| 1 | | | Amma |
| | Amma | Bonsu | The artistic director. Aka: Ams. |
| | Dominique | | The company manager. Aka: Dom. |
| | Che | Guevara | An Argentine revolutionary. |
| | Yazz | | Amma's daughter. |
| | Cecilia | | Dominique's mother. |
| | Wintley | | Dominique's father. |
| | Audre | Lorde | American writer. |
| | William | Shakespeare | An English poet. |
| | Kwabena | | Amma's father. A journalist. |
| | Helen | | Amma's mother. |
| | Lena | Horne | American singer. |
| | Dorothy | Dandridge | American film actress. |
| | Jim | Reeves | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Charley | Pride | American singer. |
| | Elaine | | Amma's acquaintance. |
| | Jack | Staniforth | Owner of the building. |
| | Donna | Summer | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Minnie | Riperton | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Chaka | Khan | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Mathilde | Santing | Dutch singer. |
| | Maryse | | A translator from Guadeloupe. |
| | Pearl | | A middle-aged Jamaican woman. |
| | Dolores | | A graphic designer. |
| | Jackie | | A therapist. |
| | Bob | | A security guard. |
| | Shirley | Coleman | Amma's friend. Aka: Shirl. |
| | Errol | | One of Shirley's brothers. |
| | Tony | | One of Shirley's brothers. |
| | Mabel | | A freelance photographer. |
| | Katrina | | A nurse. |
| | Kirsty | | A doctor. |
| | Lakshmi | | A saxophonist. |
| | Georgie | | A plumber's apprentice. |
| | Mao | Sylvester | Amma's friend. Aka: Sylvie. |
| | Curwen | | Sylvester's life partner. |
| | Jonathan | | Jack Staniforth's son. |
| | Roland | Quartey | Amma's great friend. |
| | Kenny | | Roland's friend. |
| | Morgan | Malenga | A non-binary activist. Formerly Megan. |
| | | | Yazz |
| | Waris | | One of Yazz's friends. |
| | Courtney | | One of Yazz's friends. |
| | Barack | Obama | 44th U.S. President. |
| | Jake | Lambert | A politician. |
| | Margaret | Thatcher | Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. |
| | Jacques | Derrida | Algerian-French philosopher. |
| | Martin | Heidegger | German philosopher. |
| | Anthony | Appiah | British-Ghanaian philosopher. |
| | Judith | Butler | American philosopher. |
| | Aime | Césaire | French poet. |
| | Angela | Davis | American political activist. |
| | Simone | de Beauvoir | French writer. |
| | Frantz | Fanon | A psychiatrist. |
| | Julia | Kristeva | Bulgarian-French philosopher. |
| | Edward | Said | A professor of literature at Columbia University. |
| | Gayatri | Spivak | An Indian scholar. |
| | Gloria | Steinem | American journalist. |
| | V. Y. | Mudimbe | Congolese philosopher. |
| | Cornel | West | American philosopher. |
| | Asap | Rocky | American rapper. |
| | Wolfgang | Mozart | Composer. |
| | Stormzy | | British rapper. |
| | Angélique | Kidjo | Singer-songwriter. |
| | Wizkid | | Nigerian singer-songwriter. |
| | Frédéric | Chopin | Polish composer. |
| | RiRi | | Japanese singer-songwriter. |
| | Scott | Joplin | American composer. |
| | Dolly | Parton | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Amr | Diab | Egyptian singer. |
| | Dolores | | One of Amma's girlfriends. |
| | Jackie | | One of Amma's girlfriends. |
| | Steve | | Grad student on interrelationship and aesthetics. |
| | Nenet | | Yazz's friend. |
| | Kadim | | Nenet's fiancee. |
| | Einar | | Waris' boyfriend. |
| | Sandra | Reynolds | A lecturer. Aka: Sandy. |
| | Xaanan | | Waris' mother. |
| | Osama | bin Laden | Founder of the pan-Islamic militant organization al-Qaeda. |
| | Hosni | Mubarak | Former President of Egypt. |
| | Roxane | Gay | American writer. |
| | Raj | | A mechanic. |
| | Lady Maisie | | Nenet's dog. |
| | | | Dominique |
