These are the stories that have made me what I am today. It is just that you are my own, and it is an old woman’s privilege to impart her wisdom. It is all I have to give to you, Zenzele.”
-- Shiri (Chapter 1)

Importance: In these final words of the first chapter, Shiri frames her letter as a gift to her daughter. In this sense, the quote connects to Shiri’s later observation that when we die, we impart gifts to our descendants.

We developed all the symptoms of the postcolonial syndrome, endemic to Africa: acquisition, imitation, and a paucity of imagination.”
-- Shiri (Chapter 2)

Importance: Here, Shiri captures the mentality of postcolonial life, which she considers according to the negative term, “syndrome.” Until postcolonial Africans can fully disentangle themselves from the legacy of white colonialism, this “syndrome” will continue to stunt Africa’s growth.

I had fulfilled society’s expectations and my duties as a...
-- Shiri (Chapter 3)