🎤 1. On Learning English
“In South Africa, we don’t say ‘don’t trip’, we say, ‘watch out, the floor is coming!’”
🇿🇦 2. On Being Mixed-Race in Apartheid South Africa
“I was born a crime. Literally. Being mixed in apartheid South Africa was illegal. My mom couldn’t walk next to me in public. She had to act like she didn’t know me. Which, for a black mother, is very hard to do.”
🗣️ 3. On Different Accents
“You can’t tell how smart someone is by how they sound. A Russian man could say, ‘I will kill you,’ and it sounds like poetry. A Jamaican says, ‘Good morning,’ and it sounds like a threat.”
🇺🇸 4. On American Racism
“In America, you see police and think: ‘Safety.’ In South Africa, we see police and think: ‘Let’s leave.’ In America, if you’re black, you see police and think: ‘I hope I survive.’”
🤷 5. On Donald Trump
“Trump is like the guy who shows up at the party, doesn’t bring anything, drinks everyone’s beer, breaks a lamp, and then tells the host how to fix their house.”
✈️ 6. On African Names Abroad
“When people ask me my name, I say ‘Trevor.’ Then they go, ‘Oh, that’s easy!’ Yeah, but my real name is actually Trevogile Vuyani Noah Ndaba. But I give them Trevor because they struggle with ‘clicks’.”
🍗 7. On African Moms
“My mom used to beat me, but in prayer. ‘I beat you in the name of Jesus!’ Now how do you argue with that?”
💵 8. On the Price of Freedom
“They say freedom is free. No it’s not. Try parking in downtown Johannesburg.”
🏀 9. On American Sports
“I don’t understand American football. You play for four hours, but there’s only 11 minutes of action. That’s like being married.”
📞 10. On Calling Customer Service
“You call customer service in America and it’s like, ‘Press 1 for English.’ In South Africa, you press 1 and a goat answers the phone.”
🍞 11. On Growing Up Poor
“We were so poor that we didn’t have a toaster. So I’d put the bread on the windowsill and wait for the sun. You’ve never had solar-powered toast?”
🚗 12. On Driving in America
“In America, everyone has GPS. In Africa, our GPS is your uncle in the passenger seat going, ‘Turn left by the cow.’”
🎅 13. On Santa Claus
“In South Africa, Christmas is in summer. So Santa doesn’t come down the chimney — he knocks on your door sweating and says, ‘Where’s the shade?’”
🐓 14. On African Village Life
“In the village, a chicken is not just food. It’s a friend, a gift, a burglar alarm.”
🧠 15. On Multilingualism
“I speak 7 languages, so I argue in English, gossip in Xhosa, and flirt in Zulu. Because Zulu makes anything sound sexy.”
🚓 16. On Getting Pulled Over
“When the cops pull me over in America, I’m more nervous than when I performed for the Queen. At least she couldn’t shoot me.”
🤖 17. On Siri
“Siri doesn’t understand African accents. I say, ‘Call Mom,’ and she goes, ‘Calling Mah-m.’ Who the hell is Mah-m?”
🥴 18. On Clubbing
“In South Africa, going out means you dress up, say goodbye to your family, and maybe fight a lion on the way. In America, you wear Crocs and Uber to the club.”
😆 19. On First Impressions
“People meet me and say, ‘You’re not what I expected.’ I ask, ‘What did you expect?’ They say, ‘Not someone funny and smart.’ I say, ‘That’s racism in a cardigan.’”
📚 20. On Coming to America
“I thought America was going to be like Friends. Turns out, I was just the black guy who delivers their pizza.”