South African comedian Trevor Noah awarded €150,000 Erasmus Prize 2023

The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation awarded South African comedian Trevor Noah the Erasmus Prize 2023 for his “passionate contribution” to humanities and the arts. The Erasmus Prize, which consists of a cash price of 150,000 euros, will be awarded to him this autumn.

Noah won the prize in the theme of ‘Lof der Zotheid,’ which translates to “Praise the Folly.” The theme is named after Erasmus’ most famous book, which focuses on humor, social criticism, and political satire. “With his enormous talent for mocking, linguistics, and connecting political humor, Noah acts in an Erasmian spirit,” the jury said.

As can be read in his award-winning autobiography Born a Crime, Noah grew up in Apartheid-era South Africa as the child of a black isiXhosa mother and white Swiss father. He faced institutional racism and violence throughout his life and draws from those experiences in his comedy. “He confronts injustice and shows us its absurdity, not with cynicism, but with the liberating power of laughter,” the jury said.

After several very successful stand-up comedy shows - which gave rise to the ‘Trevor Noah effect’ in which many other black South African comedians rose to popularity with engaged shows about racism and colonialism - Noah moved to the United States, where he hosted The Daily Show for seven years. With his striking reflections on Trump, Covid-19, Black Lives Matter, and police brutality, he attracted a young and diverse audience worldwide. “He was a breath of fresh air in a fiercely polarized media landscape,” the jury said.

Noah is the second humorist to win the Erasmus Prize in its 65 years of existence, preceded only by Charlie Chaplin in 1965.