The colonization of Zimbabwe not only affected those colonized in terms of culture, socialization, dress, and more, but it also affected mental states. A great example of this could be Tambu's interactions with Nyasha.
During Tambu's dive into studies and refusal to leave besides her interactions at school, Nyasha sends her letters expressing her emotions with a particular one admitting that Nyasha was not fitting in well with the other students at the school. Tambu sees this more when she returns home to see Nyasha is such a malnourished state. When Nyasha is shown to enter a suicidal state, Tambu urged for Babamukuru to take Nyasha to a white psychiatrist. However, the psychiatrist brushes the issue off by saying, “Africans did not suffer in the way [he] … described.”
This showcases, the neglect for not only the state of living of the people in the colony, but also the lack of mental care that was provided to them. Tsitsi shows this to help attribute to the distain she felt towards the colonizers and her own neglect towards her cousin.
Work cited
DayDreamin’ Comics. “Write up on Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions.” DayDreamin’ Comics, 3 May 2025, https://ddcomics.org/2025/05/03/write-up-on-tsitsi-dangarembgas-nervous….