The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo Beyond the Cover
HE is probably one of the funniest people on the planet, notorious for throwing satirical punches at all regardless of societal status, gender and race.
In the world of stand-up comedy, there are very few comics who can match his wit.
And as host of “The Daily Show”, Trevor Noah is well-known for exploring serious issues in a humorous manner.
Having seen him do his antics both on stage and in the studio, I would never have imagined him being a writer considering his personality, which is never serious for the greater part; but well, it is true that people should “never judge a book by its cover”.
He has proved that he is not only good at throwing jokes around, but is also at home with a pen as he tells his life story in “Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood”.
The fact that Noah is the architect of this literary piece had me anticipating nothing short of humour.
The comic starts off with an introductory explanation of apartheid, which he describes as a weapon used by white oppressors to cultivate divisions and hate among the black majority.
“The genius of apartheid was convincing people who were the overwhelming majority to turn on each other. Hate is what it was. You separate people into groups and make them hate one another so you can run them all,” he says.
In the first chapter, you can visualise Noah narrating his story using the same tone he uses on stage; and I battled to decide if he was being serious or just being funny.
By the fourth paragraph I was trying hard not to laugh.
Noah’s jokes have always thrived on race, but you can’t call him racist as he is right there in the middle, with his mother a Xhosa and his father a Swiss German.
His hard-hitting wit is on full display as he paints the picture of a mixed race boy navigating his way from apartheid era to post-apartheid South Africa.
The book title is derived from the fact that his parents actually committed a crime, as it was not allowed for people from different races to have sexual relations.
“There were whole police squads whose only job was to go around peeking through windows — clearly an assignment for only the finest law enforcement officers. And if an interracial couple got caught, God help them,” he writes.
The way he describes his Christian background is rib-cracing, exploring various perceptions of religion in the process.
“If you are Native American and you pray to the wolves, you are a savage. If you are African and you pray to your ancestors, you are primitive. But when white people pray to a guy who turns water into wine, well, that’s just common sense.”
He also described how they had to go to different churches as his mother felt that each one had something special to offer.
As a young boy, he had no choice but to follow his mother to every church she attended.
“Black church was rough, I won’t lie. No air-conditioning. No lyrics up on Jumbotrons. And it lasted forever, three or four hours at least, which confused me because white church was only like an hour — in and out, thanks for coming.”
Those who have seen him on stage will be familiar with some of his childhood adventures.
In the chapter “The Chameleon”, Noah recounts how he had to learn various languages in order to fit across the racial divide.
“I became a chameleon. My colour didn’t change, but I could change your perception of my colour. If you spoke to me in Zulu, I replied to you in Zulu. If you spoke to me in Tswana, I replied to you in Tswana. Maybe I didn’t look like you, but if I spoke like you, I was you.”
Noah has mastered the art of taking sensitive issues and giving them a fresh perspective that is both witty and intriguing.
This is probably the most hilarious book I have come across and is a must have for anyone who loves reading and laughing.
