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 benefiting 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 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 apologised 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 to 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 the 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 to the usual heavily scripted and professionally edited videos,” Chinyama said.
A young relative of mine is a huge fan of Speed and was keen to tell me why the YouTuber appeals to youngsters around the world.
“He’s really funny; he’s really good at doing backflips, and he’s really kind. He donates money, and he goes out of his way to help people who are in trouble,” said Henry Dale, who is 11 years old and goes to school in the UK.
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