Predictably, activists such as Biko ( 1971 :55) criticised this fence-sitting as a form of compromise or adaptation. He steadfastly maintained the middle-ground, a space where conflicting identities and ideas clash and cohere. For instance, despite the calls by black artists from the 1970s for art to serve a singular revolutionary role, he retained his conciliatory ideological and literary leanings. He chose the middle-ground, which explains why his political leaning is hard to unearth. It would seem, as a white artist, he battled with the choice of content – between either speaking against apartheid or standing up for the oppressed. Although he was more of a pacifist, he took giant and courageous strides to speak for the underdog 2 and therefore inadvertently against the regime and the institutionalised white privileged position. His plays, even the radical ones such as Sizwe Bansi Is Dead (1972), Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (1972) and The Island (1973), 1 are replete with paradoxes and have generated considerable debates. ![]() Old and current studies on Athol Fugard’s politics and commitment in theatre reveal that his art is enmeshed in controversies.
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