Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangaremgba

I did a little background about the author and found out that Tsitsi Dangarembga grew up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) but spent part of her childhood in the UK. She is a physician by training which may explain the title of the book and the reason I was drawn to this novel. Been in the healthcare field myself, I am always excited when I come about a fellow nerd who is also a lover of literature:). Also, I was intrigued to read a book that examines the psychology of Africans especially because mental health is not a very popular topic in the African society. Without further adieu...

Nervous Conditions is a narrative told by Tambu, a hard-working and intelligent 14 year old who grew up in a rural Zimbabwean community. Her desire to be educated is met by her father's resistance in a male dominated society. Her brother can go to school but she must stay home to learn housekeeping. Her father tells her,

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

Tambu is rescued by her wealthy British-educated uncle (Babamukuru) and leaves her rural hometown to enroll at Babamukuru's missionary school. Nyasha, Babamukuru's daughter, is about Tambu's age and also attends the same school. Nyasha is a curious and intelligent young girl with the wisdom of an 80 year old and perhaps the stubbornness of a mule. Tambu, on the other hand, is determined and wise without been disrespectful. Despite (or because of) their polar opposite personalities and upbringings, Tambu and Nyasha develop a special friendship as they grow into adulthood and begin to question the society they live in. In their own ways, they challenge aspects of their culture, ask difficult questions and with resolute determination, travel the road less traveled...

Nervous Conditions is definitely in the feminist genre but I think it certainly did more than just explore the lives of post-colonial African females. Overall, I found it to be a thought provoking African novel that explores 1) the psychology of post-colonial African male and female (both young and old) 2) the awareness of social, cultural, psychological and economic inferiority created by colonialism 3) how the two aforementioned factors contributes to one's state of mind and ultimately impact the choices an individual makes.  

I borrowed the book from the library but it's available on Amazon. Click here

Rating: 4 bows

Changes by Ama Ata Aidoo

Changes is an unpretentious love story set in Accra, Ghana. Ama Ata Aidoo tells the story of three educated, financially independent females who juggle their roles as career women, wives, mothers and daughters in an overwhelmingly patriarchal society.

Esi, the main character, walks away from a bad marriage because her husband (Oko) who was initally mesmerized by her "air of independence" had begun to resent her for the same reason. Oko wants more of Esi's time but when Esi's attempt to balance career and wifely duties fail to meet Oko's demands, she is forced to make a choice. Esi files for divorce and leaves her marriage of six years in an atypical fashion--she sends Oko packing from her house, a bungalow that comes with  her government career as data analyst with the government's statistical bureau.

In the face of familial and cultural pressures, Esi follows through with her decision to divorce Oko. Soon after, she is swept off her feet by Ali Kondey, a very good looking man "with beautifully white and even teeth." The attraction was mutual though there is one little problem--Mr Kondey is already married (to Fusena) with kids.  Yet, Esi and Ali live an alternative lifestyle, seeing each other many nights a week before Ali has to return home to his wife and kids. Ali eventually asks Esi to become his wife and once again, Esi finds herself at a crossroad as she considers becoming a second wife to Ali.


Esi's grandmother is both surprised and proud of Esi's new dilemma. Afterall, this choice that Esi presents her was unthinkable in her own days. She congratulates Esi for having a choice and warns her of the consequences of such a choice as she says:

"Leave one man, marry another. Esi, you can. You have got your job. The government gives you a house. You have got your car. You have already got your daughter. You don't have to prove you are a woman to any man, old or new. You can pick and choose. But remember, my lady, the best husband you can ever have is he who demands all of you and all of your time. Who is a good man if not one who eats his wife completely, and pushes her down with a good gulp of alcohol?" 

Opokuya, Esi's best friend, is a strong and boisterous character who "moved like lightning and laughed through the days of the year." She is a registered nurse and qualified mid wife who is married with kids.  On the surface, her marriage to Kubi epitomizes the type of marriage every woman can only dream of and invokes envy from her colleagues and her best friend. We later get a more realistic picture her marriage to Kubi and we are left to decide whether she has it better than other women or not. Opokuya and Esi do not see eye to eye on Esis' reason for divorcing Oko. When Esi exclaimed she could not understand why Oko now loathes her resilience and independence, Opokuya responds:

"men are not really interested in a woman's independence or her intelligence. The few who claim they like intelligent and active women are also interested in having such women permanently in their beds and their kitchen."

Fusena is the third female character. Soon after graduation from teacher training college, she forgoes her teaching career and instead becomes a wife (to Ali Kondey), mother and homemaker while Ali completes his master level training abroad. Now, she regretfully sits back as her highly educated husband becomes involved with another highly educated woman.
 
Indeed, Ama Ata Aidoo's Changes is a gender conscious and political novel that explores African femininity through the lives of Esi, Opokuya and Fusena without shying away from the turbulence that plagues post-colonial Africa. I took many messages away from this book but the most frightening is that many of the complex issues brought to life in Changes remain real issues for African women living in modern Africa today. And, if life is so challenging for the educated, financially independent, urban African woman, what can we expect for the uneducated, dependent, rural African woman?

I borrowed this from the local library but it is also available on Amazon. Click here

Rating: 4 bows




P.S.
I think I got a little carried away with this review...next one will be shorter :p

missing in action

One of the biggest reason I have been MIA is due to some technical difficulties with my dear computer--so bad, I had to send it off to geek squad for a couple weeks. Thank goodness for my iPhone, I would not have survived those two weeks! Either way, I'm happy to say, I did read a couple books and currently half way through a third so I'll be posting reviews within the next week or so.

Okay, I'll confess, I played a little too. It is spring in Boston and it's becoming increasingly difficult to stay indoors reading couch-potato style. Hence, I have been spending a lot of time outdoors.  I did a little travelling too. I was in NYC and had such a wonderful (read wonderfully expensive) time! No, really, it was quite amazing---great company, delicious food, magical weather...what more does anyone need? Also, the annual African film festival commenced while I was there so I had a chance to see some shows:-)

Pictures to come. Stay tuned, will you?