Aidoo was born Christina Ama Aidoo on March 23, 1940, in Abeadzi Kyiakor, what was then called the Gold Coast (later known as Ghana). She was the daughter of Nana Yaw Fama and his wife Maame Abba Abasema. Her father was a chief of Abeadzi Kyiakor (located in south central Ghana) and raised as royalty. Though women were not often educated at the time, Aidoo's father believed that for the good of Africa, both women and men should be well-educated. She attended Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast, Ghana. By the age of fifteen, Aidoo wanted to be a writer. Aidoo later entered the University of Ghana in Legon. Before graduating in 1964, Aidoo took classes with Efua Sutherland, a famous Ghanian dramatist with an interest in folklore. Aidoo began writing in English, though her first language is Fanti, using traditional forms.

After graduation, Aidoo spent two years...