Taiye Selasi's Family Inheritances In Ghana Must Go

Family inheritance can be physical traits, wealth or prestige, rarely would one consider the consequences of one 's parents actions as an inheritance. Throughout the novel Ghana Must Go, one of the most prominent themes Taiye Selasi, accentuates is family; importantly what one might inherit. Selasi explores one 's family inheritance not only through their appearance but also through the convictions of their actions and the reputations. Throughout the novel, we see the children of Fola and Kweku struggle to accept as well as reject the inherited consequences of their parent 's actions.

The unraveling of the Sai family happens when the surgeon, Kweku Sai performs an unsuccessful surgery and loses one of the hospital 's wealthy white patient.

The children are all adults and are still being haunted by their father’s abandonment fifteen years ago. Olu Sai is the embodiment of Kweku; family surgeon, top of his class; Struggles to get the family’s blessings to marry the woman he loves, as well as intimacy. When he asked her father for his permission and his blessing the main reason, Dr. Wei said no was his father’s abandonment of his family. Dr. Wei explains “ Your mother, for example. Ms, Savage. No Mrs… your father left your mother to raise you alone?... Your father. The father is always the example.”

In search of some connection or inheritance with their family, Kehinde points out the similarities between his siblings and his parents and the lack thereof with himself, Taiwo and their immediate family. Taiwo and Kehinde decided that they were “ alien or adopted” for they share no physical features of Kweku or Fola. Unfortunately, it wasn 't until they were thirteen years old and met their uncle Femi that they realized what they have inherited.

“Their features are a record, yes, but not of a People, the art history of Peoplehood constant and strong, but the shorter, very messy lesser history… just arrived at Uncle Femi’s, ushered into the lounge, that they’d see, from the threshold, standing frozen with wonders, the face that theirs came from, there, white, on the wall.”