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My Children! My Africa!
The search for a means to an end to apartheid erupts into conflict between a black township youth and his "old-fashioned" black teacher.
78 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
115 people are currently reading
1174 people want to read
About the author
Athol Fugard
156 books135 followersAthol Fugard was a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. Acclaimed in 1985 as "the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world" by Time, he published more than thirty plays. He was best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apartheid, some of which have been adapted to film. His novel Tsotsi was adapted as a film of the same name, which won an Academy Award in 2005. It was directed by Gavin Hood.
Fugard also served as an adjunct professor of playwriting, acting and directing in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of California, San Diego.
Fugard received many awards, honours, and honorary degrees, including the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver from the government of South Africa in 2005 "for his excellent contribution and achievements in the theatre". He was also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Fugard was honoured in Cape Town with the opening in 2010 of the Fugard Theatre in District Six. He received a Tony Award for lifetime achievement in 2011.
Fugard also served as an adjunct professor of playwriting, acting and directing in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of California, San Diego.
Fugard received many awards, honours, and honorary degrees, including the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver from the government of South Africa in 2005 "for his excellent contribution and achievements in the theatre". He was also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Fugard was honoured in Cape Town with the opening in 2010 of the Fugard Theatre in District Six. He received a Tony Award for lifetime achievement in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
November 26, 2014
Look at me! I'm swearing today. I've been sweating for a week. Why? Because one of those animals, the one called HOPE, has broken loose and is looking for food. Don't be fooled by its gentle name. It is as dangerous as HATE and DESPAIR would be if they never managed to break out. You think I'm exaggerating? Pushing my metaphor a little too far? Then I'd like to put you inside a black skin and ask you to keep HOPE alive, find food for it on these streets where our children, our loved precious children go hungry and die of malnutrition.
September 5, 2022
Heavy themes of war and peace, education and its role in society, knowledge, and race and justice.
The characters are all thoughtful and smart, but have conflict with each other in various ways.
-Mr. M is dictatorial at times, but wants the best for his students. He is unwilling to change his own style of teaching, but is staunchly opposed to the unrest.
-Isabel is kind and ambitious. She does not understand Thami’s unrest or why he would abandon everything he has worked on for a life of violence. She’s also a bit ignorant, thought she doesn’t think she is.
-Thami is full of unrest from years of bad government and aggressions. He is in severe disagreement with Mr. M, though he refuses to bring it up until the very end. Yet, he loves Mr. M. He respects Isabel, but being friends with her goes against the ideas he has sworn himself to. He is at odds with himself, and his turmoil is evident in his answers and actions in the latter half of act 2.
Mr. M is “old school” and holds to the ideals of the past, even when it could’ve helped him to let go of those principles. He is unwavering in his convictions, for better or worse, and that leads to his eventual death. (He was an informer and refused to apologize and join the mob.) “I am an old-fashioned traditionalist in most things young lady, and my classroom is certainly no exception. I Teach, Thami Learns. He understands and accepts that that is the way it should be” (I. 24).
Mr. M says: “Wasted people! Wasted changes! It’s become a phobia with me now. It’s not easy you know to be a teacher, to put your heart and soul into education an eager young mind which you know will never get a chance to develop further and realize its full potential. The thought that you and Thami would be another two victims of this country’s lunacy, was almost too much for me” (I. 21). Indeed, his worst fears are realized as Thami rejects his education for mob ideals.
Isabel is kind but ignorant. Another significant theme of the play is knowledge and fear. Isabel says of her mother: “because she knows nothing about it, she’s frightened of it” (I. 23). She only realizes her own ignorance after knowing Thami and Mr. M for several weeks. “Like my Saturday chats with Samuel – I told you about him remember, he delivers for my dad – well you should have heard the last one. It was excruciating. It felt so false, and forced, and when I listened to what I was saying and how I was saying it . . . Am I changing Thami? My dad says I am” (II. 53).
