Maame is a novel that captures the Ghanaian British experience. The Gold Coast (now known as Ghana) was occupied by European colonists starting in 1600. In 1872, the British took control of Ghana. Centuries of colonization, especially those before 1872, included the start of the Transatlantic slave trade. The Cape Coast Castle was a major port for the enslavement and shipment of human beings to North and South America, as well as Europe, for enslavement. This long history of British colonialism and slavery ended when Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to win independence from Great Britain in 1957. Because of the history between Britain and Ghana, as well as Britain and other African countries such as Nigeria, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and others, there are still many connections between England and Africa. There is a large diaspora of immigrants and their children from Africa within the United Kingdom. This history, as well as the modern plight of microaggressions and overt racism that Black people face in the Western world, is often reflected in contemporary literature.

Zadie Smith is one of the most prominent voices in modern British literature today. As a Black woman, her novels are informed by the experiences of immigrants and people of color in England.