George, Rosemary Marangoly, and Helen Scott. "An Interview with Tsitsi Dangarembga." Novel (Spring 1993):309-319. [This interview was conducted at the African Writers Festival, Brown Univ., Nov. 1991] Excerpt from Introduction: "Written when the author was twenty-five, Nervous Conditions put Dangarembga at the forefront of the younger generation of African writers producing literature in English today....Nervous Conditions highlights that which is often effaced in postcolonial African
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga “Quietly, unobtrusively and extremely fitfully, something in my mind began to assert itself, to question things, and to refuse to be brainwashed…” The main character, Tambudzai, in the novel Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga, is determined to get a white education without losing her native tongue and ways. However this proves to be more difficult that she would expect and seeds that are planted in her mind by the whites begin to take shape, and
colonized African country. Narrated through the eyes of young Tambu, the story is told with child-like simplicity about her and her family fighting to survive in a complex world of Imperialism, racism, and class and gender inequality. In hindsight, Dangarembga allows the protagonist's narrative to slowly unravel the meaning of her and her family's struggle with their assimilation into the strange and powerful culture of their rulers. The wealth of her uncle Babamukuru coupled with the back-breaking
In Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, her protagonist, Tambu, struggles to overcome the obstacles of race and patriarchal expectations in pursuit of an education that she hopes will allow for her a better life. Upon receiving the opportunity that she so valiantly fights for, she is forced to examine whether her dream is realistically achievable or if a recalculation is in order. Tambu’s oppression is made evident early on as we see the dichotomy between the manner in which she is treated in
In the novel Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga, the theme of female rebellion is displayed throughout the book and can be seen In the novel Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga, the theme of female rebellion is displayed throughout the book and can be seen by the characters Nyasha and Maiguru. The main cause of their rebellious act is their struggle with female oppression. The colonized education that Nyasha and Maiguru receive initiates the awareness that women are living in
The excerpt from Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga on page 105 was chosen to further look at the racial disparities that occur within the novel. Using intense connotation, shifts in tone, and punctuation, Dangarembga addresses a multitude of issues. At its most basic, this paragraph highlights the main character’s brainwashing, draws on the hierarchy of skin color, and, more generally, opens up discussion on ethnic privilege. On a more personal note, this passage was chosen for highlighting
The bridging of native traditions with modern imperial ways has a direct effect on the minds of Zimbabwean girls and women. Dangarembga drew inspiration for her title from the quote “the condition of the nation is a nervous one”, from Frantz Franon’s book Wretched of the Earth. The reader sees this idea of nervousness displayed within the female main characters of this novel. “ Its bad enough, when a country gets colonised but when the people do as well! That’s the end, really, that’s the end. (Nervous
Identity is what defines a person and what makes them unique. In the novels, Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, the reader is introduced to two female protagonist, Nyasha and Marji ,who struggle to find their identity and achieve self discovery due to their socially constructed rules that tell them how to dress, act and what to believe in. However, both Nyasha and Marji have their own way of finding their sense of identity and individuality by challenging
‘Nervous Conditions’ both show aspects of transculturation, perhaps the most obvious sign are the narrator's adoption of the dominant English language to write their novels. At varying points in each novel it is also clear that both Aidoo and Dangarembga have difficulty in choosing between the two cultures in their own personal struggles with transculturation. I shall go on to explore these instances of transculturation within both novels. Tsitsi Dangarembga’s 1988 novel ‘Nervous Conditions’
Colonialism versus Origin Within Wole Soyinka’s and Tsitsi Dangarembga’s intricately weaved novels, both pieces of literature successfully intertwine to portray the estrangement and hardships dealt with through the main characters in settling within a separate environment apart from their origins; culture and adopting the colonial mentality which is imposed upon them. There is a negative portrayal of the colonial mentality that manifests onto the African society. There are three major categories
humanity as they dictate the actions of every person who live under a specific culture. More often than not, people all over the world follow traditional practices with little regard to how and why they were started. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga is centered on colonial Rhodesia during the 1960s where British and traditional African culture is prominent. Women, like Nyasha, struggle to liberate themselves from their culture’s patriarchal society by rebelling against female oppression. Nyasha’s
more assertive, and although Nyasha rebellion may not have been entirely successful, her struggle does live on through Tambu who now refuses to be brainwashed and will fight for social equality. Bibliography: Works Cited Dangarembga, Tsitsi. _Nervous Conditions_. Seattle: Seal Press, 1988.
expected my sojourn to fulfill all my fourteen-year-old fantasies…freed from the constraints of the necessary…When I tried to describe to Nyasha a little of what was happening in my world, she laughed and said I was reading too many fairy-tales.” (Dangarembga, page 93). Nyasha quickly said she did not believe Tambu and her assumptions for growing would not uphold. Nyasha’a view is relatable with, “Eyes look at each other; One pair of remaining eyes” (Seo), where one of the eyes is Tambu, and the other
complicates this stratification. Tsitsi Dangarembga explores the indistinct notion of class and privilege in her novel Nervous Conditions. Tambu, the narrator, faces the racial distinctions of colonialism as well as the patriarchy ingrained in her society as obstacles to her quest for an education and a better life. Yet, once she receives the opportunity for an education, she seemingly transcends both these obstacles and her subaltern status—or does she? Dangarembga argues the contrary by comparing Tambu
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga is the story of young Tambu. The book starts off with her living with her parents, Ma’Shingyai and Jeremiah, and her brother, Nhambo in post-colonial Zimbabwe. After facing the news that her brother died, she and her immediate family decided move Tambu to live with her aunt and uncle, Babamukuru and Maiguru, to go to the missionary school where her uncle is head of and to get a better life for herself from the homestead. While living with her aunt, uncle,
the person you become whether it is a happy experience or not. In addition, we are left to wonder if the characters we meet at the end are happy with the person they become or are resentful of what their home has made them. Works Cited: Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous Conditions. Oxfordshire: Ayebia Clarke Publishing Ltd, 2004. Winterson, Jeanette. Oranges are not the Only Fruit. London: Random House, 1991.
family could not afford to send either her or Nhamo, who had begun a year earlier, to school. Tambu’s mother managed to “[scrape] together enough money to keep [Tambu’s] brother in school,” but she could not earn enough to send Tambu to school (Dangarembga 24). Instead of giving in, Tambu asked for seeds so she could grow maize to sell as mealies to other children; however, “when the cobs were ripe for eating, they began to disappear” and, a few days later, one of Tambu’s Sunday school classmates
The journey into a new or strange environment in Northern Lights by Philip Pullman and Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga is an essential part of each plot. It is the physical journey of both Lyra and Tambu that allows them to gain knowledge, learn about the world through experience and grow as individuals. Both protagonists are female, and because of this we see the theme of gender inequality developed in each novel, most profoundly in Nervous Conditions. Education is restricted, for the most
Nervous conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga is rich in contrasts like different settings and financial status, which the writer uses to portray the characters and their different perspectives. The impact of these contrasts are so extreme that the characters become so very different from each other, which will be discussed further in the essay. Education and illiteracy are one pair of contrasts that are depicted in the novel. This contrast is one of the reasons why characters like Babamukuru and Jeremiah
Babamukuru. ‘It’s understandable, because it is well known that she is an immodest woman.’(Dangarembga pg. 143) In one passage in the novel, Babamukuru asks why one man does not report something that Lucia did that was seen as “wrong” and the man says: ‘I was afraid, Mukoma, truly afraid…..She threatened terrible things…..She’s probably the one bewitching Jeremiah’s children, so he will marry her.’(Dangarembga pg. 143) As you can see the male characters in the novel have a great amount of respect for