Agrupamento de Escolas Albufeira Poente Escola Secundria de Albufeira

Athol Fugard

Valley Song

Name: Vanessa Silva Class:12D N:23

Valley song is a true story of the author Athol Fugard that was produced for a play , he represents and intervenes in the play as the author(himself). The other characters who participate in this work have names of real people as Abraam Jonkers,also described as Buks and Oupa (grandfather) a colorful tenant with seventy years who lives in South Africa, I don`t know. What`s a real soldier. I was just a ordinary soldier.. This paper and the paper of the author are played by the same actor. Another character, Veronica, Abraam's granddaughter who has seventeen years, Tell me the truth Oupa, were you a real soldier?. The play debuted in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 1995, written, directed and produced by Athol Fugard. The work of Athol Fugard describe political situations as South African system and the injustices of apartheid as is mentioned in the story He`s in fact thinking about those days as he drops the seeds into the ground. The political theme of Fugard in his plays put him in conflict with the national Government, to avoid prosecution, he had his plays produced and published outside of South Africa. This story, Valley Song, tells the situation after apartheid by the words of the author and their real experience where is mentioned two stories who engage together, the first is about a black South African girl who wants to leave his grandfather on his farm so that she can go to the city and follow her dream of becoming a famous singer but her grandfather takes this as an insult to his way of life and everything he has worked for and the second is about a man who intends to leave the City and go back to its origins in Karoo. The Valley song begins with the author, the first to cross the stage, a white man in his sixties representing himself Fugard, showing the public a handful of pumpkin seeds, Pumpkin seeds, ladies and gentlemen ... genuine Karoo pumpkin seeds. "and speaking of spring and Karoo and describing the region. As the novel begins, it takes viewers to imagine a man of "colorful", which is a tenant farmer in his seventies. Abram Jonkers who is colored, living on the edges of the land owned by Landmans and for which he helped cultivate, the Landmans died so the property is for sale. Fugard changes the narrative to Abram's granddaughter, Veronica, who is young, with youthful energy. Abram is worried that someone came by to look at the House, and he is afraid that the new owner will ask him to leave. This act focuses on the relationship between Buks and Veronica, represented by the same author that plays the role of the author, two realities and two different ambitions, She literally sings his future with "big dreams" of music stardom unattainable in the Valley and the Buks wants to stay in the Valley. A contrast between age and youth, tradition and dream given us by the author. Fugard gives two very different performances because the author's transformation and the farmer usually occurs in a short pause between words. In an instant the author speaks with confidence and stands but when the light that focuses on this change, we see the actor to internalize the other character, in other words we see a transformation of the author to the Abraam Jonkers (Buks) Where does Master want me to put the vegetables there by the car? Okay

Master. Thank you master and them the author says That wheelbarrow load of vegetables did it, come on now, how could I pass up the chance to own a piece of my native Karoo. In conclusion Fugard ends Valley Song with the author The Author laughs; stars to leave., open his hands and offers the latest fresh pumpkin seeds to plant (A handful of shiny, white pumpkin seeds). South African Athol Fugard underlines the Apartheid and its consequences such as the presence of a generation of young blacks with big dreams to achieve. His career as a playwright creating dramas that tell stories about his life and also about another lives , while at the same time criticizing South Africa's unjust system of apartheid. Is an interesting story, in which the author, as a character, dialogue with the other characters, which also narrate story his to the author and to the public.