Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

"This business of womanhood is a heavy burden"- Mai Tambu

"I was not sorry when my brother died... nor am I apologizing for my callousness, as you may define it my lack of feeling" 5 years after reading this book for the first time, that opening statement is still stuck in my head. So impertinent. So candid. Yet so unbelievably brutal. It makes you wonder how terrible the relationship between a sister and her brother has to be for her to be so unapologetically unperturbed by his unfortunate demise. The opening line alone and its antagonistic tone sparks a keen interest about what could possibly have transpired between these two siblings to breed such hostility even in death.

“Can you cook books and feed them to your husband? Stay at home with your mother. Learn to cook and clean. Grow vegetables.”

Tsitsi Dangarembga tells a story of poverty, colonization and the woes of femininity in an openly patriarchal society. Set in 20th Century Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) the protagonist Tambudzai (the name translates to "bring her misery") struggles to navigate the dilemmas that each of these unfortunate circumstances present to her. Not only was she black during a colonial era, she was born into poverty, and not only was she poor, she was a woman. Although her brother Nhamo (translates to "poverty"or "troubles") was indeed black and poor, he possessed the one quality that gave him an advantage over Tambu, his gender. Although he existed in the same seemingly gloomy world as Tambu, his anatomy presented him a light at the end of the tunnel and an opportunity to thrive in the patriarchal system.

“What it is,” she sighed, “to have to choose between self and security.”

Tambu's character development was one of the most interesting part of this book and throughout the trilogy Tambu's strong presence is what makes this story particularly fascinating. After a strong drought, Tambu is told by her father (whose character I find to be a disappointing yet an accurate depiction of the weaker male members of the patriarchy) that she can not continue to go to school because they can only afford to send Nhamo to school, as far as he was concerned Tambu shouldn't have been bothered anyway because "can you cook books and feed them to your husband". Despite her unfortunate circumstances, Tambu sets out to make her own money for school by growing and selling maize. In retrospect it is extremely fascinating that a girl living in 1960 rural Zimbabwe would be so determined to pursue an education that she sets out to make her own money so it can happen. In between the discouragement from her parents, help from her former headmaster, sabotage from Nhamo etc, Tambu has an awkward encounter with "Doris"who gives her money for school.

“Stoically he accepted his divinity. Filled with awe, we accepted it too. We used to marvel at how benevolent that divinity was. Babamukuru was good. We all agreed on this. More significantly still, Babamukuru was right.”

The complexity of this story stems from Bamkuru and his family, Tambu's rich uncle who has a saviour complex. First he takes Nhamo to his home in the city where he is the headmaster to provide him with better educational opportunities. Whilst living with his uncle Nhamo develops a repulsing superiority complex which widens the rift between him and his sister. Tambu developed a strong hatred towards him not only for his male privilege but also the arrogant demeanour he carried it with. Clearly this went beyond a normal sibling rivalry as the introduction to the story implies a deep hatred, which death can't diffuse. So when Nhamo dies from a brief illness Tambu is elated, partly because he won't exist to bother her anymore but mainly because it presented her with a "breakthrough" opportunity to live a better life by replacing Nhamo at Babamukuru's house.

"...condemning Nyasha to whoredom, making her a victim of her femaleness, just as I had felt victimised at home in the days when Nhamo went to school and I grew my maize. The victimisation, I saw, was universal. It didn't depend on poverty, on lack of education or on tradition. It didn't depend on any of the things I had thought it depended on. Men took it everywhere with them."

The second part of the novel focuses on Tambu's stay at Babamukuru's house on her quest to excel in school. Tambu and Nyasha (her cousin sister) had a complicated relationship prior to the move, mainly because of their differences which stemmed from different upbringings- Tambu's rural upbringing vs Nyasha's more anglicised upbringing in England. Albeit their differences they both develop a strong relationship mainly because of their strong characters that resist the patriarchy and do not crumble under its pressure. The patriarchal pressures are still very prevalent even in the home of a more educated, sophisticated and wealthier household. Although he believed in universal education, Babamukuru ruled his household with an iron fist and subjected his wife and daughter to pressure to be perfect whilst also restricting their liberalism. Tambu realised that no matter their socio-economic background women faced the same oppression at the hands of patriarchy although it presents itself in different ways, the same victimization exists universally.

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Tsitsi Dangarembga is an amazing author and filmmaker whose work includes the Nervous Conditions Trilogy, popular Zimbabwean films, Neria and Everyone's child. She has received various nominations and awards for her work both in literary publications and film.