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Education through the Eyes of Zenzele

Kaliyah. A. Martin

Business Department, Rockhurst University

EC 3400 LCA Developing World: Economics, Politics, and Culture

Dr Laura Fitzpatrick

October 25th, 2021

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Zenzele was written by J. Nozipo Maraire as her debut into the world of literature. She is a
Zimbabwean entrepreneur and doctor who has spent most of her time in Zimbabwe and the
United States. She has studied at three Ivy League schools including Harvard, Columbia, and
Yale to complete her neurosurgical training. (Wohl, 2017) Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter is
Maraire’s first novel, and it was granted the New York Times Notable Book of 1996. The
narrator of this book was Shiri Shungu who writes to her daughter Zenzele to pass down her
history, culture, and struggle that the older generation faced. She offers her wisdom to Zenzele
through the events she has witnessed in her life in Harari, Zimbabwe. This letter to Zenzele is a
way that Shiri says her goodbyes and shows her appreciation to her daughter since she is moving
away to study at Harvard. In this essay, we will identify the importance of education in
developing worlds, highlight how education influences cultural perspective, and lastly,
investigate how formal and informal education enhances the quality of life for an individual,
through my views formed in Zenzele.

Firstly, education is of utmost importance in the developing world. For example, when Shiri was
younger, she told her daughter about the importance of decreasing the workload of their mother.
She would gather wood, collect pots, prepare sadza, clean the kitchen, and ensure the water
drums were filled before starting her schoolwork under the candlelight in the late hours of the
night. (Maraire, 1996, p.13) This highlights that the education of women was not the main goal
of the older generation. However, the new generation focuses a great deal on education since it
allows them to become a better person which improves them and society. They are aware of the
benefits of receiving a good education. Hence, Shiri allowed her daughter, Zenzele to travel
across the world to Harvard to enhance her future. Shiri vocalized that, “there was undeniable
proof of the merits of an American college education.” (Maraire, 1996, p.2) Moreover, life
before independence was hard, Shiri’s goal is to give her daughter all the opportunities she can
receive. This includes allowing her child to attend white private schools. (Maraire, 1996, p.14)
According to the Borgen Project “when girls receive an education, they increase their ability to
gain access to higher-paying jobs. This benefits their family’s income adds to a nation’s
economy and increases a woman’s involvement in politics.” Secondly, education helps to level
the playing field between the “master” and the “poor.” Before Independence, they were heavily
oppressed by the whites. In the words of Shiri, “Our very lives of African children had been
circumscribed by our colour. We were regulated to tribal trust lands; we attended grade B or
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African schools, we could only shop at certain places, see certain sites, taste certain pleasures”
(Maraire,1996, p.160) They were overall, treated poorly by the white people. For example,
Shiri’s cousin, Tinawu Muti, was encouraged by her father to perform well in school, and she
would receive a pink dress with white flowers for her success. She scored first in her class, but
the shop that was meant for whites refused to make the transaction. She finally comprehended
the reality of the situation she was in. Tinuwu said “through the teaching of the struggle, my
ambitions had grown beyond the little outfit to encompass the nation” (Maraire, 1996, p. 167)
Education opened Tinuwu eyes to the injustice she faced by the whites. Later that day, she joined
the freedom fighters to eradicate the inequalities present in that generation. Zimbabweans who
are more educated will be able to pinpoint the injustice in their land and take steps to find
solutions to these problems. The “master” and the “poor” playing field will no longer exist with
the help of education. In conclusion, education in the developing world will help to create a more
equal and just country, and better the lives of the children in Zimbabwe.

Secondly, education can influence how many view their culture. Education helps to mould a
person into who they are today. A person's beliefs, traditions, and ideas may change with the
more years of education they receive. According to Acei Global, “in developing, low-income
countries, every additional year of education can increase a person’s future income by an average
of 10%.” (2014) The education system in Zimbabwe was heavily influenced by Western society.
For example, Zenzele was constantly questioning her mother about the traditions of their culture.
When her mother spoke to her about the topic of Labola. She had a negative response to the
tradition of paying money or bartering for a wife. She pleaded that “I will never be bought!
Mama, how could you possibly accept some cattle and cash in exchange for freedom?”
(Maraire,1996, p.32) On the other hand, her mother had a contrasting perspective on the labola,
she saw it as an honour. Shiri explains “It is not a purchase, Zenzele. It is an expression of
appreciation of how well we have brought up.” The exposure to western teachings had altered
Zenzele’s views on the practices of her culture. Secondly, western practices undermine the
system of knowledge. This denotes that because many idolize western practices, they start to
believe that their culture and traditions are inferior to the west. For instance, Mukoma Byron
went to study in America to become a doctor, and he failed to return. He constantly sent money
to his mother, but never made the effort to visit her. After ten years he finally visited home, but
shockingly he was not remotely the same person he was before. (Maraire, 1996) Moreover, Shari
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took offence when he arrived because he addressed their hometown as Harare instead of
Zimbabwe which was a symbol of independence. Moreover, Mukoma would eat sadza with his
knife and fork, exaggerate his accent, and even change his name on his luggage by omitting the
terminal “I.” (Maraire, 1996) Mukoma followed the western culture and completely shunned his
own. Importantly, this can be detected when he finally went to visit his mother who was terribly
ill. He can no longer communicate with his mother in Shona and begged Shari to translate for
him. His mother barely recognized her own flesh and blood, she pointed out that “I see you, yet I
hear a white man.” (Maraire, 1996, p. 59) Additionally, when his mother was furious with him
for lying about being a doctor, he chose to walk away from his mother and take his wife back to
London. Before he left, he told Shiri “Just look at Africa! The only landmass populated by blacks
and the world’s most miserable excuse for a continent” (Maraire, 1996, p. 63) He continued by
stating that “African is an economic wastebasket! A cultural desert and political swamp. It is a
wasteland! Absolutely pathetic.” (Maraire, 1996, p. 63) Shiri was astonished about his beliefs
regarding his very own country and noted he was talking like a westerner. Not only did Mukoma
abandon his country, but he also contributed to the brain drain in developing countries.
According to Todaro “many thousands of whom have been trained in home country institutions
at considerable social cost only to reap the benefits from and contribute to the further economic
growth of the already affluent nations.” (Todaro & Smith, 2011, p. 386) Educating leads many
people in developed countries to leave and pursue a life in other countries since they are aware of
the opportunities available in other places. In brief, education is deeply rooted in how countries
view their culture which can cause many conflicting views in society.

