One of the world's most popular content creators has been attracting huge crowds, mostly his 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 totally unscripted broadcasts that last anything 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 for him 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 himself momentarily overwhelmed by the reaction of people in Angola - the first country he visited - where one fan recreated on the beach a meme of Speed's my mom's kinda homeless face. Bro, I'm not going to lie, he told the chat - the fans watching and commenting on his YouTube livestream. I love the love in Africa. The energy here is crazy. Over 28 days, he and his team of recording, security and logistics people 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 sport, 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 some amapiano dance moves and got scratched by a cheetah.
Some have dismissed the tour as a superficial gimmick - with the streams only benefitting 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' online tournaments after a sexist tirade against a female player. He apologized and acknowledged he was wrong.
He was also once banned from YouTube for a week for enabling his game character to engage in inappropriate sexual activity in full display of viewers. Speed has built his brand and online persona on over-the-top, boisterous, and sometimes aggressive reactions. As well as barking, back flips, and athletic stunts - like jumping over moving cars - his stock phrases include What the... and Siuuu, a nod to his footballing hero Cristiano Ronaldo, which he shouts out in celebration or excitement.
GenZ-ers and younger GenAlpha-ers love his raw, uncensored content - where almost anything can and sometimes does happen live on air. I really enjoy the kind of energy he has and the things he does, Zambian fan Chinyama Yonga told the BBC. Even the weird barks that he does, laughs the 16-year-old, who braved a rainstorm to see Speed in action. In Zambia, Speed plunged in the Devil's Pool on the very edge of the Mosi-oa-Tunya, or Victoria Falls, and rapped with Zambian hip-hop pioneer Slapdee.
He also got a haircut at a barbers in a township in the capital, Lusaka - to the delight of thousands of people who flocked there as news spread on social media. He is just himself - and it's so different from the usual heavily scripted and professionally edited videos, Chinyama said.
I watched the almost four-hour-long livestream in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and was mostly intrigued by the sometimes chaotic encounters and activities. Speed, dressed in shorts and his trademark number seven football shirt - this time in the yellow of Ethiopia - dashed around the city. He went to the Merkato, the city's main market, to haggle for a traditional shamma or shawl, to the Ethiopian Science Museum, where he crashed a simulator plane, to the Adwa Victory Memorial, where he walked barefoot to honour the Ethiopian warriors who defeated Italian forces in 1896.
On learning that the country uses its own Ge'ez calendar, he exclaimed: Wait! It's... 2018. I'm only 13? Ronaldo is still at Real Madrid? Speed also danced with traditional dancers, known for their energetic, fast-paced eskista or dancing shoulders.
That was a standout moment for 33-year-old hotel manager Yonaiel Tadiwos, who praised Speed for engaging with all dancers and noted his bravery in trying local delicacies. Speed's epic walkabouts have not been without mishaps, like in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. When Miss Universe Zimbabwe came out to greet him, the beauty queen was accidentally overlooked in the chaos.
While some fans who rushed in to hug and take selfies with Speed have been swiftly thrown to the ground by his security team. Speed cut short a rare solemn moment in Addis Ababa when he was visiting the tomb of the Emperor Haile Selassie - because of the internet connection lagging. Yonaiel was delighted that Speed included his country as many creators don't give us a chance due to misperceptions about Ethiopia. But Bakyumu is more critical, saying watching local crowds deify him feels tragic, highlighting a desperate need for escapism.
However, for Yonaiel, the visit has had the impact that he had hoped for. People from across the world are talking about our country with only positive things to say. Samba Yonga, the mother of Zambian teenager Chinyama, believes that Speed has activated an internal compass in many young people who have been quietly searching for belonging, pride, and collective identity.
Speed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, was himself momentarily overwhelmed by the reaction of people in Angola - the first country he visited - where one fan recreated on the beach a meme of Speed's my mom's kinda homeless face. Bro, I'm not going to lie, he told the chat - the fans watching and commenting on his YouTube livestream. I love the love in Africa. The energy here is crazy. Over 28 days, he and his team of recording, security and logistics people 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 sport, 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 some amapiano dance moves and got scratched by a cheetah.
Some have dismissed the tour as a superficial gimmick - with the streams only benefitting 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' online tournaments after a sexist tirade against a female player. He apologized and acknowledged he was wrong.
He was also once banned from YouTube for a week for enabling his game character to engage in inappropriate sexual activity in full display of viewers. Speed has built his brand and online persona on over-the-top, boisterous, and sometimes aggressive reactions. As well as barking, back flips, and athletic stunts - like jumping over moving cars - his stock phrases include What the... and Siuuu, a nod to his footballing hero Cristiano Ronaldo, which he shouts out in celebration or excitement.
GenZ-ers and younger GenAlpha-ers love his raw, uncensored content - where almost anything can and sometimes does happen live on air. I really enjoy the kind of energy he has and the things he does, Zambian fan Chinyama Yonga told the BBC. Even the weird barks that he does, laughs the 16-year-old, who braved a rainstorm to see Speed in action. In Zambia, Speed plunged in the Devil's Pool on the very edge of the Mosi-oa-Tunya, or Victoria Falls, and rapped with Zambian hip-hop pioneer Slapdee.
He also got a haircut at a barbers in a township in the capital, Lusaka - to the delight of thousands of people who flocked there as news spread on social media. He is just himself - and it's so different from the usual heavily scripted and professionally edited videos, Chinyama said.
I watched the almost four-hour-long livestream in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and was mostly intrigued by the sometimes chaotic encounters and activities. Speed, dressed in shorts and his trademark number seven football shirt - this time in the yellow of Ethiopia - dashed around the city. He went to the Merkato, the city's main market, to haggle for a traditional shamma or shawl, to the Ethiopian Science Museum, where he crashed a simulator plane, to the Adwa Victory Memorial, where he walked barefoot to honour the Ethiopian warriors who defeated Italian forces in 1896.
On learning that the country uses its own Ge'ez calendar, he exclaimed: Wait! It's... 2018. I'm only 13? Ronaldo is still at Real Madrid? Speed also danced with traditional dancers, known for their energetic, fast-paced eskista or dancing shoulders.
That was a standout moment for 33-year-old hotel manager Yonaiel Tadiwos, who praised Speed for engaging with all dancers and noted his bravery in trying local delicacies. Speed's epic walkabouts have not been without mishaps, like in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. When Miss Universe Zimbabwe came out to greet him, the beauty queen was accidentally overlooked in the chaos.
While some fans who rushed in to hug and take selfies with Speed have been swiftly thrown to the ground by his security team. Speed cut short a rare solemn moment in Addis Ababa when he was visiting the tomb of the Emperor Haile Selassie - because of the internet connection lagging. Yonaiel was delighted that Speed included his country as many creators don't give us a chance due to misperceptions about Ethiopia. But Bakyumu is more critical, saying watching local crowds deify him feels tragic, highlighting a desperate need for escapism.
However, for Yonaiel, the visit has had the impact that he had hoped for. People from across the world are talking about our country with only positive things to say. Samba Yonga, the mother of Zambian teenager Chinyama, believes that Speed has activated an internal compass in many young people who have been quietly searching for belonging, pride, and collective identity.
