TI ZISTWAR by Daarka is the first creole book I've read. It blew my mind in thousands of ways, and my brain cells are still recovering. The storytelling took me a world apart. I can't reckon how little poems can strike the heart like thunder. His prose is embedded in our culture and will last for generations.
Read, engage and share his masterpiece to keep his art in motion. Place TI ZISTWAR on your bookshelf to give your kids a chance to dust off the treasures buried on every page. It's so much needed to make his art a skeleton of our motherland's poetry.
I recently followed Daarka on his social media. That same week, I bought his book: Ti Zistwar. Fell in love with every piece of his art. They were beautifully crafted to synch with our hearts. The words still resonate. They speak to you! You read each line, pause, and think once or twice, and you get these aha moments. Is he a psychic? So, how can he read our minds and stir our souls with all his colourful words (sometimes black and white and anything in between)? I wish I could share every piece that struck a cord, but I'll leave you with these lines that sum it all:
"Si zordi to'nn leve trist, fatigue, ankoler. e ki to panse ki sa zistifie ki to lavi lavi dan dife, pran to lame, poz li kot to leker. To santi enn zafer pe bate? Abe, samem ase!"
Words speak, drawings speak twice
TI ZISTWAR was made with love. Just like a puzzle each word fits and complements each other. While Daarka's words pierce your thoughts with grace, Geeani's illustrations soothe it all. It's a journey, a poetic one scattered with the intricacies of life. The mind plays the matrix in some weird way and I am here for it.
I occasionally find myself citing some of his words in silence to find comfort.
"Si lavi pa pe riy ar twa, gidi li!"
A simple phrase that brings warmth. If life doesn't go as you'd like, you can still take action to bring light into the darkness. There are so many little phrases like this one that shake you from the inside with an intention to ground you.
The book is divided into several experiences
1. eko lavi
2. Poezi ek teknolozi
3. ti zistwar
I don't want to say much more, but each chapter plays a role that will serve you in some ways.
It was a review, unlike the other one I did, for a book unlike the other ones I've read before. Maybe because our mother tongue has this capacity to speak to us, unlike the other languages. It tickles you, makes you smile, question and feel...
These are the many reasons I invite you to grab TI ZISTWAR. It's packed with 147 pages of pure magic. I bought mine at the bagatelle bookstore but it's also available at Le Rendez Vous. I'm so thankful for this voyage, thanks for sharing your talent with us, Daarka. I can't wait to read your next treasure.
Thanks for reading!