Chelsea Mtada

Daughter Chelsea Mtada

Chelsea Mtada's DAUGHTER is a collection of prose and poetry that explores themes of love, trauma, sacrifice and gratitude. Mtada divides the book into four sections - Blood, Bones, Body and Magic - that follow the poet's growth from girl to womanhood. Mtada begins by exploring the trauma related to her family and the dynamics that exist within it. One of Mtada's overarching themes in this collection is the act of sacrifice and how it affects women. Whilst deeply personal, Mtada is unafraid of confronting taboos and brings to the reader's attention the greater cultural and societal problems we have around women and the policing and abuse of women's bodies, stating in World War W 'there is a war on women's bodies.' This collection sees Mtada process some of the darkest moments of her life so far and how she has chosen a road that is without shame or defeat. DAUGHTER is a testament to the strength that exists in all identifying women and girls and is a promise of healing on the other side of pain and betrayal.