| | Nzinga | | Dominique's live-in-partner. |
| | Andy | | Nzinga's brother. |
| | Bob | Marley | Jamaican singer-songwriter. |
| | Gaia | | Dominique's acquaintance. |
| | Joan | Baez | Singer-songwriter. |
| | Joni | Mitchell | Canadian singer-songwriter. |
| | Joan | Armatrading | British singer-songwriter. |
| | Tracy | Chapman | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Esther | | Dominique's acquaintance. |
| | Roz | | Nzinga's first partner. |
| | Tilley | | A baker. |
| | Maya | | One of Gaia's lawyer friends. |
| | Jessica | | One of Gaia's lawyer friends. |
| | Sahara | | Nzinga's last girlfriend. |
| | Laverne | | Dominique's acquaintance. |
| | Thalia | | One of Dominique's adoptive children. |
| | Rory | | One of Dominique's adoptive children. |
| 2 | | | Carole |
| | Carole | Williams | Bank's Vice-President. |
| | Frederick | Marchmont | Carole's fiancee. Aka: Freddy. |
| | LaTisha | Jones | Carole's friend. |
| | Jayla | | Carole's older sister. |
| | Bummi | | Carole's mother. |
| | Trey | | Carole's acquaintance. |
| | Chloe | Humphries | One of Carole's friends. |
| | Lauren | McDonaldson | One of Carole's friends. |
| | Sheryl | | Carole's acquaintance. |
| | Oprah | Winfrey | American media executive. |
| | Diane | Abbott | British politician who served as the Shadow Home Secretary. |
| | Valerie | Amos | Member of House of Commons. |
| | Marcus | | Carole's boyfriend. |
| | Rosie | | Carole's new friend. |
| | Melanie | | One of Rosie's friends. |
| | Toby | | One of Rosie's friends. |
| | Patricia | | One of Rosie's friends. |
| | Priya | | One of Rosie's friends. |
| | Lucy | | One of Rosie's friends. |
| | Gerry | | One of Rosie's friends. |
| | Fela | Kuti | Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer. |
| | James | Brown | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Tess | | A receptionist. |
| | Brian | | Carole's boss. |
| | | | Bummi |
| | Augustine | Williams | Bummi's husband. |
| | Buchi | Emecheta | Nigerian novelist. |
| | Flora | | Bummi's friend. |
| | Moses | | Bummi's father. |
| | Labi | | A local sawmill supervisor. |
| | Ekio | | Bummi's distant relative. |
| | Mrs. | Williams | Augustine's mother. |
| | Aderami | Obi | A Bishop. |
| | Penelope | Halifax | A retired school teacher. Aka: Penny. |
| | Giles | | Penelope's first husband. |
| | Phillip | Hutchinson | Penelope's second husband. Aka: Phil. |
| | Omofe | | One of Bummi's staffs. |
| | Jimoh | | Omofe's husband. |
| | Tayo | | One of Omofe's sons. |
| | Wole | | One of Omofe's sons. |
| | Moto | | Omofe's acquaintance. |
| | Kofi | | One of Bummi's staffs. |
| | Mark | Marchmont | Freddy's father. |
| | Pamela | | Freddy's mother. |
| | | | LaTisha |
| | Jason | | One of LaTisha's kids. |
| | Jantelle | | One of LaTisha's kids. |
| | Jordan | | One of LaTisha's kids. |
| | Ms. | Robertson | A sports teacher. |
| | Glenmore | Jones | King of the bouncers. |
| | Pauline | | LaTisha's mother. |
| | Angie | | LaTisha's aunt. |
| | Marva | | LaTisha's father's live-in partner. |
| | Tiannah | | Marva's daughter. |
| | Jimmi | | Jayla's father. |
| | Rupa | | One of Latisha's co-workers. |
| | Tammy | | One of LaTisha's co-workers. |
| | Dwight | | A security guard. |
| | Mark 1 | | An electrician. |
| | John | Legend | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Carter | | LaTisha's co-worker. |
| | Tyrone | | Section Manager of Electronics and Appliances. |
| | Kamal | | LaTisha's boyfriend. |
| 3 | | | Shirley |
| | Winsome | | Shirley's mother. Aka: Winnie. |
| | Clovis | Robinson | Shirley's father. |
| | Tony | | One of Shirley's brothers. |
| | Errol | | One of Shirley's brothers. |
