Introduction to African History and Civilization Since 1885
Write a critical analysis of some aspect of Athol Fugard’s Tsotsi: A Novel. This ‘coming of age’

psychological thriller is an example of the genius of African writers in general and South African writers in

particular. It is simultaneously an exploration of disenfranchisement and loss as well as a meditation on a

young man’s search for his humanity and a chance at redemption. The term Tsotsi is Xhosa slang for thief,

thug or ‘bad boy’ captures on one aspect of a character struggling to survive while seeking to find his

place and meaning in a world into which he has been discarded. As a writer, Fugard’s work which dances

between anger and empathy, despair and hope, docility and rage. From comradery and solitude to

youthful antics and violent assault, the story merges traces a journey of complicated decisions and

frustrated passions. Elevating the supremacy of youth and its culture to an authentic lived reality, Fugard

tells a universal story of the pains and perils of growing into manhood without coaches and guardians.

Moreover, in revealing the fissures in his society, the author’s affective descriptions are oddly affirming

and deeply haunting.

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