IShowSpeed wraps up Africa tour highlighting the continent's cultural diversity

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — American streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed is on the final leg of a 28-day tour of Africa aimed at showcasing the continent's cultural diversity, which is often overshadowed by images of poverty and violence.

The 20-nation tour across southern, eastern and North Africa began in Angola in late December. He attended the Africa Cup of Nations soccer final in Morocco on Jan. 18, then visited Senegal, celebrating the national soccer team’s victory with fans, and Nigeria, where he passed 50 million YouTube subscribers and marked his 21st birthday.

“I’ve done so many incredible things in my life,” IShowSpeed said during a stop in Botswana. “But this trip is different. It opened my eyes. Africa is not what I thought.”

On Monday, he visited Ghana, trying jollof rice, meeting a traditional ruler and receiving a massage at the shea butter museum.

“I am back home, there ain’t no better feeling,” the content creator, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., said upon arriving in Ghana, revealing that his ancestry traces to the West African country. He arrived on Tuesday in Namibia, likely the tour’s final stop.

For his “Speed Does Africa” series, Watkins streamed live on YouTube. In videos lasting up to nine hours, he sampled local dishes, learned traditional dances and challenged athletes, often shouting in excitement. Large crowds of his followers swarmed him at many of his destinations.

Pape Seye, a 40-year-old resident of Senegal’s capital, Dakar, highlighted Watkins’ visit to the House of Slaves on Gorée Island, a symbol of the Atlantic slave trade that 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,” he said.

Souleymane Ba, a 24-year-old literature student from Senegal, told The Associated Press: “I hope that as Americans learn more about Africa and see its rich cultures, they will realize it is not made up of ‘shithole countries.’” Ba was referring to U.S. President Donald Trump's comments during his first term denigrating Haiti, El Salvador and African countries.

For some Americans, the message appears to be resonating.

“IShowSpeed is single-handedly changing our view of Africa,” GrowYourEther, another American streamer, said in a TikTok video.

“We had been told Africa is primitive, that it’s dangerous,” said American influencer Caroline Jones in tears on Instagram, adding she was moved by the warm welcome the streamer received on the continent.

Others have been more skeptical. Beninese influencer Nelly Mbaa, known online as Afro Chronik, said that Watkins embodies a Western expectation that young Black men be valued for spectacle rather than intellect. She said he's followed not for subtle humor, but for performing “an absurd, exaggerated and grotesque character.”

“If he were to abandon this persona — the constant grimacing, shouting and controversial remarks — his audience would likely disappear,” Mbaa said.

IShowSpeed has more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, 45 million Instagram followers and 47 million on TikTok.

He has built his brand on loud, exaggerated and sometimes aggressive reactions that became his online persona, but also sparked controversy. In 2022, he was permanently banned from several videos games after a sexist outburst against a female player and briefly suspended from YouTube for showing sexual content in a video game.

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., better known as IShowSpeed, is served Ghana jollof rice at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, meets fans at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, meets fans at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, meets fans at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

American YouTuber and online streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, meets fans at Independence Square in Accra, Ghana, during his Africa tour, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Tsraha Yaw)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistanis faced record fuel price increases Friday, as petrol and diesel prices rose by up to 54% driven by the war in the Middle East that has caused global oil prices to surge.

The increase adds pressure to a cash-strapped nation already grappling with high inflation, as economists warned the hike would push up food prices and living costs.

Pakistan's Petroleum Minister Pervez Malik said late Thursday that the increase was “unavoidable.” He said the government was compelled to raise petrol prices by 137 rupees (49 cents) per liter, following a 20% increase last month.

Diesel prices were increased overnight by 184.49 rupees (67 cents) per liter, a rise of about 54.9%.

Malik said the adjustments were “necessary and unavoidable” in line with global market trends, adding that the government plans to subsidize fuel for motorcyclists, though a mechanism has yet to be finalized. Motorcycles overwhelmingly outnumber cars in Pakistan, accounting for nearly 78% of all vehicles on the road, as they are among the most affordable modes of commuting.

On Friday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said public transport in Islamabad will be free for 30 days from Saturday on the prime minister’s instructions, and his ministry will cover the fuel costs.

Pakistan in recent weeks has used alternate routes to get oil due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The unprecedented price increase came after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said regional instability had affected Pakistan’s fragile economy. He said the government was pursuing diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and encourage dialogue between the parties involved.

Pakistan has offered to host peace talks, though no dates have been announced for any such meetings in Islamabad.

However, for many citizens, the impact of the ongoing tensions and recent fuel price increases was immediate, with households and commuters bracing for higher transportation and daily living costs.

“It’s not just gas,” said Mohammad Zain Alvi, a commuter waiting for a bus in Islamabad. “Life was already very difficult for us, and now everything will become more expensive.”

Across major cities Friday, fuel stations were unusually quiet and traffic noticeably lighter as many people stayed home, unable or unwilling to bear the higher costs. At some stations, customers stood in silence after hearing the new rates.

“We have nothing to do with the war,” said Azhar Ali, a junior government employee who uses an old motorcycle to commute from Rawalpindi to Islamabad. “Why are we being made to pay for it? This will affect everything — transport, food, our entire lives.”

In the northwestern city of Peshawar, motorcycle rider Sher Khan said he was uncertain how he would continue working after the spike in fuel prices. He delivers food in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“I earn so little for each ride, and now most of it will go into fuel,” he told The Associated Press.

Jabran Sarfraz, a prominent economist in Karachi, said the immediate burden would fall on consumers, warning that higher fuel prices would raise the cost of daily necessities and disproportionately affect lower-income groups. He said the duration of the impact would depend on how quickly global prices ease.

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Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.

Motorcyclists crowd into a filling station as they wait their turn to buy fuel, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

Motorcyclists crowd into a filling station as they wait their turn to buy fuel, in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

A motorcyclist looks at the display at a fuel station as he buys fuel after the government increased fuel prices amid surging global oil prices due to the Iran war, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

A motorcyclist buys fuel after the government increased fuel prices amid surging global oil prices due to the Iran war, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

A worker fills fuel into a motorbike after the government increased fuel prices amid surging global oil prices due to the Iran war, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)