The politics of educational exclusion in the selected plays of Athol Fugard and August Wilson

Abstract

The South African regime during Apartheid spent more time educating white children than black children. As a result, millions of black South Africans did not go to school. Similarly, in the United States of America, during slavery, blacks were not allowed to read and write, although they did it secretly in underground prisons. The education they received in the 17th century was given to them by benevolent slave masters. This educational exclusion has recorded untold consequences on blacks in both communities and is still felt in the 21st century. It is against this backdrop that this study examines the politics of educational exclusion in Athol Fugard’s and August Wilson’s selected plays from the point of view of postcolonial theory. The data for this study were got by selecting drama texts that dwell on education, and the methodology employed is an analytical appraisal of the texts. The bone of contention in the study is that the literacy rate of blacks is still very low as compared to whites. Therefore, blacks have to take education more seriously in order to equate themselves with the whites. The study further argues that the solution to the problem of educational exclusion lies in the redemption of black education. Key words: Education, politics, colonialism, neo-colonialism, postcolonial, apartheid, and post-apartheid.