Special Trevor Noah tribute for activist who was one of the biggest fans of his show

20 April 2017 - 16:24 By Suthentira Govender
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One of Trevor Noah’s biggest fans‚ who lost her battle with cancer two weeks ago‚ received a moving tribute before the Daily Show aired on Tuesday night.

Johannesburg youth activist and entrepreneur Karissa Samuel would have been beaming with joy at the homage paid to her by Comedy Central Africa before her favourite show was broadcast on the DStv channel.

Samuel‚ 32‚ cultivated a relationship with Comedy Central Cares - the charity wing of the channel - while collaborating on projects through her NGO‚ Rockstart. The organisation assists young‚ talented South Africans to find opportunities in the creative world.

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In February‚ Samuel attended a recording of the Daily Show in New York with a Rockstart student‚ which was facilitated by Comedy Central.

Dillon Khan‚ VP Comedy Central Africa‚ said the New York trip was part of a prize to one of Samuel’s students‚ for a Rockstart and Comedy Central Cares collaboration.

“We were very saddened by Karissa’s passing. She was a long term friend of Viacom International‚” said Khan.

He added that Samuel’s efforts to connect them with projects in need later paved the way for her students to become involved in some of their events‚ including the Comedy Central International Comedy Festival.

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“Her dedication to serving her community and especially developing the best creative talents of SA youth is something very close to our heart‚ as these are the people who will go onto the serve our industry‚ country and continent.

“Considering how much she had done for us as a network and for young South Africans‚ honouring her memory with a short tribute before airing The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - a show and an artist we know she loved very much - was the right thing to do‚” said Khan.

Samuel’s mother‚ Pamela‚ said Comedy Central “has been a major supporter of Karissa’s work for many years". She thanked the channel for the “moving tribute”.

TMG Digital/TimesLIVE

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