How a need for Speed planted a seed
Laone Choeunyane | Tuesday January 13, 2026 17:18
And maybe, just maybe, it's not so difficult after all. Maybe, and please hear me out, maybe we should be proactive agents of self-preservation and crack open the proverbial window lest we suffocate.
Maybe, just maybe, it's high time we let in some fresh air. And I can even bet that it won't cost us an arm or a leg.
IShowSpeed, real name Darren Jason Watkins Jr, landed in Botswana on Tuesday, and as is customary, the world came with him. Unless you live under a rock or are biding your time in a prison cell, you would've probably encountered the Internet rascal at least once online, even if peripherally. I accept no excuses.
IShowSpeed (or just 'Speed') is a 21-year-old American Internet personality with the spunk of an indefatigable chihuahua, who commands one of the largest followings across the wide spectrum of social media at 150 million followers across all platforms. He operates largely on YouTube, where he has amassed a whopping 47.4 million subscribers.
From the fledgling early days of streaming in his childhood bedroom to today, where entire cities shut down and roll out the red carpet for his arrival, Speed is a testament to the virtues of hard work, individuality, and wide-eyed curiosity. But above all that, Speed is a mascot, nay a hero, for the modern-day gold rush, where personal branding and internet influence are the goose laying the golden eggs.
Speed's stint in Botswana, part of a broader 28-day Africa tour, has exposed a multitude of failings in the way we structure and manage our tourism and creative sectors, but has also revealed opportunities that abound and are long overdue for exploration.
For starters, let us acknowledge that this is the most publicity that Botswana has ever received on the global stage from the non-government-led in the shortest time possible. A two-day stream that was viewed by just over 1.8 million people (as of this writing) from all over the world, at no cost to the people nor the government!
The feedback from both netizens and warm-blooded humans has been astoundingly positive and has significantly nudged the ever-prevailing barrier of distance. People got to see Botswana, and they loved the country.
To put this success story clearly into perspective, we should look back on our tenured history of national marketing mishaps, such as the Ja Rule debacle of 2014. Brand Botswana, through its misplaced whimsy, awarded P200,000 to the divisive and socially bankrupt former rapper Ja Rule to fly the Botswana flag high...somewhere.
I wouldn't want to call the endeavour a bloodcurdling car-crash of a failure, but I have yet to encounter a single notable mention of Botswana diamonds from Ja Rule, the only job he had.
I reserve similar sentiments to the more recent outsourcing of Steve Harvey and his Family Feud TV show. The bulk of my frustration is cradled deep in the pit of the purse that the American entertainer walked off with. The whole project was allegedly tied to a mouth-watering P470 million contract. The contestants on the show were awarded with cash prizes in the tens of thousands and only shared a minuscule P1.7 million amongst each other. Show budget and expenses aside, the real winner in that scenario was never in question, and the efficacy of the whole campaign was nowhere near worth the damage to our coffers.
The official stance of the Botswana Tourism Organisation is that they do not engage in paid endorsement deals with foreign celebrities, preferring to focus on local influencers, but alas, their foray into influencer-marketing has been anything but underwhelming, as no significant campaigns have been launched in collaboration with any of our many local young, talented creatives and web-stars.
Just look at our own homegrown global sensation in William Last KRM, who has a combined follower count of over 25 million across all social media platforms and commands a loyal global allegiance. Why has none of these organisations utilised William's global presence to curry favour for Botswana? Why is his lovable freckled face not on every BTO poster and coffee mug? Why was the BTO so quick to cling to Speed's arrival and not to empower their very own version of Speed to blossom from the sand? Embarrassing.
It's not enough that we don't adequately groom and empower our 'diamonds', but now we'd rather leave them under the earth and run after pebbles that roll by us. This is to say that Speed's fame and influence are not an anomalous occurrence inside an impenetrable vacuum; Batswana are more than capable of pulling such crowds if only we would let them.
The old way is dead. And it was murdered. God bless the killers! Gone are the days of 'serious national conversations' existing only under white workshop tents corrupted by complimentary lunches, long-winded formal presentations, and boomer-centric posturing that sucks the festered marrow from its own ailing bones.
Government structures need to disabuse themselves of their dog-eared marketing strategies and either support the incoming movement or get squashed under the jackboots of progress.
The youthful Minister of Sport and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng, has promised Batswana that a new monetisation policy is soon to be delivered, which will allow Batswana to earn directly from content creation and auxiliary online activities. We should, however, wonder if a promise made a year ago is as good today. Perhaps Speed's visit will ignite something of a spark within the pitch-black halls of government, and a rapid acceleration of efforts will occur. Maybe, but don't hold your breath.
Beyond the lack of awareness observable within government agencies is the lack of a recognisable multi-reaching tourist package. Speed's stream was an epic festival of high spirits and joyful folly, but it was occasionally kneecapped by our hollow itinerary. Of course, Botswana is known for its pristine wilderness and natural beauty, but not much more than that.
Not that there is nothing more to offer, but because we have not revered and nurtured our most standout places and practices. I am reminded of the Lobatse (Peleng) house that Nelson Mandela used as a safe haven for a little while in early 1962, whilst reorganising his freedom struggle. The same house is now an unkempt, threadbare box that bears no prestige nor the quaintness of a rustic heritage site. And that is not even the most impressive place we've neglected. We desperately want tourism, but only if our animals do all the talking.
I digress, this rant is about the Internet. No, this rant is about the youth. No, this rant is about the government. The kind of government we want to see. The title of this piece might be slightly misleading, for I still believe that government is an essential part of successful tourism and national branding, but my sentiment still holds.
Life is a balancing act that requires the merging of two distinct forces: the rigid and the flexible. We cannot expect growth in the sector and/or economy if the participants are inadaptable and don't even speak the language of the day.
My suggestion is not that we should over-indulge a single Internet personality, no, not ever. My suggestion, to anybody listening, is for us to crack the window open and breathe in some fresh air. We just might enjoy it.