So France won the World Cup on Sunday...
And during a segment of The Daily Show broadcast after France's victory, Trevor Noah made a joke about how it appeared that Africa had actually won the tournament.
While some saw this as a lighthearted joke, there were many who considered the comment to be racist.
Soooooo black ppl born and raised in France are't French? Interesting https://t.co/EG70MZO1DD
The French ambassador to the United States, Gérard Araud, then wrote a letter to Noah, stating that by referring to the French team as an African team, "You are denying their Frenchness."
On @TheDailyShow , @Trevornoah called the @FrenchTeam 's World Cup win an "African victory." Read Ambassador @GerardAraud 's response: https://t.co/KR0kFOxDOw
Here is the main section of the letter if the letter is too small to read on your screen:
I heard your words about "an African victory", nothing could be less true.
As many players have already stated themselves, their parents may have come from another country but a 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 are proud of their country, France. The rich and various backgrounds of these players is 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 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 you are denying their Frenchness. This, even in jest, legitimizes the ideology which claims whiteness as the only definition of being French.
In a Daily Show "Between the Scenes" video released online but not broadcast, Noah passionately responded to the letter.
The French ambassador to the U.S. @GerardAraud criticized Trevor for congratulating Africa on France’s World Cup victory. Trevor responds #BetweenTheScenes: https://t.co/5nJklXRyY8
Firstly, he took issue with the line from the ambassador's letter that stated: "The rich and various backgrounds of these players is a reflection of France's diversity."
He then clarified his referring to the French players as African, explaining that he was doing so in a positive way.
He then offered this counter-argument: You can be French and African at the same time.
Then, responding to the comment about the United States referring to its people "based on their race, religion or origin", he said this:
There has been a lot of reaction to his speech, with some people surprised that it wasn't actually addressed in the show itself.
crazy to me that this was a between the scenes segment and not part of the actual show. this is some interesting stuff. https://t.co/Mx6a0QuqBx
This is pointed and eloquent. I like the ambassador, and understand what he was trying to say, and take on bigotry. But Trevor Noah wins the point. https://t.co/8KsrrLca84
Others are saying that both the French ambassador and Noah have made good points.
