The post-colonial period in African politics refers to an ongoing time frame that first began in the 1940s, when former colonies began to gain independence from the various European powers that had historically oppressed them. Across Africa, the process of decolonization chiefly took place from the 1950s through the 1990s. For many African countries, the postcolonial period has been characterized by both increased optimism and political instability. Accordingly, the settings of Sankofa include both London and Bamana, a fictional country in West Africa. Post-colonial African politics are pivotal to the plot as Anna traces her father’s rise to power from a revolutionary to a corrupt prime minister.

One movement that played a key role in decolonization is Pan-Africanism, which advocates for solidarity and the consolidation of power across the African diaspora. As an increasing number of African countries gained independence throughout the mid- to late 1900s, this hope for a utopian future, which was founded on the principles of Pan-Africanism, grew among African left-wing intellectual circles that were often tied closely to socialist politics. Chibundu Onuzo draws on this history in Kofi’s early diary entries, which describe his initiation into a student union whose members advocate for the total liberation of Africa from any vestiges of colonial ties.