An exploration into how Athol Fugard’s plays Sizwe Bansi is Dead and The Island have expressed the different issues and impacts of Apartheid in South Africa

Abstract

This dissertation explores the representation of the South African apartheid and its issues and impacts in South African playwright Athol Fugard’s plays Sizwe Bansi is Dead and The Island. The historical context and background consider the aspects of apartheid and how they effected and influenced Athol Fugard in his playwriting. The study identifies the key theatre conventions used in Fugard’s dramaturgy. Working alongside two inspirational theatre practitioners in South Africa, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, Fugard demonstrates the life of a black citizen during apartheid in South Africa and everything they endured as a result of the apartheid system. The methods used for this exploration is the textual analysis of Athol Fugard’s plays Sizwe Bansi is Dead and The Island.