Trevor Noah and Miss South Africa Top 16 finalist Chidimma Adetshina.
Image: AFP, Instagram
South Africa’s beloved comedian and TV personality Trevor Noah has unexpectedly found himself at the centre of a heated social media debate about xenophobia and racism within the country.
This comes after South Africans are calling for the disqualification of Miss South Africa Top 16 finalist Chidimma Adetshina.
In the circulating image, Chidimma’s face is painted with South African and Nigerian flags, while Trevor’s face is not painted.
Trevor, who has a Swiss father and a Xhosa-speaking South African mother, has been recognised for his diverse background. He speaks several South African languages and connects with his Xhosa heritage, which has earned him broad acceptance in South Africa.
Adetshina, who has a Nigerian father and a South African mother with roots to Mozambique, is facing criticism from some South Africans. They doubt her authenticity as a national representative and believe she does not have the same cultural integration as Trevor Noah, arguing she should not be considered for Miss South Africa.
The debate has led to many reactions on X (formerly Twitter), showing a divided nation and drawing comparisons between Noah and Adetshina.
One user, @Thuso1Africa, tweeted: “Trevor Noah: father from Switzerland, mother from South Africa. South Africans love him. Chidimma: father from Nigeria, mother from South Africa. Xenophobic South Africans hate her, they say she is not South African. Xenophobic South Africans are an embarrassment to our country.”
Another user, @pharezofficial, said: “South Africans are hands down another level of racists. Just because her father is Nigerian and her mother South African, she’s not South African? You must be smoking something. Trevor Noah’s father is Swiss and mother South African but you all haven’t cancelled him yet.”
@Izaza_babhem brought up the issue of cultural representation: "Trevor Noah's mother is a Xhosa-speaking person, and at least he tries to speak Xhosa and partly knows the culture as he grew up in a Xhosa household. On the other hand, your chichi girl bathi her mom is Zulu, but there's no representation of the Zulu culture."
@CFCMorty defended Noah’s place in South Africa: "The reason why Trevor Noah is adored is cos he understands what it means to be Xhosa whilst embracing his father's culture and he is South African to the core. He has pride in telling everyone he meets about his country ... even if it’s not perfect he’ll still show pride in it."
@Nathie Simelane suggested that regional rivalries might be influencing opinions: “You won’t understand, South African people and Nigerian people are bitter rivals, we don’t get along, we hate each other. We are like conservative siblings, we always fight and compete for everything, it was not going to work. If it was Swaziland or Botswana it was going to work.”
@joyfullyme_sa argued that cultural representation is crucial: “We love Trevor because he embraces all South African cultures. He speaks Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Tswana. He raises the South African flag proudly. Chidima doesn’t speak South African languages and she raises the Nigerian flag high. How will she represent South Africans as a Nigerian lady? We do not want a confused Miss SA.”
@siamdolo criticised perceptions of authenticity: “The problem is you don’t understand what it takes to be South African. Trevor Noah is a different case; he knows his culture. This girl is a Nigerian by association and blood. She’s lying about growing up in Soweto; that's where the rest of her family resides, not her.”
@EdThe2nd defended Trevor Noah’s South African identity: “Trevor Noah’s mother is South African. Trevor has never flown any foreign flags in his bio. His ONLY allegiance has been to South Africa. He stacked his bag in the US and is back home in SA. Like many of us who travel, he’s never tried to become American and live there forever.”
Adetshina has been the subject of controversy and hatred for at least two weeks as some South Africans question her participation and citizenship.
Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has said he will look into the matter.
IOL