Countdown to Christmas
10 - Self-Realization
- Every person has their own value, their own dreams and their own resources to realize their potential.
- There are often major obstacles to realizing one's dreams. These include limited material opportunities, but also prevailing prejudices and institutions, such as those relating to gender or ethnic origin, as well as traditional role models.
- However, it is in the confrontation with these obstacles that the self continues to develop. Individuals who, due to their background or other characteristics, are not expected to achieve much, develop their own strengths and can realize their potential - with perseverance and imagination, with the willingness to learn and remain true to themselves.
The novel tells the story of T, who grows up in Zimbabwe. She strives to learn and get a good education. At the same time, she comes to terms with the limits placed on her by traditions, role models based on her gender and the social environment shaped by colonial rule. This also includes the inner confrontation with conventions and thought patterns that shape her on the one hand, but which she also questions time and again. Her development and the many different people who influence her path are what make this book so exciting and worth reading. The author of the book is herself an example of how obstacles can be overcome and dreams can become reality: “Nervous Conditions” is the first book published by a black woman from Zimbabwe in English. Publishers in Zimbabwe did not accept it, and after a long journey it was published in the UK and became a global success.
