Mythotypes and Sociological Imports in the Apartheid World of "Sizwe Bansi is Dead"

Stephen Oladele Solanke

Elizade University, Nigeria

Abstract

Oppression of man by man has been a common phenomenon from time immemorial. This subjugation has mostly been subtle, insidious and debilitating, especially of the oppressed and the common people. This paper examines the apartheid South African world in "Sizwe Bansi is Dead", and exposes tacit, discreet but mythically destructive avenues that Athol Fugard, Wiston Ntshona and John Kani opine oppressors have always archetypically drawn from. The paper allows that freedom is possible if the oppressed are introspective, creative, focussed, and do not get themselves lost in the ‘dangerous dreams’ of their oppressors. They must, like Styles, Sizwe and Buntu in the examined text, be able to create, archetypically too, like their oppressors, new songs, new myths and new weaponry and strategies to unchain themselves.

Keywords:

South Africa, Athol Fugard, apartheid, mythic, archetypal, freedom, oppression