Our twin’s History

Bocas: A Daughter’s Geography

“I have a daughter/ mozambique

I have a son/ angola

Our twins

Salvador & johannesburg/ cannot speak

The same language/ but we fight the same old men/ in the new world…

There is no edges/ no end to the new world/ cuz i have a daughter/ trinidad

I have a son/ san juan/ Our twins

Capetown & palestine/ cannot speak the same language/ but we fight the same old men”

While reading the above quotes, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking and questioning: what are the deeper meanings in Shange naming these countries and cities? What are its purposes or contributions to poem? Why did Shange select these places in particular? Who is this “same old man” she repeated mention throughout the poem? One of the main themes of this poem is that of togetherness or unity beyond the obvious difference. These countries and cities she refers to are located in different parts of the world, however, there are traces of people of color or people of African descent among its population. These countries represent the wide diaspora of the “dislocated” African body and how these shifted African bodies have grown apart to the point where they cannot communicate. They do not share a culture or language anymore, even places as close to one another as Mozambique and Angola. However, in saying “ but we fight the same old men,” Shange is referring to the white men who caused this separation and dislocation of the African bodies. “The same old men” could also be referring to the modern society, reality and pressure on the African body and its diaspora. The battle that needs to be fought by these countries Shange mentions against the “same old men,” could be the battle against racism that people of color have to alway face and continuously have to be fearful of. Shange’s use of these countries and “the same old men” is very effective as it allows you, the reader, to think through who Shange is referring to and to what issue is she alluding to.