Born a Crime

by

Trevor Noah

Babiki Character Analysis

Trevor’s prom date, with whom Tim sets him up in exchange for a better commission on the pirated CDs they work together to sell. Babiki is incredibly beautiful and fashionable, which intimidates Trevor. When they actually go to the dance, she refuses to get out of the car, and Trevor realizes that they have never actually talked one-on-one, and Babiki does not speak any English, Xhosa, Zulu, or anything else besides her native Pedi. After a disastrous time at the dance, Trevor is thoroughly confused when Babiki kisses him goodbye.
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Babiki Character Timeline in Born a Crime

The timeline below shows where the character Babiki appears in Born a Crime. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 14
Identity, Belonging, and Community Theme Icon
Love and Personal Growth Theme Icon
...then meet a “really, really enormous, fat woman” inside (“her older sister,” one of three). Babiki, Trevor’s date, comes home after ten minutes, and Trevor is stunned, “dumbfounded,” with “no idea... (full context)
Identity, Belonging, and Community Theme Icon
Love and Personal Growth Theme Icon
Tim and Trevor visit Babiki’s family some more in the next few weeks; they are from the smaller Pedi tribe... (full context)
Identity, Belonging, and Community Theme Icon
Love and Personal Growth Theme Icon
Resilience Through Religion, Education, and Humor Theme Icon
Trevor also needs new clothes, especially since Babiki is so fashion-obsessed; he has terrible taste but convinces his mom to pay for a... (full context)
Identity, Belonging, and Community Theme Icon
Love and Personal Growth Theme Icon
...to give him the BMW and leaves him with “the shitty Mazda.” Trevor gets to Babiki’s house an hour late, and she is beautiful but furious. They then get lost and... (full context)
Racism, Apartheid, and the Cycle of Poverty Theme Icon
Identity, Belonging, and Community Theme Icon
Love and Personal Growth Theme Icon
Sometime later, Sizwe tries one last time to bring Babiki inside and instead tells Trevor she definitely does not speak English. And Trevor realizes that... (full context)
Identity, Belonging, and Community Theme Icon
Love and Personal Growth Theme Icon
...Pedi—nobody does. He spends the rest of the night in the parking lot and drives Babiki home in silence—whereupon “she leaned over and gave me a kiss. Like, a real kiss,... (full context)
Chapter 18
Love and Personal Growth Theme Icon
Resilience Through Religion, Education, and Humor Theme Icon
The chapter begins. After getting his makeover for the dance with Babiki, Trevor finally starts getting interest from girls, and he returns to the hair salon every... (full context)