The depiction of chiramu register and the female voice and communicator in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions

Abstract

This article examines Tsitsi Dangarembga’s depiction of the Chiramu register in Nervous Conditions. The article argues that, in Shona culture, the type of relationship one enjoys in the family determines the register that he/she employs in order to score success in communication. Therefore, as the article argues further, an appreciation of these relationships and registers is critical to our understanding of the politics and power dynamics in Nervous Conditions. In order to successfully argue the spelt viewpoint, this article demonstrates with examples that the character Lucia strategically manipulates the Chiramu register in her engagement, negotiation and bargaining with the character Babamukuru to further her interests and maximise her security. Such an exercise underscores the flexibility and fluidity of relationships in the text. In the final analysis the article concludes that Shona traditional society provided checks and balances on how power and authority was exercised.