Sankofa

Anna asserts that Bronwen was a good mother. Do you agree? What separates a good parent from a bad one in Sankofa? Use specific examples of the text to support your opinion.

How does the past inform the present in Sankofa? How does exploring the past both help and harm Anna?

In a media interview, Onuzo stated that she got the idea for Sankofa from researching the West African Students’ Union (WASU), an organization active in England spanning the 1920s through 1970s. Research the WASU’s notable achievements and alumni. What parallels exist between the WASU and the union Kofi joins in Sankofa?

What does Anna hope to gain from meeting Kofi? How does her trip to Bamana initiate an inner evolution? Does she achieve her goals by the end of the novel?

Would it be accurate to categorize Kofi as an antagonist? Why or why not?

Compare Bronwen and Anna’s mother-daughter relationship to Anna and Rose’s relationship. What patterns are repeated from one generation to the next, and what patterns are broken?

Why might Onuzo have chosen to write Sankofa from Anna’s perspective rather than Kofi’s? How would the narrative change if the novel were narrated from Kofi’s perspective?

In Chapter 18, Anna describes an exhibition of her paintings, noting that none of them have faces. What do these faceless paintings symbolize about her character? How does Anna’s art reflect her journey of self-discovery?