Speaking to Oprah Winfrey as part of her SuperSoul Conversations series, comedian Trevor Noah opened up about his mother and the major influence she has had on his life.
Noah paid homage to his mother in a short video clip uploaded to the Oprah Winfrey Network’s YouTube channel.
Oprah started off by commenting on how “badass” Trevor’s mom was.
“Most people would have a sign to protest government oppression, my mother had me. In telling my story and writing this book, I never thought it was about my mom. I think most of us believe that we are the heroes of our story and in writing this story, I realised that I was my mother’s punk ass side-kick,” said Trevor.
When writing Born A Crime, Trevor didn’t intentionally set out to focus it around his mother. He was simply telling his life story.
“It’s funny how when you sit down and you come to realise the people who have shaped you and play a big role in who you are. And I can’t deny that my mother was that person for me, who stood up in a time when many people were afraid to stand up, when a country was being punished for standing up.”
His mother defied the apartheid system by standing firm on the way she wanted to live her life.
“She’s the example I lived my life by without realising the consequences. That for me is one of the most gangster human beings you can shape yourself on.”
The interview touched on Trevor’s memoir and politics in the States.
Source: Ghafla