The poems in Tsitsi Ella Jaji's Beating the Graves meditate on the
meaning of living in diaspora, an experience increasingly common
among contemporary Zimbabweans. Vivid evocations of the landscape
of Zimbabwe filter critiques of contemporary political conditions
and ecological challenges, veiled in the multiple meanings of
poetic metaphor. Many poems explore the genre of praise poetry,
which in Shona culture is a form of social currency for
greeting elders and peers with a recitation of the characteristics
of one's clan. Others reflect on how diasporic life shapes family
relations. The praise songs in this volume pay particular homage to
the powerful women and gender-queer ancestors of the
poet's lineage and thought. Honoring influences ranging from
Caribbean literature to classical music and engaging metaphors from
rural Zimbabwe to the post-steel economy of Youngstown, Ohio, Jaji
articulates her own ars poetica. These words revel in the utter
ordinariness of living globally, of writing in the presence of all
the languages of the world, at home everywhere, and never at rest.
