Originally published in 1977, Our Sister Killjoy is an experimental work following the travels of Sissie who leaves Africa for Europe. Blending prose and poetry this experimental style felt best in the hands of academics and students who have the time and space to discuss it fully in all of its relevant contexts. As mentioned, it discusses the disapora and migration of African people to European countries in the 20th century, often comparing the potential of African and black people in places like London and their prospects compared to their ‘homeland’. All subject positions are underscored and the concept of ‘home,’ and the commonwealth as well as interracial relations and more taboo subjects like sapphic relations are discussed.

Thank you to Ama Ata Aidoo, Faber, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The premise intrigued me but unfortunately the prose was too poetic for me to enjoy. I understand this is a matter of personal preference. The book seems to be one meant to be analysed rather than enjoyed.

This book was originally published in 1977 but is being republished by Faber Editions and I received a copy through Netgalley.

Shockingly because she is very accomplished and a respected intellectual, I had never heard of Ama Ata Aidoo until I read the introduction by Ayesha Harruna Attah, where she explains that Ama Ata Aidoo is widely read in Ghanaian schools, and that she was the first African woman to have her plays published when she was only 24. She later got involved in politics and kept publishing plays, poetry, novels.

This novel Our Sister Killjoy follows Sissie as she leaves Ghana, in the 1970s, at a time where journalists and students were fleeing the country, and moves to Germany, then visits London before returning. It's not a long novel but it's beautifully written - a mix of prose and poetry, something I don't normally enjoy but the poetry wasn't too lyrical and it worked well. Sissie can't have a good life in Ghana but can't settle in Germany where she stands out as a young Black woman, people staring at her openly, becomes friends with a white woman who seems fascinated by her Blackness and her identity, superficially; then in London she is shocked to see so many Black people struggling to survive and to belong in a place that doesn't want them. She finds them badly dressed, they look poor, they certainly don't look like they have found a better life. The last scene (no spoilers) shows her flying home having realised that only there she can be valued for her true worth.

I found it really beautiful and poignant to read without being corny or cliché, I loved the voice of Sissie, ironic, unsentimental, direct; the whole book was a gem.

First published in 1977, this seminal work of African literature is as relevant today as it was then and could have been written at any time over the last 50 years. Nothing much has changed. It’s a satirical and biting look at colonialism, neo-colonialism, the African diaspora, racism, white privilege and power. It tells the story of Sissie, a young woman from Ghana, who is given a scholarship to study in Europe, and who travels to Germany and then England, sharply observing the new world around her. She contrasts that life with the one she has left behind and tries to make sense of the colonial legacy. It’s not composed as a straightforward narrative, but is a blend of lyrical prose, poetry, a letter and her reflections, which are always to the point and usually critical. It’s a book with a message rather than an engaging story but none the less powerful for that. Intelligent, perceptive and thoughtful, I very much enjoyed it, even if I couldn’t exactly relate to Sissie as a character. But I don’t think that was the point. Well worth discovering, and I’m glad to see a new edition, which I hope will bring the book to a new generation of readers.