Our Sister Killjoy Essay Questions

What is meant by the name "sister killjoy"?

The title of the novel Sister Killjoy refers to the main character Sissie because she attempts to kill the joy of the Africans in Europe by urging them to go back to their homeland. She sees that the Africans are living a miserable life both in exile and in their homeland, and as she feels the sorrow of her people she wants those Africans living in exile to give up their hollow, superficial lives in England and to support their homeland.

How are Africans being treated in England?

Sissie does not encounter many Black people in Germany, but she does see many of them in England and is dismayed to see that they are generally struggling. Many cling to their status as students, but most are just trying to survive. They work, raise their children, try to best the cold (which rarely works), and cling to their traditions in an indifferent colonial metropolis. In Sissie's opinion, they are brainwashed by the idea of England as the zenith of civilization and opportunity, and merely come there in order to, as she puts it, die.

What views does Kunle hold about Africa?

Kunle enjoys his life in Europe and considers Africa as a backward continent. He lives in self-exile in Europe and does not initially intend to return his homeland. He thinks that the former colonizers can solve the problems of the Africans, so he does not personally care to try and help. Sissie sees him as bamboozled by Europeans' claims of greatness, and thus increasingly amoral as a result. Aidoo uses him as a cautionary tale, for when he does return to Ghana, his desire to seem better than his countrymen leads to his accidental death.

Why does Sissie want to return to Ghana?

As far as Aidoo tells us, Sissie never intended to stay in Europe, but her time in England in particular cements this decision. She sees firsthand the way Africans live, adding to her existing intellectual understanding of the perils of colonialism and neocolonialism and helping form her nationalist, feminist, pan-Africanist consciousness. Her fellow Africans don't seem interested in returning home to bring their skills, education, money, and connections to bear, but would rather stay second-class citizens in Europe because proximity to power and whiteness makes them, paradoxically, feel powerful. Sissie knows she will be of use at home, and even though life there will be full of its own troubles, it is the right thing for her.

What is the nature of Sissie's relationship with Marija?

Sissie takes up Marija's offer of friendship, but even though the two get along well, there are some problematic undercurrents. Especially when Marija tries to kiss Sissie, Sissie has to grapple with what it means to feels a connection to a white European woman from a country that actively engaged in colonizing Africa. She has sympathy for Marija as a lonely mother but she does not feel comfortable engaging with her sexually and actually feels a surge of proud anger when she makes Marija unhappy. These feelings are rooted in her understanding of Marija's complicity, however removed, in a historical situation that brought oppression, violence, and much more to the countries of Africa.