Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida, trans. by Eric M B Becker
RaveFull StopIt might be a commonplace to observe that colonial histories and legacies mediate lived experience, but what Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida evocatively captures with That Hair, her new work of ficto-criticism, is that it is precisely through what is often considered \'commonplace\' or familiar that one registers those legacies and histories most consistently ... de Almeida’s text both partakes in and stands outside of larger generic genealogies, as the attempt to come to terms with the existential particularities underpinning the socio-political identity of racialized postcolonial subjects often necessitates an approach that is simultaneously singular and collective in conception. This is where the brilliance of de Almeida-Mila’s loose thematic thread comes in. At the level of concept alone, there is much to appreciate in a series of anecdotes lightly clustered around an Angolan-Portuguese woman’s hair, given that hair, metonymically speaking, is often a crucial site of racial ascription, identification, and distinction. But it is Mila’s voice that truly gives the narrative a life of its own. For That Hair is narrated by an \'I\' who understands the implications of the very act of narrating, and seems convinced that all such acts are predestined for failure ... it is a testament to the strength of Mila’s voice and presence, and de Almeida’s hypnotic prowess as a writer that...episodes are so deeply impressive ... In the end, this may be one of the most incredible feats of That Hair: it seems to become more engrossing the less it is grounded in immediate reality.
