God
In the verse sections of the text, the narrator often uses imagery to criticize, satirize, or interrogate aspects of European culture, politics, economics, or religion. In one memorable passage she says that "God is a Nice Old European Gentleman with a flowing white beard" (27). Indeed, this is probably how most Western Christians conceive of their God, and, through Aidoo's simple image, it is rendered rather ridiculous.
Indians
Marija and Sissie talk of Indians who come to Europe, and the narrator comments that Indians come from "in a / Social order that / Froze a thousand years gone" (31). It's a brief and somewhat inconsequential comment in the grand scheme of the text, but it is memorable nonetheless because it implies just how rigid the caste system in India is and why Indians might want to take risks to move to Europe.
Wealth and Poverty
In an incisive comment on the Africans who collaborate with imperialists after independence, Aidoo gives us an image of "Champagne sipping / Ministers and commissioners / Sign away / Mineral and timber / concessions, in exchange for / Yellow wheat which / The people can't eat" (57). The champagne connotes wealth, and the "signing away" is an easy, quick action for something that will have long-term consequences.
London
When Sissie arrives in London, she notices that there are a lot of Black people there, but they are not well-dressed or healthy-looking. Aidoo writes that "Sissie bled as she tried to take the scene in" (85). Certainly Sissie does not actually bleed, but this image lets us see how painful she finds the reality of life for African Londoners and how deep her reserve of empathy is.