Lastly, formal, and informal education influences the quality of life of an individual. According
to Passion in Education “formal education is given by specially qualified teachers they are
supposed to be efficient in the art of instruction. It also observes strict discipline. The student and
the teacher both are aware of the facts and engage themselves in the process of education.”
(2019) Whereas “Informal education is when you are not studying in a school and do not use any
particular learning method. In this type of education, conscious efforts are not involved. It is
neither pre-planned nor deliberate. It may be learned at some marketplace, hotel or at home.”
(Passion in Education, 2019) Formal and informal education are both equally important to the
development of a country in a unique way. Examples of formal education include Zenzele
studying at Harvard or Mukoma going to study in London. They are studying abroad and will
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learn about various courses. Zenzele excitedly told her mother that “they have so many subjects.
Look, the psychological analytic theories of political anthropology.” (Maraire, 1996, p. 2)
Harvard is a perfect example of formal education with plenty of courses including political
anthropology. The book Zenzele does not only focus on the importance of formal education in
developing countries, but also the fact that education can take different forms that also help to
develop a person. For example, Sister Africa’s father was a brilliant lawyer and supporter of
anticolonialism. She spent a great deal of time searching for her father but to no avail. She
wanted to personally know this great man that everyone spoke about, so she attempted to track
him down by travelling to Botswana, Uganda, Ghana, and other various places. (Maraire, 1996)
She had completely given up when she unknowingly encountered the man, she was looking for
all her life. Sister Africa spent the next three days looking forward to teatime since she would
hear informal teachings of the old man. He would speak about the importance of unity, tolerance,
and awareness. (Maraire, 1996) She paid keen attention to what he was saying, and she even
promised herself that she would never forget the analogy, Father Africa used to describe a seed
and a country. (Maraire,1996) This example highlights that it does not matter if one is at school
or jail, education takes many forms, not just a standardized classroom. Sister Africa, later,
realized the old man was her father and was proud to be his daughter. She never told him the
truth, but it was comforting enough that she knew her father would be preaching somewhere
such as a jail, in a basement, or even on a mountain top preaching the gospel of Pan- Africanism.
Secondly, the book Zenzele itself is a form of informal education. Zenzele’s mother shares
information about her life which can help her daughter to make better decisions in the future.
The readers are taken along on this journey, learning from Shiri also. For example, Shiri stories
of her first love and the advice she gives constantly throughout the book. She gives Zenzele
many words of wisdom, for example sharing her conversation with her father. He confronted her
about the young boy she was seeing and said “There is not a man in the world who is worth your
dignity. Do not confuse self-sacrifice with love.” (Maraire 1996, p. 112) This helps Zenzele to
understand the value of oneself through her mother’s story. Informal communication, bring
people together through a mutual appreciation for the teaching of their beliefs and tradition.

All in Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter was a book full of wisdom that showed the reality of
oppression in the older generation as well as the importance of education. It took readers along
the bumpy journey of Shiri’s experience in life. She sought to instruct her daughter about notable
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events, and the struggle between Zimbabwean and Westerners, as well as her discrete childhood.
Zenzele highlighted the importance of education in developing countries, it also depicted how
culture and education play a vital role in society, and lastly how educating others takes many
appearances not only formal education. Zenzele may be fictional, but it does not take away from
the fact that these stories are true, and many people of diverse cultures can find some truth in this
book. It gives readers a unique perspective of how the world is viewed, through a mother’s eyes
who cares deeply about her daughter. Shiri finally tells her daughter in the last chapter “what is a
life, after all, but a story, some fiction and some truth? In the end there are words.” (Maraire,
1996, p.193) They may be just some words on paper, but the message that was told will be
passed on forever. The wisdom of Zenzele unites people together through the shared thoughts
they formed through this book, and it promotes a hopeful future.
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References

15 facts on education in developing countries. ACEI. (2014, March 6). Retrieved October 26,
2021, from https://acei-global.blog/2014/03/06/15-facts-on-education-in-developing-
countries/.

Carl, S. (2019, September 20). Types of education: Formal, informal & non-formal. Passion In
Education. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.passionineducation.com/types-
of-education-formal-informal-non-formal/.

Maraire, J. N. (1996). Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter. Dell Publishing.

Maraire, J. Nozipo. Postcolonial Studies. (2020, September 13). Retrieved October 26, 2021,
from https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2014/06/11/maraire-j-nozipo/

Project, B. (2019, August 15). 10 key aspects of girls' education in developing nations. The
Borgen Project. Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://borgenproject.org/10-key-
aspects-of-girls-education-in-developing-nations/.

Todaro, M. (2011). Economic Development (11th ed.).