“Eroding the Colonial Myth”
“Eroding the Colonial Myth”: Vic Mensa Praises IShowSpeed for Dismantling African Propaganda
ACCRA, GHANA — In a wide-ranging conversation about heritage and global perception, Chicago rapper and activist Vic Mensa has credited viral streamer IShowSpeed with doing more to educate the American public about Africa than traditional media has in decades.
Appearing on the latest episode of the One54 Africa podcast, hosted by Akbar Gbajabiamila and Godfrey, Mensa lauded the streamer’s recent 28-day "Speed Does Africa" tour, declaring that the unfiltered livestreams are "singlehandedly undoing a massive amount of propaganda" regarding the continent.
The "Loin Cloth" Fallacy
The 21-year-old streamer, born Darren Watkins Jr., recently concluded a marathon journey across 20 African nations—including Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and Botswana—broadcasting to a combined audience of over 100 million followers. For Mensa, who has spent years building cultural bridges through his Black Star Line Festival in Ghana, the impact of these raw broadcasts cannot be overstated.
“Speed’s tour is singlehandedly undoing a massive amount of propaganda in the minds of so many,” Mensa told the hosts. “I see white kids saying similar things [like], ‘Oh, I didn’t know everyone wasn't in loin cloths running from baboons.’ Which sounds ridiculous but, also, Americans are not educated. They have constant propaganda that is anti-intellectual force-fed to them.”
Mensa argued that by bringing his massive following along for 10-hour daily streams, Speed allowed viewers to "experience Africa with him," seeing modern cities, vibrant nightlife, and everyday hospitality rather than the "poverty and violence" typically highlighted by Western news outlets.
Challenging the "Colonial Myth"
Mensa, who is of Ghanaian descent, pointed to specific moments in the tour that exposed deeper systemic issues. He noted a viral clip from Speed’s stop in Botswana, where the streamer questioned why he couldn't easily purchase diamonds despite the country being a top global producer.
“It’s like literally eroding the colonial myth,” Mensa explained. “They keep the thing going by these contracts and these false histories. By [Speed] going there and seeing the glory of Africa firsthand, it changes the narrative for an entire generation.”
A Life-Changing Journey
The tour, which saw Speed receive an official Ghanaian passport and surpass 50 million YouTube subscribers while in Nigeria, also had a profound effect on the creator himself. During his final stream from Namibia earlier this month, a visibly emotional Speed told his audience that the trip "sparked up something deep within me, very deep, like something from the root of me."
The "New Gatekeepers"
The endorsement from an artist as politically vocal as Mensa highlights a shift in how cultural information is disseminated. While some critics have labeled Speed’s high-energy persona as "grotesque" or "spectacle," Mensa maintains that the medium is the message. In his view, the "unfiltered" nature of a livestream offers an authenticity that "polished media" often misses.
As the African tourism sector reports a "Speed-related" surge in interest from the diaspora, Mensa’s comments suggest that the future of Pan-Africanism may not be found in a textbook, but in the chaotic, high-energy feed of a 21-year-old with a camera.
