Kenyan comedian Crazy Kennar has sparked renewed debate over how Africa is portrayed by Western media after a satirical skit he shared went viral.
The Nairobi-based content creator, who is currently studying film in South Africa, uses humour and sharp visual contrasts to challenge what many Africans see as persistent, narrow and outdated stereotypes about the continent.
In the skit, Kennar plays the role of a videographer roaming the streets of Nairobi, camera in hand, supposedly in search of “African” imagery.
Rather than focusing on scenes that are visually appealing or representative of modern urban life, he deliberately ignores them.
Busy highways, high-rise buildings and everyday city scenes are brushed aside as he zeroes in on what is tattered, grim and sensational.
WHITES DOING A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT AFRICA?????? pic.twitter.com/l64x63UyyL
— Crazy Kennar (@crazy_kennar) January 19, 2026
The video cuts between shots of Nairobi’s modern skyline and bustling neighbourhoods, only for the cameraman to dismiss them in favour of sprawling slums, extreme poverty, dense vegetation and images of apparent hopelessness.
At one point, the videographer becomes visibly excited upon spotting a street child walking along a paved estate road, eagerly framing the shot as though he has found exactly what he was looking for, after openly ignoring well-dressed men.
In another scene, he films a half-naked man seemingly living in a forest, wearing only a pair of shorts.
The skit then takes a sharper turn when the videographer is seen bribing the man to continue “acting” the part.
Online, the message resonated almost instantly.
The video racked up more than half a million views and over 27,000 likes within hours, with the comment section quickly turning into a space of collective reflection, laughter and frustration.
“I love and hate how accurate this is,” one viewer wrote on X, where Kennar enjoys a following of over 490,000.
Several viewers pointed to familiar tropes often seen in Western documentaries.
“And the part where they show one woman with 12 babies and they have nothing to eat,” one comment read.
Another simply reacted: “The accuracy!”
Beyond the humour, the skit prompted deeper conversations about who controls Africa’s story.
Many users called on Africans to take ownership of their narratives by producing documentaries, films and digital content that reflect the continent in its full complexity.
Others argued that Africa’s growing cities, creative industries and tech hubs deserve as much attention as its challenges.
The discussion echoed Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s famous warning about the danger of a “single story”, one that reduces an entire continent to suffering, something many felt Kennar effectively challenged through satire.
Not all reactions were entirely dismissive. Some noted that progress must also come from within.
“But let’s also be honest with ourselves, our job is to keep improving so those corners become harder to find,” a netizen wrote.