Sissie
Sissie is a young Ghanaian woman who travels to Europe on a scholarship. She first works in a village in Bavaria, where she is the only Black person, and then travels to London, where there are many Black people, most of whom immigrated in search of a better life but now live in squalid conditions. Sissie is awakened politically and culturally, and begins to develop strong opinions about the tragedy of the "brain drain" from Africa and the lack of interest educated Africans show in returning to their home countries. She is a woman of conviction and principle, sometimes offending others with her stridency (hence the nickname "Killjoy"), and loses a beloved boyfriend because he tires of her uncompromising beliefs.
Marija Sommer
Marija is a lower-class German woman married to a man who works in the factory in the village Sissie is staying in. She is not very educated and knows little about colonialism or the world outside Germany. She is taken with Sissie and wants to be her friend, but it is clear that she is exoticizing Sissie. As their friendship deepens, Marija develops sexual feelings for Sissie and tries to seduce her. When Sissie rebuffs her and then leaves the village for Munich, Marija is deeply depressed.
Kunle
Kunle is an expatriate and Ghanian relative of Sissie's friend whom she meets up with in London. He has been living in London for seven years and does not want to return to Ghana because he admires the West and thinks he will not have as many opportunities back home.
He adds a layer of true horror to Sissie's perception of Europe. Although in her program, she is often pampered and spoiled, Kunle warns her that the Europeans hold archaic, hateful ideas about Africans, and he tells her a scary story about a white doctor using a Black man's heart to save a white man.
When he does return home, he wants to impress everyone with his wealth so he buys a car and instead of driving it himself, hires a chauffeur who is not a good driver. The chauffeur crashes and Kunle dies.
Sammy
Sammy is a Black man who attends the party at the ambassador's house in Ghana on the eve of Sissie's trip. She finds him pompous.
Gertie, Jayne, Marilyn
They are young women who work at the camp with Sissie.
Big Adolf and Little Adolf
They are Marija's husband and baby son. Her husband is only discussed, not seen in the action of the text.
Sissie's Ex-Boyfriend
While we do not actually see him in the text other than through Sissie's letter, we learn she met her ex-boyfriend at one of the students' meetings. He is intelligent, studying to be a doctor, and is nationalist in his thinking like Sissie. But unlike Sissie, he considers himself more pragmatic and thinks she is too relentlessly negative. He eventually leaves her.
