"Exiled or Burdened." This title directly indicates the biggest decision that Tsitsi Dangarembgas characters, especially the females, have to make in their lives.
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16243757 (student)
Exiled or Burdened.
This title directly indicates the biggest decision that Tsitsi Dangarembga’s characters, especially the females, have to make in their lives. The answer to this decision is tacitly expressed by the characters through their views and choice of culture, which is mainly influenced by language.
The choice to speak the native tongue, Shona, shows conformity to the indigenous society and its long-standing patriarchal culture. The prejudice towards women in the Shona culture are clearly evident and emphasised by Jeremiah when he states, “can you cook books and feed them to your husband? Stay at home with your mother. Learn to cook and clean. Grow vegetables.” Jeremiah illustrates that women are merely seen as a man’s helper to make his life more pleasing, and a woman’s life dreams and ambitions are completely irrelevant. Jeremiah does not ask Tambu what she wants to do, even though she shows a desire to go to school by attempting to make the money herself, but instead Tambu is burdened by having the head man of the house telling her that what she wants is unimportant in life and that she must give in to her inevitable debt of slavery to the men in her life. Ma’Shingayi’s only advice to her daughter was for her “to learn to carry [her] burdens with strength.”
