South African Comedian Trevor Noah Weighs in on Coolest Monkey Controversy

Without explicitly mentioning H&M and the EFF protest against H&M’s use of a young black boy to model a hoodie – emblazoned with the words ‘Coolest Monkey in the Jungle’ – Trevor Noah has made his own feelings clear on the controversy.

“Remember life doesn’t care about your excuses,” he wrote on social media on Friday.

“Excuses are not real unless they are the reason you couldn’t do something, then that makes sense.

“It’s 2018… time to get that monkey off your back and onto your shoulder.

“Success is your banana. Take it!” he said, before ending with the hashtags#inspiration #life and #coolestmonkeyinthejungle.

https://www.facebook.com/TrevorNoah/photos/a.462236777452.256139.65639912452/10156048645607453/?type=3&theater

EFF protest has led to action…

H&M had already apologised for the international advert last week, before the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) trashed some of their retail stores on Saturday… but on Friday, the global retail chain acknowledged the apology wasn’t enough for the hurt the campaign caused, and said in a meeting with the South African Human Rights Commission (HRC): “We made a terrible mistake and we would like South Africans to understand that it will never happen again.”

Times Live reports that the HRC commission informed H&M that “in the context of South Africa‚ words such as ‘baboon’ and ‘monkey’ are not neutral terms”. The words are used to demean black people and imply another race is superior.

HRC said in a statement that its attempts to meet the EFF were not successful.

H&M has committed to begin diversity training for its staff, and will submit a draft plan by 26 January to the HRC of how it will rectify the issues caused by its controversial ad campaign.