ColonizationFor Trevor Noah, colonization is stranger than : the colonizers do not only take the land and the resources, they the people to become like them. He imagines how the Indians must have felt when the British arrived.
The British arriveAn Indian man is walking through a field when a British officer arrives on . By order of Her Majesty the , he announces that India is now under the British . The Indian man calmly answers that India is exactly where it was yesterday.
Which god?The officer explains that the Queen was by God, and that the Indians must him too. But the Indian man has many gods, like Shiva and Lakshmi, and he wants to know the of this god: how can he to a god without a name?
Great Britain... and Great IndiaThe Indian man finds the name “Great Britain” : other people should say how great you are, after you have done good things. So he decides to call his country Great ! He also makes fun of the officer's pale and invites him to come down and discuss over a .
The endFurious, the officer declares that the British will the country whether the Indians like it or not. One later, the discussion is over: India is theirs. Through , Trevor Noah shows how and unfair colonization was.
Read this before you watch: the context, and how the jokes work.
Who is Trevor Noah?
Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, born in Johannesburg in 1984, during apartheid. He became famous all over the world as the host of The Daily Show in the USA (2015–2022). This sketch comes from his show Afraid of the Dark (Netflix, 2017). Like India, South Africa was once a British colony.
The British in India: the key dates
| When? | What happened? |
|---|---|
| 1600 | The East India Company, a British trading company, is created. It slowly takes control of large parts of India. |
| 1858 | The British Crown takes over: this is the beginning of the British Raj (“raj” = rule). |
| 1876 | Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India. |
| 1947 | After years of peaceful protest led by Gandhi, India becomes independent. Today it is a member of the Commonwealth. |
How do the jokes work?
1. One man, two characters. Trevor Noah plays a very formal British officer (posh accent, old-fashioned
words: Hear ye, hear ye!) and a calm Indian man (Indian accent, simple questions). Listen to the voice to know who is speaking.
2. Taking words literally. The Indian man understands words in a very simple, concrete way:
“India is under the British Empire”? Well, India hasn't moved!
3. Role reversal. In colonial times, the British described colonized people as strange, primitive or
“abnormal”. Here it is the opposite: the Indian man looks at the British officer as a strange, sick-looking creature.
4. Asking innocent questions. “Who is the Queen?”, “Which god?”, “Who gave you that name?”: simple questions
show how absurd it was to arrive in someone else's country and declare it yours.
Useful words before you watch
| English | meaning |
|---|---|
| to condone | to accept something wrong (cautionner) |
| to roll up | to arrive (informal) (débarquer) |
| Hear ye, hear ye! | Listen! (old formula of royal messengers) (Oyez, oyez !) |
| ordained by God | chosen by God (désignée par Dieu) |
| presumptuous | too sure of yourself (prétentieux) |
| I beg to differ | I don't agree (very formal) (permettez-moi d'en douter) |
| complexion | the colour of your skin (le teint) |
| translucent | that you can almost see through (translucide) |
Trevor Noah plays two characters. Who says each line: the British officer or the Indian man? Then click Check.
- “Hear ye, hear ye!” — An old formula of royal messengers: very British, very formal.
- “India is exactly where it was yesterday.” — He takes “under the British Empire” literally.
- “Who is the queen?” — He has never heard of her!
- “She who was ordained by God.” — For the officer, the Queen's power comes from God.
- “There is only one God, and his name is God, and you too shall worship him!” — The officer wants to impose his religion: one God (monotheism).
- “There are many gods, my friend.” — Hinduism has many gods: Shiva, Lakshmi, Krishna...
- “You don't know the name of your god?” — For him, a god must have a name.
- “How dare you speak to me like that!” — The officer is not used to being questioned.
- “You call yourselves great?” — He finds the name “Great Britain” arrogant.
- “Well, I beg to differ.” — A very formal way to say “I don't agree”.
- “Well, in that case, welcome to Great India.” — If you can call yourself great, so can he!
- “Maybe you should come down. We have a curry; we talk about this.” — He stays calm and friendly: he offers food and discussion.
- “What are you talking about? I look quite normal!” — The officer is offended by the jokes about his pale skin.
- “We are going to run this country whether you like it or not!” — No more discussion: the officer uses his power.
- “She is all yours, take, take...” — After the gunshot, he gives up immediately.
Choose the best explanation of each joke, then click Check and read the explanations.
- “India is exactly where it was yesterday.” It is funny because the Indian man “Under the British Empire” is political, but he understands it as a place on a map.
- “It's just God.” — “Is it like mommy or daddy?” The Indian man compares “God” to “God” sounds to him like a title, not a real name, like “mommy” or “daddy”.
- The scene where he prays “No, no, other god” is funny because it He imagines always reaching the wrong god: the joke is on the British idea, not on prayer.
- “Shouldn't you wait for other people to tell you how great you are?” This is The colonized man teaches good manners to the colonizer: the roles are reversed.
- “Welcome to Great India.” The Indian man If anyone can call himself great, the word means nothing.
- The jokes about pale skin, veins and kidneys For once, it is the white man who is described as strange and abnormal.
- “You look like you're playing hide and seek with the sun your entire life” means that the officer Hide and seek = cache-cache: he has always hidden from the sun!
- The gunshot at the end shows that colonization The Indian man wins the discussion... but the British have the guns.
Drag the words into the summary, or tap a word, then tap a gap. Then click Check.
Production écrite / Writing: 200 to 250 words.
Over to you: write 200 to 250 words
Choose one of these two subjects. Write on a sheet of paper.
Subject 1 — Can humour fight injustice?
Trevor Noah makes people laugh about colonization. Some people think that humour is a powerful way to denounce injustice; others think that some subjects are too serious to joke about. What do you think? Use the sketch, and other examples you know (comedians, cartoons, films, memes...), to support your opinion.
Trevor Noah makes people laugh about colonization. Some people think that humour is a powerful way to denounce injustice; others think that some subjects are too serious to joke about. What do you think? Use the sketch, and other examples you know (comedians, cartoons, films, memes...), to support your opinion.
Subject 2 — The Indian man's diary
It is the evening of that strange day. The Indian man writes in his diary: he tells what happened, describes the strange visitor and his “skinny cow”, explains what he thought of his Queen and of his god, and says how he feels now that the British are going to run his country. Be faithful to the sketch... and to his sense of humour!
It is the evening of that strange day. The Indian man writes in his diary: he tells what happened, describes the strange visitor and his “skinny cow”, explains what he thought of his Queen and of his god, and says how he feels now that the British are going to run his country. Be faithful to the sketch... and to his sense of humour!
Useful words: to colonize · to conquer · to force someone to · the British Empire · by order of · to rule · presumptuous · arrogant · to make fun of · to take something literally · role reversal · absurd · unfair · by force
Useful phrases: What makes it funny is that… · He pretends to… · It shows that… · In my opinion… · On the one hand… on the other hand… · However… · To conclude…
Before you watch · General comprehension · The details · The jokes, summary and writing · Back to the India page