“I had just looked at the president of the United States and asked him if he had Aids.”
That was one of the first times I laughed during Trevor Noah’s newest Netflix special. Called "Son of Patricia", the stand-up performance was filmed at a sold-out show at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
Noah opens with his love for Los Angeles, and spends much of the more-than-an-hour-long special talking about his experiences in America.
By the time he gets to the bit where he recounts meeting then US president Barack Obama, I feel a little “American-ed out”.
But, then he makes the Aids quip and, imagining it in a South African context, I burst out laughing.
“In my defence,” Noah says, “I get it now - he means aides as in the White House aides, the people who help the president.
“But where I’m from, Aids is some other s*** that doesn’t help anybody. No one in Africa is walking around like: ‘let me introduce you to my Aids’.”
That was another reminder that Noah is out of here.
He’s achieved a sense of international acclaim that one can only marvel at and be proud of.
In short, "The Daily Show" host is a global citizen and has been for a while.
It makes sense that he is one of the many hosts of the Global Citizen Festival at FNB Stadium scheduled for Sunday.
You know what I’ve noticed? People don’t say the event’s full name - they say just “Global Citizen”. But as we get closer to the concert that will be headlined by The Carters, it’s good to remember that it’s called Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100.
Nelson Mandela is being honoured, and his selflessness is what is supposed to be emulated.
Noah said: “It is an honour to be a part of the Global Citizen Festival celebrating the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. I am where I am today, living as a free South African, because of much of what he did.
“I’m beyond excited to be teaming up with so many others to pay tribute to the man in his home country.”