Thami is taken in by the ideas of the Comrades. He says “We have woken up at last. We have found another school – the streets, the little rooms, the funeral parlors of the location – anywhere the people meet and whisper names we have been told to forget, the dates of events they try to tell us never happened, and the speeches they try to say were never made” (I. 50).
The play concludes on a discordant note. However, Isabel states: “The future is still ours, Mr, M” (II. 78).
Subtly alluded to in the conclusion, by Isabel’s monologue at her teacher’s would-be grave, education and unity is the way to bring peace.
The characters are all thoughtful and smart, but have conflict with each other in various ways.
-Mr. M is dictatorial at times, but wants the best for his students. He is unwilling to change his own style of teaching, but is staunchly opposed to the unrest.
-Isabel is kind and ambitious. She does not understand Thami’s unrest or why he would abandon everything he has worked on for a life of violence. She’s also a bit ignorant, thought she doesn’t think she is.
-Thami is full of unrest from years of bad government and aggressions. He is in severe disagreement with Mr. M, though he refuses to bring it up until the very end. Yet, he loves Mr. M. He respects Isabel, but being friends with her goes against the ideas he has sworn himself to. He is at odds with himself, and his turmoil is evident in his answers and actions in the latter half of act 2.
Mr. M is “old school” and holds to the ideals of the past, even when it could’ve helped him to let go of those principles. He is unwavering in his convictions, for better or worse, and that leads to his eventual death. (He was an informer and refused to apologize and join the mob.) “I am an old-fashioned traditionalist in most things young lady, and my classroom is certainly no exception. I Teach, Thami Learns. He understands and accepts that that is the way it should be” (I. 24).
Mr. M says: “Wasted people! Wasted changes! It’s become a phobia with me now. It’s not easy you know to be a teacher, to put your heart and soul into education an eager young mind which you know will never get a chance to develop further and realize its full potential. The thought that you and Thami would be another two victims of this country’s lunacy, was almost too much for me” (I. 21). Indeed, his worst fears are realized as Thami rejects his education for mob ideals.
Isabel is kind but ignorant. Another significant theme of the play is knowledge and fear. Isabel says of her mother: “because she knows nothing about it, she’s frightened of it” (I. 23). She only realizes her own ignorance after knowing Thami and Mr. M for several weeks. “Like my Saturday chats with Samuel – I told you about him remember, he delivers for my dad – well you should have heard the last one. It was excruciating. It felt so false, and forced, and when I listened to what I was saying and how I was saying it . . . Am I changing Thami? My dad says I am” (II. 53).
Thami is taken in by the ideas of the Comrades. He says “We have woken up at last. We have found another school – the streets, the little rooms, the funeral parlors of the location – anywhere the people meet and whisper names we have been told to forget, the dates of events they try to tell us never happened, and the speeches they try to say were never made” (I. 50).
The play concludes on a discordant note. However, Isabel states: “The future is still ours, Mr, M” (II. 78).
Subtly alluded to in the conclusion, by Isabel’s monologue at her teacher’s would-be grave, education and unity is the way to bring peace.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2023
(3.5)
i read this play a few years ago when i did a monologue from it for an audition, and now i reread it as my choice book for my culture in lit class. it’s a super powerful story but there are some really hefty monologues that feel like somewhat lazy character building. also, the fact that the author is white makes me uncomfortable, especially because of thami’s character.
i read this play a few years ago when i did a monologue from it for an audition, and now i reread it as my choice book for my culture in lit class. it’s a super powerful story but there are some really hefty monologues that feel like somewhat lazy character building. also, the fact that the author is white makes me uncomfortable, especially because of thami’s character.
May 23, 2025
Fugard defends liberal humanism against a more militant radicalism. He’s thoughtful if a bit too didactic. Is education a particularly easy site at which to make his case?
