Gino Ndiko, Grade 12
UWCEA Arusha Campus
Interviewer: Good morning everybody! My name is Gino Ndiko. Welcome back to another episode of the Loves and Laughs podcast. Today we’re here with Trevor Noah. He is a South African comedian, actor, television host and political commentator. He began his career in South Africa in 2002. Trevor is currently the host of The Daily Show, a television show that delivers satirical news about International and American politics. He became the host of the show on September 28th 2015 after succeeding Jon Stewart. Born a Crime: Stories of a South African Childhood, is an authobiogrophical book written by him in 2016 with the film being in production by Paramount Players. He has also starred in several movies such as Mad Buddies, Coming 2 America and a voice cameo in Black Panther. In addition to all that, Trevor was also the host of the 64th Grammy Awards Ceremony. Today, we are here to get to know Trevor a little better beyond his marvelous career and achievements. So Trevor, we know you were born during the time of apartheid in South Africa. Could you please describe what this was like.
Trevor Noah: Thank you Gino for inviting me to the podcast. I am very happy to be here and I cannot wait to answer your questions. Might I just say that Uganda is one of the most beautiful and interesting African countries. I know it was of the countries that was against the apartheid regime during the 1970s.For those who might not know, apartheid was a system that was based on seperate development for blacks and whites. There were seperate homes for black people called townships. I grew up in Soweto township with a mixed family which was really awkward.
Interviewer: And why was this awkward?
Trevor Noah: I was conceived during a time when it was illegal for black and people to have any kind of sexual relations. My father is a white Swiss and my mother is a black South African. You know how the Swiss love chocolate, and that is how I was made. For the first few years of my life, the neighbourhood boys thought I was an albino. My mother was always cautious when we went out, because I was the evidence of the crime she committed. My grandmother, may she rest in peace, would rarely let me leave the house. This was really hard for me because I was just a kid who wanted to have fun and play with the rest of the kids. I did not understand that they could have taken me away because I was mixed.
Interviewer: Amidst all the chaos in South Africa, especially since it was a time of riots and disunity between different races and even different black ethnicities, how did you handle all this?
Trevor Noah: Well I was still a kid at the time. One thing I learnt during all that was that the white people were succeeding because they had separated us based on ethnicities. Some groups of black people lived in slightly better housing or got slightly better treatment. It made us turn on each other. Since we lived in different areas, we rarely interacted with other people. If we spoke different languages, it was hard to difficult to see eye to eye with someone else. This just enhanced the disunity between fellow black people.
Interviewer: Thank you Trevor. It has been wonderful talking to you and receiving your insight on the time in South African history.
Trevor Noah: Once again, thank you for having me here. It has been a pleasure and I hope I can do it again some time in the future.
Bibliography
Works Cited
“Trevor Noah.” Trevor Noah, 2008, www.trevornoah.com/. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.
“Trevor Noah - Google Search.” Www.google.com, www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0glp8t8&hl=en-UG&q=Trevor+Noah&kgs=5b65704a34c16f60&shndl=0&source=sh/x/kp/1&entrypoint=sh/x/kp. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Born a Crime.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_a_Crime. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.
---. “The Daily Show.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Show. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.
Image Courtesy: https://www.thewrap.com/trevor-noah-justice-doj-donald-trump-division/
Trevor Noah: Thank you Gino for inviting me to the podcast. I am very happy to be here and I cannot wait to answer your questions. Might I just say that Uganda is one of the most beautiful and interesting African countries. I know it was of the countries that was against the apartheid regime during the 1970s.For those who might not know, apartheid was a system that was based on seperate development for blacks and whites. There were seperate homes for black people called townships. I grew up in Soweto township with a mixed family which was really awkward.
Interviewer: And why was this awkward?
Trevor Noah: I was conceived during a time when it was illegal for black and people to have any kind of sexual relations. My father is a white Swiss and my mother is a black South African. You know how the Swiss love chocolate, and that is how I was made. For the first few years of my life, the neighbourhood boys thought I was an albino. My mother was always cautious when we went out, because I was the evidence of the crime she committed. My grandmother, may she rest in peace, would rarely let me leave the house. This was really hard for me because I was just a kid who wanted to have fun and play with the rest of the kids. I did not understand that they could have taken me away because I was mixed.
Interviewer: Amidst all the chaos in South Africa, especially since it was a time of riots and disunity between different races and even different black ethnicities, how did you handle all this?
Trevor Noah: Well I was still a kid at the time. One thing I learnt during all that was that the white people were succeeding because they had separated us based on ethnicities. Some groups of black people lived in slightly better housing or got slightly better treatment. It made us turn on each other. Since we lived in different areas, we rarely interacted with other people. If we spoke different languages, it was hard to difficult to see eye to eye with someone else. This just enhanced the disunity between fellow black people.
Interviewer: Thank you Trevor. It has been wonderful talking to you and receiving your insight on the time in South African history.
Trevor Noah: Once again, thank you for having me here. It has been a pleasure and I hope I can do it again some time in the future.
Bibliography
Works Cited
“Trevor Noah.” Trevor Noah, 2008, www.trevornoah.com/. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.
“Trevor Noah - Google Search.” Www.google.com, www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/0glp8t8&hl=en-UG&q=Trevor+Noah&kgs=5b65704a34c16f60&shndl=0&source=sh/x/kp/1&entrypoint=sh/x/kp. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Born a Crime.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_a_Crime. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.
---. “The Daily Show.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Show. Accessed 4 Aug. 2022.
Image Courtesy: https://www.thewrap.com/trevor-noah-justice-doj-donald-trump-division/
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