Ama Ata Aidoo's 'Our Sister Killjoy' Published in French by Rot-Bo-Krik

The first novel by Ghanaian author and playwright Ama Ata Aidoo, 'Our Sister Killjoy' (originally published in English in 1977), has been released in French translation by Éditions Rot-Bo-Krik. The novel blends prose and free verse to explore themes of feminism, racism, and the betrayal of the African diaspora, following the protagonist Sissie as she travels through Europe on a scholarship. Translator Patricia Houéfa Grange describes the work as an unclassifiable literary object, both engaged and experimental, that challenges readers to shift perspectives. The translation, co-produced with Guillaume Cingal, faced challenges due to the novel's use of multiple registers including standard British English, pidgin, Yoruba, and Swahili. The French edition is titled 'Notre Sœur Rabat-Joie : Méditations oblique d'une Noire' and runs 223 pages, priced at 15 euros. The interview with Houéfa Grange was published by RFI on June 21, 2026.