Daily Show host Trevor Noah has responded to a letter from the French ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud over a joke he made on his show following France’s World Cup final win over Croatia on Sunday.
Goals from Paul Pogba, Antoine Greizmann and Kylian Mbappe helped set up a 4-2 win for France in the final in Moscow with Noah congratulating ‘Africa’ for the win on his July 17 episode of The Daily Show.
The South African comedian acknowledged that not everyone would like his joke but he decided to read out a letter in response to his joke from ambassador Araud.
“I watched with great attention your July 17 show when you spoke of the victory of the French team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final which took place last Sunday. I heard your words about an “African” victory.
“Nothing could be less true. As many of the players have already stated themselves, their parents may have come from another country, but the great majority of them, all but two out of 23 were born in France. They were educated in France. They learned to play soccer in France. They are French citizens. They’re proud of their country, France.
“The rich and various backgrounds of these players are a reflection of France’s diversity. France is indeed a cosmopolitan country but every citizen is part of the French identity and together, they belong to the nation of France.
“Unlike in the United States of America, France does not refer to its citizens based on their race, religion, or origin. To us, there is no hyphenated identity.
“Roots are an individual reality. By calling them an African team, it seems like you’re denying their French-ness. This, even in jest, legitimizes the ideology which claims whiteness is the only definition of being French.”
Noah responded to Araud’s letter by saying the great thing about America is the fact that you can celebrate diverse backgrounds without detracting from one background or the other.
“I love those players and I love how African they are and how French they are. I don’t take their French-ness away, but I don’t think you need to take their African-ness away,” Noah said.
“That is what I love about America. America is not a perfect country, but what I love about this place is that people can still celebrate their identity in their Americanness.”
When I say they're African, I’m not saying it as a way to exclude them from their Frenchness. I’m saying it to include them in my Africanness. https://t.co/8RW4Rvt7m6
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) July 19, 2018
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