March 24, 2009
Though starting out a bit polemic, seemingly a bit heavy handed with the socio-political history of South Africa before its independence, My Children! My Africa! ends on a truly moving note. Fugard's play leans hard on its 3 characters, one teacher and two students; teacher and one student, black, the other student white. The story brings attention to some essential questions: How do we teach? How do we decide what is taught? How does education enforce the status quo at the expense of overlooking achievements of so-called lesser/minority races? Is violence essential to change? Is slow change superior, or fast? Who decides? As a reader, you have to grapple with these complex issues, but you also delight in the story itself, which builds from abstract discussions to powerful violence in South Africa, as each character in succession wins your heart. When the play is all over, you almost can't believe how Fugard got us from the beginning to the end, it's so well put together.
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March 2, 2020This book's My Children! My Africa!My Children! My Africa! first act starts at zolile high school with a lively inter school debate in progress. The debate consist of the white student guest from cambedoo high school.The debate also consist of the Thami Mbikiwani a student from the hosting school (Zolile high school). The book just starts just right into the action with out any character development. I was lost for about 15 pages and that says a lot because the book is not that long. The book is 76 pages is notlong so it like me saying that I was lost for about 20%My Children! My Africa!My Children! My Africa!% of the book. This book didn't really have that much character development either. Yes, I get that this is a play but if you are reading this book just to read and you have no background knowledge of what is going on it's really hard for you to understand what's really happening in this book.
March 17, 2021
I Want to know the whole story of this book
May 29, 2025
“The clocks are ticking my friends. History has got
a strict timetable. If we're not careful we might be remembered as the country where everybody arrived too late.”
a strict timetable. If we're not careful we might be remembered as the country where everybody arrived too late.”
November 10, 2020
4 stars.
Wonderful. Athol Fugard has some really inciteful plays, full of compassion for his fellow human beings. They capture some of the complexities of race relations in South Africa in a way that informs rather than preaches. Mr M. is absolutely compelling and this three hander might not be as good as The Road to Mecca but it's definitely worth a read still.
Wonderful. Athol Fugard has some really inciteful plays, full of compassion for his fellow human beings. They capture some of the complexities of race relations in South Africa in a way that informs rather than preaches. Mr M. is absolutely compelling and this three hander might not be as good as The Road to Mecca but it's definitely worth a read still.
July 30, 2015
I really liked it. I thought the choice to add the white character looking in from the outside in a sense was interesting. I found some interesting lines about education. I think also that it is a play that one can teach to middle school and high school students, because it's meaningful, has universal themes, and has minimal foul language, which helps when teaching.
June 20, 2021
I had never heard of this play before, so I didn't have any expectations coming in. However, I didn't enjoy most of the plays I've read so far, so I wasn't looking forward to reading it either. But this book BLEW me away!
Something about the narration of this play feels very similar to a novel style of writing, which is definetily an aspect that drew my interest from the beginning. There are several scenes that consist only of monologues where a character describes their feelings to the reader, which ̣─even though the dialogue by itself did a great job of depicting and characterizing─ certainly helped to know the protagonists on a deeper level. And these monologues were fundamental because they added a lot of weight to the interactions between them!
The characters themselves were my favorite aspect of the book. They are smart and eloquent and incredibly human. Their wit, their passion and their determination were inspiring to read about and made them compelling from the start. The conflict between them is what drives the story forward, and it kept me at the edge of my seat (and on the brink of tears at some point) throughout my read.
I don't have the right words to describe how wonderful I think this story is. If I could give it more starts, I WOULD.
Something about the narration of this play feels very similar to a novel style of writing, which is definetily an aspect that drew my interest from the beginning. There are several scenes that consist only of monologues where a character describes their feelings to the reader, which ̣─even though the dialogue by itself did a great job of depicting and characterizing─ certainly helped to know the protagonists on a deeper level. And these monologues were fundamental because they added a lot of weight to the interactions between them!
