Nervous Conditions and Coconut are two novels that inherently present the challenges that arise after colonization. Exploring the complex position that African women face in light of the harmful effects of colonization and its influence as it assimilates into traditional structures. Challenges to identity as a postcolonial concern form the key aspect of the works of Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangaremba and South African author Kopano Matlwa. The novels offer insight into the struggles of women leaving traditional indigenous environments or facing the damaging racial segregation of apartheid to Westernized locations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Coco unravels the psychological wounds etched in black people by apartheid. Ofilwe is a character in the novel who lives a privileged life that she takes for granted. Nervous Conditions is set in colonial Rhodesia before it became Zimbabwe. Nyasha is a complex and multifaceted character in the novel, and her dual nature reflects her position as a product of two worlds, Africa and England. The two young women both grew up in different circumstances and countries, but their struggle for identity is somewhat similar. Both Nyasha and Ofilwe struggle to adapt to their culture as they face an imbalance between the Western world and their own. African traditions. Racial attitudes and behaviors affect Ofilwe's educational experience at Coconut as she attempts to assimilate in a predominantly white school and her education relies on informal study of herself and her identity. Ofilwe struggled to find her identity, especially at her school, as she made it her mission to fit in with her white peers. “You will discover Ofilwe who people strive to be and who will one day reject you because even if you pretend you are not one of them. Then you will return, but there too you will find no acceptance, because those you once rejected will no longer recognize what you have become. So far, it's too far to return. You have changed so, so much. Stuck between two worlds, shunned by both” (Coconut page 72). Ofilwe's brother makes it a point to constantly warn him that his quest to assimilate to the white standards of his peers will only be to his dismay. As a young girl, Nyasha went to England with her family and completely forgot about them. Shona culture and began to dissociate from his own culture. “We were all proud, except Nyasha, who had an egalitarian character and took seriously the lessons about oppression and discrimination she had learned first-hand in England” (Nervous Conditions page 64). Nyasha having lived in England and being originally from Rhodesia led to confusion about her identity and she openly refused to speak her own language. The problem with Nyasha is that her behavior has caused her to feel out of place in her own home and in her own community. Ofilwe struggles to find her direction in terms of identity and finds herself formulating a personal identity in a context of “white” culture that is seen as a guarantee of success. Ofilwe's story explores life of relative privilege, which is the same case for Nyasha, however, Ofilwe struggles to fit in with her white school friends, which ultimately leads to her becoming obsessed with being “normal” whereas being normal means being “white”. Nyasha, for her part, is isolated from the other students.