American streamer and YouTuber Darren Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, is on the final leg of his 28-day “Speed Does Africa” tour, a journey aimed at showcasing the continent’s rich cultural diversity, 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.” The 20-nation tour began in Angola in late December and has taken him across southern, eastern, and North Africa. Highlights included attending the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco on January 18, celebrating Senegal’s national soccer team victory with fans, and passing 50 million YouTube subscribers while marking his 21st birthday in Nigeria. On Monday, he visited Ghana, trying jollof rice, meeting a traditional ruler, and receiving a massage at a shea butter museum.
“I am back home, there ain’t no better feeling,” Watkins said upon arriving in Ghana, revealing that his ancestry traces back to the country. He later arrived in Namibia, likely the tour’s final stop. Throughout the journey, Watkins streamed live on YouTube in videos lasting up to nine hours, sampling local dishes, learning traditional dances, and challenging athletes, often shouting in excitement. Large crowds of his followers swarmed him at nearly every destination.
The tour has sparked widespread attention, especially among African American internet users, with many sharing videos online to express support. In Dakar, Senegal, Pape Seye highlighted Watkins’ visit to the House of Slaves on Gorée Island, a historic site symbolizing the Atlantic slave trade that forcibly sent millions of Africans into bondage.
“Americans, especially Black Americans, need to know that our histories are tied, that many of our ancestors might have been deported from Gorée,” Seye said. The tour has been celebrated not only as an entertainment event but also as an educational opportunity, connecting diaspora communities with African history, culture, and heritage.
Watkins’ journey underscores Africa’s diversity, resilience, and vibrancy, offering a perspective beyond stereotypes of poverty and conflict, while promoting cross-cultural understanding on a global scale.
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