Book Synopsis Songs of the Tongue-Tied is a complex poetic rendering of a life lived in refugee camps in Southern Africa. Based largely on the life of Francisco Nsabimana, a young refugee, poet, and scholar from Rwanda, the collection provides a visceral experience. The poems simultaneously expose brutal realities of poverty while expressing gratitude and hope, as told through Nsabimanas youthful eyes. Nsabimanas lyricism is provocative in its outrage, but his lines also express deep sentimentality for language and landscape. His message is ultimately one of resilience.