| | Lennox | | Shirley's husband. |
| | Neil | Armstrong | American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon. |
| | Mr. | Waverly | The headmaster. |
| | Margo | | A Geography teacher. |
| | Kate | | An English Literature teacher. |
| | John | Clayton | A Math teacher. |
| | Tina | Lowry | A PE teacher. |
| | Roy | Stevenson | A Physics teacher. |
| | Pete | Bennetts | One of the students. |
| | Winston | Blackstocks | One of the students. |
| | Joseph | Stalin | Former Premier of the Soviet Union. |
| | Mao | Zedong | Former Chairman of the People's Republic of China. |
| | Ken | Boothe | Jamaican vocalist. |
| | John | Holt | American author and educator. |
| | Myrtle | | Lennox's great aunt. |
| | Gabrielle | | Myrtle's special friend. |
| | Johnny | Ronson | The school's most promising student. |
| | Clint | Eastwood | American actor, filmmaker. |
| | Karen | | One of Shirley and Lennox's daughters. |
| | Rachel | | One of Shirley and Lennox's daughters. |
| | Dorothy | Koomson | English novelist. |
| | | | Winsome |
| | Madison | | Rachel's daughter. |
| | Bernadette | | The secretary in the civil service in Toronto. |
| | Celestine | | A clerk at the CIA in Virginia. |
| | Josephine | | Celestine's friend. |
| | Hazel | | The first black hairdresser's in Bristol. |
| | Trevor | | Hazel's husband. |
| | Dora | | One of Britain's first black schoolteachers. |
| | Jason | | Dora's husband. |
| | Olive | Senior | Jamaican poet, novelist, short story and non-fiction writer. |
| | Rosa | Guy | Trinidad-born American writer. |
| | Paule | Marshall | American writer. |
| | Jamaica | Kincaid | Antiguan-American novelist, essayist. |
| | Maryse | Condé | French novelist, critic, and playwright. |
| | Grace | Nichols | Guyanese poet. |
| | William | Wordsworth | English Romantic poet. |
| | Walt | Whitman | American poet, essayist, and journalist. |
| | T. S. | Eliot | A poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor. |
| | Ted | Hughes | An English poet, translator, and children's writer. |
| | Mrs. | Beresford | Winsome's neighbor. |
| | Mrs. | Wright | One of Mrs. Beresford's friends. |
| | Mrs. | Missingham | One of Mrs. Beresford's friends. |
| | Mr. | Moray | The headmaster. |
| | Mr. | Watson | A teacher. |
| | Estelle | | Shirley's schoolmate. |
| | Marlon | Brando | American actor and film director. |
| | Vivienne | | A painter. |
| | | | Penelope |
| | Edwin | | Penelope's father. |
| | Margaret | | Penelope's mother. |
| | Linda | | Margaret's niece. |
| | Marilyn | Monroe | An American actress, model, and singer. |
| | William | Morris | British textile designer, poet, novelist. |
| | Adam | | Penelope's son. |
| | Sarah | | Penelope's daughter. |
| | Mildred | | Penelope's acquaintance. |
| | Gloria | | The local librarian. |
| | Betty | Friedan | American feminist writer and activist. |
| | Phillip | | A brilliant psychologist. |
| | Melissa | | One of Phillip's clients. |
| | Ravi-Paul | | One of Adam and Sarah's half-brothers. |
| | Jimmy-Dev | | One of Adam and Sarah's half-brothers. |
| | Boomi | | An African cleaner. |
| | Humperdinck | | Penelope's golden retriever. |
| | Engelbert | Humperdinck | An English pop singer. |
| | Tom | Jones | A Welsh singer. |
| | Craig | | Sarah's husband. |
| | Matty | | One of Sarah and Craig's children. |
| | Molly | | One of Sarah and Craig's children. |
| 4 | | | Megan/Morgan |
| | Julie | | Megan's mother. |
| | Bibi | | Megan's acquaintance. |
| | Mark 2 | | Megan's brother. |
| | Sue | | Megan's aunt. |
| | Roger | | Megan's uncle. |
| | Harriet | Jackson | Megan's great-grandmother. aka: GG; Hattie. |
| | Slim | Jackson | Megan's grandfather. |
| | Rex | | The bald tattooist. |
