Honoring Athol Fugard: A Tribute from John Kani
As a prominent member of The Serpent Players repertory theater group based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, John Kani forged a powerful partnership with fellow Black actor Winston Ntshona and esteemed playwright Athol Fugard in 1972. Together, they crafted the seminal play Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, an evocative examination of the pervasive apartheid pass laws that dictated the lives of Black South Africans.
The following year, Kani and Ntshona collaborated again with Fugard to create The Island, inspired by real events within the confines of a prison reminiscent of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela endured 27 years of incarceration. Both talented actors showcased their skills in these landmark productions directed by Fugard.
A Personal Reflection on a Lasting Friendship
In light of Fugard’s recent passing at the age of 92, Kani shares heartfelt memories and insights from their time together:
“It was in 1965 when everything looked so very bleak in my life living in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth. The Eastern Cape was a wasteland of pain and suffering. All the people we knew were either in detention or in exile or killed. As young men, we were standing by eagerly to be secretly shuttled out of the country to join Umkhonto We Sizwe to train to be the soldiers that would liberate our country, our South Africa.
A friend of mine, Fats Bokholan, told me about a group of actors called the Serpent Players Drama Group who were performing plays in the township. He asked whether I would like to join the group. He told me that they were doing a play called Antigone by Sophocles. This excited me so I said yes.
I arrived at the place where this group was rehearsing. I knew most of the people in the room except for a white guy who was also with them. I was a bit surprised that these militant guys, who I knew from New Brighton, were actually working with a white person! Then Fats started to introduce me to everyone and finally to the white guy. Fats said, ‘John, this is Athol. Athol, this is John.’ That was the beginning of a whole new chapter in my life — and a lifelong friendship.
Athol, Winston Ntshona and I worked together through the very difficult times of the 1960s, creating and performing in plays that examined the conditions under which Black people lived during apartheid. Of course, this immediately attracted the interest of the Security Police, who hounded the group’s every performance and even extended to our private lives. However, through all these difficult times, Athol stayed with us.
In 1972, Winston, Athol and I created Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and in 1973 together we created The Island and as they say, ‘The rest is history.’
Athol was my brother and my comrade in the Struggle for the liberation of our country — and my friend for life. No one can tell the story of protest theater without mentioning the names of Athol Fugard, Winston Ntshona and myself.
Now, with their deaths, I must accept that my two beautiful friends, Winston and Athol, are gone. Now I feel so alone. My only comfort are the memories of these two giants of the South African theater and the struggle for a better life for all.
Athol believed in me and my anger and I believed in him and his cool temperament and that the use of words is a more powerful weapon of change.
I will miss him very much.
Athol, you have been an inspiration to your fellow theater practitioners your entire life. You are a giant of South African storytelling. Your words and works have impacted so many people’s lives — inspiring them, uplifting them and educating them.
Hamba Qhawe lamaQhawe. Your work is done. Rest in peace, my true and loyal friend.”
Dr. John Kani, OIS, OBE
For additional insights and details, you can refer to the original source here.