as he speed-walks and livestreams. “I want to show the world what Africa really is,” Speed declared during his South Africa stop, where he went car-spinning, learned amapiano dance moves, and got scratched by a cheetah.
Some have dismissed the tour as a superficial gimmick benefiting only himself. In the AskAnAfrican Reddit forum, Bakyumu from Niger described the tour as a “fleeting spectacle” by someone who is ultimately an “entertainer.” Speed started as a gamer, becoming very well-known in 2022, before moving into in-real-life and football content. His meteoric rise has not been without controversy. He is permanently banned from all Riot Games tournaments after a sexist tirade against a female player, and he was once banned from YouTube for enabling his game character to engage in inappropriate sexual activity. Speed has built his brand on over-the-top, boisterous, and sometimes aggressive reactions, including barking, backflips, athletic stunts, and phrases like “What the…” and “Siuuu,” a shout-out to his footballing hero Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gen Z and younger Gen Alpha audiences love his raw, uncensored content, where almost anything can happen live. “I really enjoy the kind of energy he has and the things he does,” said Zambian fan Chinyama Yonga. “Even the weird barks that he does.” In Zambia, Speed plunged into Devil’s Pool on the edge of Victoria Falls, rapped with local hip-hop pioneer Slapdee, and got a haircut in a township barbershop to the delight of thousands of fans. “He is just himself—and it’s so different from the usual heavily scripted and professionally edited videos,” Chinyama said.
Watching his almost four-hour livestream in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the chaotic encounters and activities were striking. Speed, dressed in shorts and his trademark number seven football shirt, dashed around the city. He visited the Merkato market to haggle for a traditional “shamma” or shawl, crashed a simulator plane at the Ethiopian Science Museum, and walked barefoot at the Adwa Victory Memorial to honor Ethiopian warriors. On learning the country uses its own Ge’ez calendar, he exclaimed: “Wait! It’s… 2018. I’m only 13? Ronaldo is still at Real Madrid?” He also danced with traditional performers known for their energetic “eskista” shoulder movements.
The tour has not been without mishaps, such as overlooking Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2025 in Harare, and fans occasionally being knocked to the ground by security in the rush to hug him. Even solemn moments, like visiting Emperor Haile Selassie’s tomb, were sometimes cut short due to livestream interruptions. Yet local organisers appreciated the exposure. “People from across the world are talking about our country with only positive things to say,” said Ethiopian hotel manager Yonaiel Tadiwos. “We knew we could rewrite the narrative with even just a day of streaming.”
For some, the impact of one streamer may be limited, but for young fans and diaspora communities, Speed has activated a sense of belonging, pride, and collective identity. “Speed has activated an internal compass in many young people—across the diaspora and on the continent—who have been quietly searching for belonging, pride, and collective identity,” said Samba Yonga, mother of a Zambian teenager.
