YouTuber Mr. Beast Accused of ‘Racism’ After He Builds 100 Wells Across Africa Providing Clean Water to Citizens

YouTuber Mr. Beast was accused of racism and white privilege by left-wing critics after a stunt in which he dug 100 water wells in African villages.

The stunt involved Mr. Beast, AKA Jimmy Donaldson, the most subscribed-to YouTuber, using well drills to provide water to 500,000 citizens in desperate African towns. He also built a bridge, gave out bikes to kids, and installed water towers, pipes, and spigots so residents and schoolchildren could readily access clean safe drinking water.

“I know it’s weird that a YouTuber has to do all this stuff, but someone’s got to do it. And if no one else is, we’re going to do it,” Mr. Beast declares at the end of his video.

The video’s viewers were equally stunned, with commenters saying, “The internet definitely made the right person famous,” and, “Jimmy doing more than the UN.”

For all intents and purposes the project was a massive success, bringing smiles to thousands across Africa and racking up 69 million views on YouTube in 4 days, but the stunt was not without its share of backlash, with one critic accusing Mr. Beast of “stunt philanthrophy” and using his massive influence to fulfill the goal while others have treaded water for years in the environmental movement.

One such criticism came from Saran Kaba Jones, the founder and CEO of FACE Africa, which works to bring clean water to sub-Saharan Africa.

“I’ve been doing this for 15 years, but we’ve been struggling to continue the work because funding, awareness, and advocacy all take work,” Jones said.

“Overnight, this person comes along, who happens to be a white male figure with a huge platform, and all of a sudden, he gets all of the attention. It’s kind of frustrating, but it’s also understanding the nature of how the world is.”

The YouTuber was also accused of mocking the Kenyan government for not making similar efforts for its people, with freelance journalist Ferdinand Omondi telling CNN “it’s embarrassing that a YouTuber jetted into Kenya on a charity tour to perform tasks our taxes should have completed ages ago.”