You are about to watch a spoken-word poem called Duel Citizenship by the Irish-Zambian artist Denise Chaila. As you watch the performance: 1. Make a note of any references to Irish and Zambian culture. These can include mentions of flags, languages, food and music.
2. What do these references tell you about how Chaila feels about her national identity?
Link: Duel Citizenship by Denise Chaila Search Terms: Duel Citizenship Denise Chaila Video
Duel Citizenship By Denise Chaila
Where are you from, originally? Where are you from? Originally? See, our souls are composed of borders And all of lines that we have crossed that tangle Are wires when we speak
There are some people who have borrowed accents From almost every single continent Trying to fill in the blanks
Where our tongues are starting to trip Over the languages that we were born into There are some people who will spend their whole lives Looking for a definition of home That doesn’t come with strings attached
I have spent my whole life learning that I must make myself Take my belonging, it will not just be handed to you So now, now I could tell you about king and about countries About wars and democracies
About independence and revolutionaries About famine and bounty
About green and white and golden eagles Against streaks of orange and black
