Dutch King presents Trevor Noah with 2023 Erasmus Prize
The South African comedian is honoured to receive such a prestigious award and, no doubt, the R3 million cash prize that comes with it.
Trevor Noah has officially received his 2023 Dutch Erasmus Prize.
The former 'Daily Show' host accepted the award at a glitzy ceremony held at the Royal Palace Amsterdam in the Netherlands this week.
King Willem-Alexander personally presented the 39-year-old with the prize.
Not only is Trevor the second comedian to receive the award, but as the king noted, he is also the youngest.
"Only once before in its 65-year history has a humourist won the Erasmus Prize: Charlie Chaplin received the award from His Highness Prince Bernhard in 1965. The quote, 'The function of comedy is to sharpen our sensitivity to the perversions of justice within the society in which we live,' is famously attributed to Chaplin, and that observation applies equally to Noah and his work," the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation said in a statement released earlier this year.
Trevor also gave a speech at the ceremony.
"When I began my comedy career, I never could have dreamed that a small stage in Johannesburg would become the first piece of a puzzle connecting me with people worldwide," the NL Times quoted him as saying.
He also took to Instagram to say how honoured he is to bestowed with such a prize.
"Thank you for the warm welcome Netherlands! It was truly an honour to be awarded the 2023 Erasmus Prize!! Special thanks to the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, His Majesty the King Willem-Alexander, & The Royal Family. Humberto Tan, for the delightful conversation and lastly, everyone that attended last night in Amsterdam!" he wrote.
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The annual Erasmus Prize is named after Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus.
It is given to “a person or institution that has made an exceptional contribution to the humanities, the social sciences or the arts, in Europe and beyond".
The award comes with a €150,000 (R3-million) cash prize. The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation said Trevor upholds the "Erasmian Spirit".
"He receives the prize for his inspired contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly,’ named after Erasmus’s most famous book, which is filled with humour, social criticism and political satire. With his sharp-minded, mocking yet inclusive political comedy, Noah, in the eyes of the jury, upholds the ‘Erasmian Spirit’."
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Main image credit: Instagram/@trevornoah (via Comedian Wil Sylvince)
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