Marigolds in August

Marigolds in August
Written by	Athol Fugard
Characters	Daan Melton Paulus
Date premiered	1980

Marigolds in August is a play by South Africa's Athol Fugard.

The play portrays the tension between three people (two black – one white) trying to make out a living.

The play takes place near Port Elizabeth. Daan (a resident in a nearby township where malnutrition and unemployment are rife) is walking to work at an apartheid whites-only resort where he works as a gardener. He encounters another unemployed black man – Melton – who is desperately looking for work. Daan is worried that Melton's presence will draw attention to him which is a problem as his passbook is no longer valid.

The pair struggle and argue and the appearance of a white man – Paulus (a snake catcher) – acts as a catalyst.

Daan realises that the apartheid system is often responsible for black-on-black violence. The only way to fight this is solidarity and compassion towards each other.

In 1980, the play was adapted into a film directed by Ross Devenish, with Melton played by John Kani, Athol Fugard as Paulus, and Winston Ntshona as Daan.

In 1980, it won the Berlin Bear Anniversary Prize at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival.

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