Toward Interracial Understanding: Relationships in Athol Fugard's 'Master Harold...and the Boys' and 'My Children! My Africa!'

Athol Fugard, a white South African playwright/actor/director of international renown, has worked toward the establishment of an integrated, multiracial theater not associated with the white South African establishment. In his plays, Fugard has made racism and the ravaging effects of racial tension come alive as he presents aspects of these problems on a personal level. Fugard studied anthropology and philosophy in college, hitchhiked through Africa, and worked on a tramp steamer before marrying an actress and beginning his first theater company in 1956. "Master Harold...and the Boys" was premiered at Yale Repertory Theater in 1982--it was banned for performance in South Africa as being too inflammatory. The play, containing autobiographical elements, explores the relationship between Hally, a white 17-year-old whose mother owns a teashop, and Sam and Willie, black men in their forties who work in the shop. As the play nears its climax, Hally demands that Sam call him "Master Harold," highlighting the fact that relationships between Whites and Blacks in South Africa are those between master and servant. "My Children! My Africa!" was produced in 1989 and deals with an older black teacher who hopes that violence can be avoided and change brought about by working within the system. Fugard's theater presents the universal themes of friendship, family, and the need for intimacy in a South African context. His plays offer examples of interracial relationships in which the individuals find common ground. (Contains 18 references.) (NKA)