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Taiye Selasi

Taiye Selasi the Ghanaian-Nigerian author who was born in England and raised in the USA uses her cultural background to focus attention on the Sai family as they navigate life after the death of their father and husband. Her use of Afropolitanism within the novel highlights the strengths and weaknesses of all members in the family. She positions the story to get the same perspective from each member. The Sai family endured this tragic loss, and it brought the family back together to Ghana after years of being apart. The events that lead the family members to go their separate ways end up being talked about and resolved. (Siber) Some found comfort, some found peace, while others found understanding. Taiye Selasi’s Ghana Must Go highlights the feeling of inadequacy with all members of the family especially the father Kweku. Social status, class, race, and gender affected every single member of the family in separate ways. As Selasi mentions in her essay Bye Bye Babar during the 1960’s and 1970’s there was this great migration “Ghana Must Go” where many Africans left their home and moved west seeking out careers in medicine, banking, and law. (Selasi) Kweku moved to the states and was a successful surgeon. His children like him found the things that they liked to do and excelled in them until the stress of life forced them to make certain decisions.