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.
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