Athol Fugard, playwright,
director, actor, spokes-person, philosopher and artist, has become one of
Despite all this there is much ambivalence about his work , particularly with
regard to his political writings and specifically by South African theorists.
Reactions have ranged from those quoted above, to cautious criticism of his
work due to its predilection to render political action impotent, to
condemnation of his work for encouraging people to work within, and to adjust
themselves to, the South African (political) system.
From: Athol Fugard's My Children My Africa in the South
African Theatre Paradigm by Allan John Munro, B.A. (Hons.), H.D.E
The play is indeed a clash
of ideas. It shows a few of the suffering the blacks went through during the Apartheid era. It was written at the time Mandela and other freedom fighters
were still in prison. Thami’s act and his group’s rebellious are some of the
signs of the end of apartheid in South Africa. Through this medium Fugard
shows, as it were, he was against injustice on both sides of the fence. Fugard
indirectly attacks the South African Youth Movement for deciding to boycott African schools as he realized the image and
damage it would cause a generation of African pupils. It is noteworthy that Fugard’s aim at change through his
writings. According to him, dialogue and education are the most effective tools
for ending the Apartheid policy and not violence as preached by Thami. The
larger part of Africa was once taken over by colonialist. The white colonial
masters’ refusal to grant African earlier freedom was greeted with violent
confrontation and bloodshed. The writings of Athol Fugard constitute a
significant contribution to the development of African literature.
Ijadimine, Olamide D. "Intimations
of the End of Apartheid in South Africa: A Critical Look at Athol Fugard’s My
Children! My Africa!." Developing Country Studies 4.12 (2014): 73-79.
"My Children! My Africa!" is
an extraordinarily deceptive play. A teaching play set in a school, it smacks
of heavy-handed didacticism. Yet to see the play this way is to misunderstand
Fugard’s brilliant craftsmanship and insight. Yes, the play teaches, but its
lessons become increasingly complex and difficult. Likewise, our understanding
of the characters and the characters’ understanding of one other grows,
develop, and becomes increasingly faceted. The first, obvious, and elementary
lesson is about integration. The audience shares Mr. M’s pleasure at seeing the
intellectual and social power generated when the white and the black student
work together successfully as a team.
From Wertheim, Albert. The dramatic art of Athol Fugard: from
South Africa to the world. Indiana University Press, 2000.
To South African playwright Athol
Fugard, language is perhaps the most important weapon in the struggle for
political reform. At one point in his "My Children! My Africa!" Mr. M, a
well-respected black teacher, holds up a rock in one hand and an English
dictionary in the other. They both weigh about the same, he says, but a rock is
only a rock and a dictionary carries the force of the entire English language. The
characters of "My Children! My Africa!" fight battles with words against a backdrop of political strife. Everywhere we see
how words and phrases can be twisted to gain political advantage.
"Beware," one character warns another. "Beware of the words that
you use." Fugard uses the struggle between the passionate Thami and
the intellectual Mr. M, which Isabel witnesses and sometimes attempts to
mediate, to illustrate two different approaches to effecting political change:
emotion battles reason in polemical dialogues, a battle that drives the play to
its tragic conclusion.
The play is composed mainly of dialogues and long monologues that express each
character's background, feelings, and desires. There is very little action. But
the powerful emotions behind the characters' remarks make every speech and
conversation a highly charged event. By the play's close, we understand Mr. M's
contention (and perhaps Fugard's) that sometimes words speak louder than
actions.
Fugard’s concept of education, as revealed in the play, appropriates the core concern of the
For Fugard,
this play is his literary manifesto one of its central themes is "the
power of the written word and the spoken word.” he assumes the power of words
to be located in a particular indestructible essence which is situated in
ideals of liberalism. This essentialist position theorizes a possibility of
prefect meanings and perfect worlds. The
double metaphor of the debate and the classroom can serve as a point of
illustration. A debate can be seen to be as the art of persuasion, which is a
call for action which is used as a basis to achieve a specific effect. The
debate is not then about the inadequacies of humanity, but about strategies for
actions.
From: Athol Fugard's my children my Africa in the south african theatre paradigm . research paper by Allan John Murno . The Ohio state university 1993
From: Athol Fugard's my children my Africa in the south african theatre paradigm . research paper by Allan John Murno . The Ohio state university 1993
Fugard depicts in his characterization of the play the point of view that he adopts, which is the power of words and their superiority over the use of force or violence.
- The Power of Words expressed through Isabel:
- The Power of Words expressed through Thami:
- The Power of Words expressed through Mr. M:
- Athol Fugard's words echoing Nelson Mandela's ideology:
Universality is one point of strength in Fugard's play. Fugard's words express universal ideas that are similar to great leaders' ideas, such as Nelson Mandela. Therefore, the reader can identify with Fugard's perspective of the power or words. Here are sample of similar quotations said by Mr. M and Nelson Mandela:
- "My Children! My Africa!" deeply touches human beings reflected through social media:
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