This question is based on Alex Agyei-Agyiri's Unexpected Joy at Dawn The temporal setting of the novel is in

The temporal setting of Alex Agyei-Agyiri's Unexpected Joy at Dawn is the 1960s Ghana and 1980s Nigeria. The novel is built around two historical mass expulsions of foreigners in West Africa, and its timeline spans both events.

The first event is Ghana's Aliens Compliance Order of 1969, which ordered all non-Ghanaian nationals without proper documentation to leave the country. This affected a large number of West African immigrants, particularly Nigerians, who had settled in Ghana. This event places part of the novel firmly in 1960s Ghana.

The second event is Nigeria's expulsion of undocumented immigrants in January 1983, popularly known as the "Ghana Must Go" order, issued by President Shehu Shagari. This mass deportation affected many Ghanaians and other West African nationals living in Nigeria. This places the other part of the novel in 1980s Nigeria.

The novel follows characters displaced by these twin events, particularly the separation and eventual reunion of family members caught on opposite sides of these expulsion orders. The temporal setting thus moves from the 1960s in Ghana to the 1980s in Nigeria, tracking the cyclical nature of xenophobia in West African politics.