South African comedian Trevor Noah has won the prestigious Dutch Erasmus Prize, becoming the first humourist awarded the honour since Charlie Chaplin in 1965.
The award is named after Dutch philosopher and humanist scholar Desiderius Erasmus, who lived from 1466 to 1536.
The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation said in a statement that Noah was chosen for the prize “for his inspired contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly,’ named after Erasmus’s most famous book, which is filled with humour, social criticism and political satire”.
The foundation added: “With his sharp-minded, mocking yet inclusive political comedy, Noah, in the eyes of the jury, upholds the ‘Erasmian Spirit.”
Early in his career, Trevor achieved success with stand-up comedy. His shows, which include The Daywalker (2009), Crazy Normal (2011), That’s Racist (2012), and It’s My Culture (2013), swiftly gained a lot of traction in South Africa and beyond. Following his early success, he established himself as a comedy show curator throughout Africa and a source of inspiration for up-and-coming performers.
The foundation also expressed that, “Trevor’s tenure at The Daily Show coincided with the rise of fake news, the presidency of Donald Trump, the Covid-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter after the murder of George Floyd. With his astute reflections on such issues, he garnered a young, diverse and global audience and, in the process, infused a highly polarized media landscape with a breath of fresh air.”
Trevor announced last year he was leaving Comedy Central’s The Daily Show after a seven-year run.
Many would agree that Trevor is one of our best exports to the world and he keeps making us proud.
