Negotiating the in‐between: Fugard'sValley Song
Year: 1996
Type: article
Abstract: Summary Valley Song (1995), Athol Fugard's first post‐apartheid play, is situated in the liminal space of the in‐between: between the interregnum and the post‐election era, between the decaying apartheid structures and the uncertainty of a fledgling democracy, between the stifling entrapment of old ways and the energy and enthusiasm of youth. The play demonstrates some new initiatives in structure and thematic concerns but is undeniably part of Fugard's oeuvre and retains many attributes of earlier plays. The conventional two‐hander here incorporates an unusual facet since the playwright takes on two roles: a white Author, whom he makes little attempt to disguise both in the biographical accuracy of the play and in his interviews, as well as an old “coloured” man, Buks, whose seventeen‐year‐old granddaughter, Veronica, forms, in my reading, the focus of the play. In Valley Song the engendering of Veronica's voice and the performance of her vision placed in tandem with the question of landownership, emphasize the degree to which they are embedded in issues of class, race, and locale. The negotiation of these boundaries exemplifies the problematics and potential for empowerment in South Africa.
Source: Journal of Literary Studies
Author: Marcia Blumberg
Institution: York University
Language: English
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $388
OpenAlex ID: W2028444617