Nigerian children need books that reflect their identity — Vivian Uwakwe

For Nigerian author and illustrator, Vivian Uwakwe, the journey into children’s book publishing was not a carefully mapped career path. It was an unexpected return to a gift she had almost abandoned. Raised in an unconventional home, Vivian grew up under the influence of a father, Peter Uwakwe, who was both an artist (who specialised in textile design) and storyteller.

His studio became part of her childhood world, exposing her to drawing, writing, and creativity from an early age. Ironically, the same father who nurtured her artistic abilities discouraged her from pursuing art professionally. Having experienced the financial challenges of working as an artist, he wanted his children to choose careers he believed would provide greater financial security.

She studied science in secondary school, earned a degree in Estate Management from the University of Nigeria, ventured into banking, obtained a master’s degree in the United Kingdom, and later moved into consulting. Yet, despite years away from art, the creative instinct remained. It took an encounter with a six-year-old child who could barely write the alphabet to bring that dormant talent back to life.

Concerned about the child’s learning difficulties, Uwakwe began creating customised learning materials. What started as help for one child eventually evolved into Yanga Toons Ltd, a children’s publishing brand producing illustrated stories and activity books rooted in African culture and designed to meet international standards. In this interview, Uwakwe speaks about her unusual journey from science and banking to publishing, her father’s influence, the importance of African representation in children’s literature, her experiences visiting schools, and the legacy she hopes to leave for Nigerian children.

Beyond teaching children to read, what life lessons do you believe well-written children’s stories can teach about empathy, honesty, courage, responsibility and consequences? A well-written children’s story can teach values more effectively than spanking, scolding or punishment because children internalise lessons through stories. A picture book may contain only about 1,000 words, but the combination of simple text and illustrations allows children to digest the story gradually.

They read a page, pause, think about what they have seen, and then move to the next. That process makes children reflect on the ch…