Analysis Of Nervous Conditions

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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, and their daughter, Nyahsa, Tambu realizes the nervous conditions that are around her as she sees the issues between race and gender in modern day Zimbabwe through her family. Even though, she has lived the luxury life of her uncle’s house, she sees that all things …show more content…

The wizards that she is referring to are the troops from Cecil Rhodes and Great Britain to establish South Rhodesia. Because of the colonization and the false political powers of Great Britain, the country of Zimbabwe will forever hold the “White Man’s Burden” and a critical view on race towards the English with the people who act “English”. In the last chapter of Nervous Conditions, Tambu had some deep thought about Nyasha and Chido’s behavior. Even though she couldn’t fathom what was being processed, but her mother made it pretty clear as to what was to become of Nyaha and Chido. First she describes the “Englishness” in them by saying that Chido can’t speak the native language and is hanging out with the English children. As a result, she predicts that his children will become “even worse” than him. When she mentioned Nyasha, it was like she was disgusted with what Nyasha had become despite her facing her anorexia. It was interesting because based on what Tambu’s mom said to her, it was no different than what is being said to some African Americans about them “acting white”. The children are not speaking the native language, but are speaking English.

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