In November 1968 Tambu's brother, Nhamo died. His death came from having mumps. He notified Maiguru on Tuesday that he was not feeling well and that he had a slight pain in his neck. He ended up not feeling better on Wednesday, so Babamukuru and Maiguru ended up taking him to their clinic. The doctor suggested that he was suffering from mumps, but was not sure of this diagnosis and said that Nhamo should stay overnight. On Thursday morning Babamukuru checked on him and saw that he was fine, but despite saying that he was fine that morning he ended up dying later that night.
This event is significant to Nervous Conditions because not only does it mark the beginning of the story, but it is also the event that changes Tambu’s life. Nhamo’s death leads to her being able to get an education, which causes her to leave the homestead and live at the mission. Due to these actions it leads to her worldview being expanded and becoming aware of the fact that not only are the other women in her life affected by the patriarchy like herself, but she also learns about colonialism and sees the effects it has on Zimbabwe and the people. Therefore his death plays a significant role in allowing Tambu to have the experience and the education to speak on and share the stories of the double oppression that she and the other women faced and how such oppression can either build a person or destroy a person.
Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous conditions: A novel. Graywolf Press, 2021.