The characters themselves were my favorite aspect of the book. They are smart and eloquent and incredibly human. Their wit, their passion and their determination were inspiring to read about and made them compelling from the start. The conflict between them is what drives the story forward, and it kept me at the edge of my seat (and on the brink of tears at some point) throughout my read.
I don't have the right words to describe how wonderful I think this story is. If I could give it more starts, I WOULD.
July 30, 2025
"That classroom is a political reality in my life..."
What begins in the vein of a conventional "inspirational teacher at a disadvantaged school" plot becomes something far more distinctive in Fugard's tale of two students and a teacher swept up in anti-apartheid protest. His dialogue brims with infectious energy as its characters spar over their different views on what education means—is it the accumulation of knowledge about (white, European) history, or a tool that exists to incite or repress political change, or is there an unlikely bridge that can join the two? It's fascinating to see Fugard's characters engaging with these still-current questions, alongside other concerns such as the removal of public statues, in a play that (despite feeling like it could've spent longer allowing its protagonists' dynamics to ferment) finds an elegant balance of insight and stylised wit.
What begins in the vein of a conventional "inspirational teacher at a disadvantaged school" plot becomes something far more distinctive in Fugard's tale of two students and a teacher swept up in anti-apartheid protest. His dialogue brims with infectious energy as its characters spar over their different views on what education means—is it the accumulation of knowledge about (white, European) history, or a tool that exists to incite or repress political change, or is there an unlikely bridge that can join the two? It's fascinating to see Fugard's characters engaging with these still-current questions, alongside other concerns such as the removal of public statues, in a play that (despite feeling like it could've spent longer allowing its protagonists' dynamics to ferment) finds an elegant balance of insight and stylised wit.
May 29, 2017
Fugard here attacks Apartheid and Ubuntu with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but nevertheless his messages about the injustices of imperial oppression and revolutionary brutality are on-point. The characters are pretty one-note, and there's certainly no ambiguity or nuance in Fugard's overall purpose. It's a short, sharp crash course in how messed up late-80s South Africa was. Worth reading, or viewing. But not a timeless classic.
February 3, 2025
Athol Fugard's play surrounding the state of apartheid in 1984 is a powerful display of the role of resistance and the power both violent and nonviolent dissent holds, pitting a vocal, revolutionary young Thami against his teacher Mr. M, a black Confucian whose motto is the "learning undigested by thought is labor lost. Thought unassisted by learning is perilous!"
May 4, 2023
So, I felt into the trap like most of the readers according to the reviews in Goodreads. At first, I gave it 5 stars... how couldn't I? It praises education as the most useful and illuminated tool to eliminate racism and violence in South Africa... But after a thoroughly analysis guided by my language teacher... MAMITA. Not only does it reproduce racism and stereotypes, but also it is deceiving and FALSE. Yes, false. It is inspired by a true story, but he only kept one name and changed everything else, EVEN THE DATES and other significant details.
Please, read it critically. It is not historically accurate, but it is malicious on purpose.
Please, read it critically. It is not historically accurate, but it is malicious on purpose.
January 4, 2018
Amazing play.
September 13, 2018
5/5
This was a re-read for me, but it's been almost 7 years since I've read this play. Man it just hit me hard - wish I could work on this material again.
This was a re-read for me, but it's been almost 7 years since I've read this play. Man it just hit me hard - wish I could work on this material again.
February 11, 2019
This is one of the most important plays I feel I have ever read.
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January 28, 2020Grade 12
June 14, 2020
It is historical
March 18, 2021
I want to read this book as it is the book we matriculants use for exams
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May 4, 2021My children my Africa
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2021
To learn
More about my children and africa
More about my children and africa
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2022
I read this back when I was an undergrad and I remember myself liking it quite a lot
June 10, 2022
me pareció buenísimo hasta que leí 1 crítica y ahora solo sufro
Currently reading
August 1, 2022No racism
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2022
I don't read plays much, but this was very good. Short and sharp.
April 19, 2023
It was a school reading so not necessarily enjoyable
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews