I didn't know my name was Danai until I was five years old. Born in Grinnell, Iowa, to Zimbabwean academic parents, I was given a nickname, Dede, that stuck before I was cognizant enough to have a choice in the matter.
I remember the day my mom decided to tell me I had another name, one folks in our tiny college town struggled to pronounce. She walked into the den, where I was playing with my favorite toys. She leaned in close and told me that in Shona, her native tongue, my real name meant "to be in love" or "to love one another"--an appropriate moniker for a girl born on Valentine's Day.
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