| | Joy | | Bibi's Labrador. |
| | Grace | | GG's mother. |
| | Wolde | | Grace's father. |
| | Daisy | | GG's grandmother. |
| | Sandy | | The lecturer. |
| | | | Hattie |
| | Ada Mae | | One of Hattie's children. |
| | Sonny | | One of Hattie's children. |
| | Julie | | One of Hattie's grandchildren. |
| | Paul | | One of Hattie's grandchildren. |
| | Marian | | One of Hattie's grandchildren. |
| | Jimmy | | One of Hattie's grandchildren. |
| | Matthew | | One of Hattie's grandchildren. |
| | Alan | | One of Hattie's grandchildren. |
| | Riley | | One of Hattie's great-great-grandchildren. |
| | Zoe | | One of Hattie's great-great-grandchildren. |
| | Noah | | One of Hattie's great-great-grandchildren. |
| | Young Billy | | An electrician. |
| | Polina | | A beautician. |
| | Ryan | | One of Jimmy's son. |
| | Shawn | | One of Jimmy's son. |
| | Cheryl | | Alan's second wife. |
| | Karen | | Jimmy's first wife. |
| | Chimango | | Hattie's acquaintance. |
| | Malcolm X | | American Muslim minister and human rights activist. |
| | Martin Luther | King, Jr. | American Christian minister and activist.a Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| | Petula | Clark | British singer, actress and composer. |
| | Cilia | Black | English singer. |
| | Tommy | | Ada Mae's husband. |
| | Johnny | Mathis | American singer-songwriter. |
| | Janet | | Sonny's wife. |
| | Annie | | One of Hattie's acquaintances. |
| | Bettina | | One of Hattie's acquaintances. |
| | Juliana | | One of Hattie's acquaintances. |
| | Linnaeus | Rydendale | Hattie's ancestor. |
| | Eudoré | | Captain Linnaeus Rydendale's wife. |
| | Joseph | Rydendale | Hattie's father. |
| | Bobby | | The father of Hattie's lost child. |
| | Barbara | | Hattie's baby. |
| | | | Grace |
| | Ruby | | Daisy's acquaintance. |
| | Ernest | | Ruby's son. |
| | Mary | | Daisy's roommate. |
| | Mrs. | Langley | Mary's acquaintance. |
| | Miss | Delaunay | One of of the teachers. |
| | Sally | | One of Grace's friends. |
| | Bertha | | One of Grace's friends. |
| | Adaline | | One of Grace's friends. |
| | Mabel | | One of Grace's acquaintances. |
| | Beatrice | | One of Grace's acquaintances. |
| | Baron | Hindmarsh | Grace's boss. |
| | Lady Esmée | | Baron Hindmarsh's daughter. |
| | Ronnie | | The estate's blacksmith. |
| | Mrs. | Wycombe | The cook. |
| | Agnes | | A maid. |
| | Lily | | Grace's daughter. |
| | Charles | Dickens | English writer and social critic. |
| | Janet | Austen | English novelist. |
| | Charlotte | Brontë | English novelist and poet. |
| | Flossie | | A nanny. |
| 5 | | | The After-Party |
| | Herodotus | | Greek historian. |
| | Marc | Bolan | English singer, songwriter. |
| | David | Bowie | English singer-songwriter. |
| | Brian | Connolly | Scottish singer-songwriter. |
| | Carolyn | | Lakshmi's child. |
| | Sarah | Bernhardt | French stage actress. |
| | Lillie | Langtry | British-American socialite, actress and producer. |
| | Germaine | | One of Dominique's acquaintances. |
| | Angela | | One of Dominique's acquaintances. |
| Epi | Jeremy | Sanders | Penelope's partner. |
| | Lavinia | Shaw | A doctor. |
| | Ranulph | Fiennes | British explorer . |
| | Marian | Callas | American-born Greek soprano. |
| | Joanna | Trollope | English writer. |
| | Jilly | Cooper | English author. |
| | Anita | Brookner | English novelist and art historian. |
| | Jeffrey | Archer | English novelist, former politician, convicted perjurer. |
| | James | Patterson | American author and philanthropist. |
| | Sebastian | Faulks | British novelist, journalist and broadcaster. |
| | Ken | Follett | Welsh author. |
| | Robert | Harris | English novelist. |
| | Hugo | | Jeremy's brother. |
