Ama Ata Aidoo's Two Sisters & Post-

Colonialism
Two Sisters Characters
What would you be willing to do to survive if you knew you could not support
yourself on your own? This is a major question covered in the post-colonial
short story 'Two Sisters', written by Ghanaian poet and author, as well as a
Minister of Education in Ghana, Ama Ata Aidoo. In 'Two
Sisters', Connie and Mercy take two different paths to secure themselves
financially in post-colonial Ghana.

Two Sisters Plot Summary

Since Connie and Mercy have lost their parents, they turn to one another.
Connie, the eldest, tends to behave motherly towards Mercy. Although Mercy
gets angry with her sister for being judgmental towards her, Mercy can't say
too much about it when Connie's husband, James, is supporting them both.

On the surface, Connie appears to be much more settled than Mercy. Connie is
married to a man she loves, has a child, and another one on the way. Further,
Connie is educated and works as a teacher. However, things aren't as
wonderful as they seem on the surface. Connie's husband is a philanderer and
makes her sleep facing a wall so that he doesn't have to see her pregnant
belly.

Mercy, on the other hand, was less studious in school. As a result, she works
long, hard hours as a typist and still can't make ends meet, despite not having
to pay rent. Although Mercy is attracted to Joe, a taxi driver, Mercy doesn't
believe that Joe will be able to provide for her. Instead, she's in a relationship
with Mensar-Arthur, a member of Parliament, who's much older than she is
and has a string of other wives and girlfriends. Still, he's got money to buy
Mercy nice things, can arrange to provide her and her family with imports from
England, and can procure a government estate home for her.

After the coup d'état in Ghana, Mercy flees from the home. When Connie and
James see Mercy again, she is dressed in the finest clothes and on the arm
of Captain Ashley, a married officer with grandchildren.

Post-Colonial Ghana Symbolism

The relationships in the story are symbolic of the events that occurred in
Ghana after British colonization ended, called the post-colonial period. While
the relationship between Connie and James, like the relationship between
citizens of Ghana and British colonists, is dysfunctional in many ways, it
serves a purpose and provides some semblance of both moral and economic
stability.
After Ghana acquires independence, a corrupt government rises to power.
Similar to Mercy's relationship with Mensar-Arthur, there's no love or loyalty
between the citizens and the government, but there are some economic perks.
Connie feels guilty when she indulges in the gifts she receives from Mensar-
Arthur because she knows that he's unethical in character and behavior, but
she can't resist. When the coup overthrows Mensar-Arthur, Connie is hopeful
that this will be the end of the corruption of her sister, but there is something
new and just as bad or worse that rises to take its place.

Ama Ata Aidoo's message in this story isn't exclusive to Ghana. The same
thing happens in governments all over the world, including the United States.
Leaders are frequently replaced with the hope of returning the country to a
better version of its most moral and stable form to find that each new version
is as bad or worse than the one before. Furthermore, it's a cautionary tale
about sacrificing ethics in the name of capitalism.

Lesson Summary
'Two Sisters' is a short story that takes place in post-colonial Ghana written
by Ghanaian poet and author, as well as a Minister of Education in
Ghana, Ama Ata Aidoo. The older sister, Connie, represents traditional values
as she is educated, married, and has started a family. She has had to make
compromises to her beliefs along the way, however, because of her
philandering husband, James. Connie and James represent the relationship
between Ghana and the British colonists. Mercy, the younger sister, has
decided to go a different way. She has an affair with Mensar-Arthur, a member
of Parliament, with whom she sacrifices her morality, but receives great
financial reward. Connie is upset by Mercy's decision, but shamefully accepts
gifts from Mensar-Arthur. When the government is overthrown, Mercy moves
on to an affair with a new government official, Captain Ashley, who is just as
corrupt as Mensar-Arthur. These men represent the governing bodies that
arose in the vacancy of British rule. As soon as one unethical leader is
overthrown, another comes in to take his place.