EDUCATION AND HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT: REFLECTION ON TSITSI DANGAREMBGA’S NERVOUS CONDITIONS

Abstract

The problem of human capital development in Africa continues to grapple with a lasting solution. This paper through the lens of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions examines the roles of critical thinking, self-awareness and collective action in achieving true human capital development. Education as a double-edged sword remains a powerful tool for empowerment and liberation, particularly for marginalized groups like women. The primary text in use emphasizes the unequal access to the quality education experienced by characters along lines of gender and class. The paper employs the tools of psychoanalytic theory to analyze the cost of assimilation into the dominant culture while in the pursuit of education. This often leads to internal conflict and a loss of cultural identity. It achieves this using the descriptive qualitative research design as its methodology. Consequently, the paper finds that despite these challenges, education remains a vital tool for individuals and communities to challenge oppressive structures and claim their agency.