Onyeka comes to netflix

Meet Tọlá Okogwu, author of the fantastical Onyeka adventure series consisting of ‘Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun’ (2022) and ‘Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels’ (2023).

Will Smith and David Oyelowo have teamed up to produce a film adaptation of ‘Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun’ for Netflix.

Tọlá will be in conversation live at the TNB Film Expo to celebrate the publication of the second book in the series, ‘Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels’ and the process of taking the first book from page-to-screen.

Tell us a little bit about Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun and the story of how you came to write this stunning and original superhero story.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun is about a twelve-year-old girl called Onyeka who discovers one day after saving her best friend from drowning that she has psychokinetic hair. Her mother reveals that she’s actually a Solari, a genetically enhanced human with superpowers, and whisks her off to Nigeria and a secret high-tech school for Solari called the Academy of the Sun. Whilst there she makes new friends and enemies, and she must find the power within her to defeat a deadly foe that threatens her family and the future of all Solari. The idea for the story came from a simple question—’what would happen if a young black girl discovered that the afro hair she’d been taught to see as a flaw was in fact her greatest strength?’

Onyeka has always struggled to make her voluminous black hair fit into her community’s expectations—until the day she discovers her curls have psychokinetic powers. How do you hope readers, especially Black children, relate to Onyeka?

I hope when they discover Onyeka, that they see their fears, hopes, weaknesses and strengths represented. I hope Black children especially see themselves reflected in a way that is positive and inspirational. A world where their Blackness is front and centre but isn’t the entirety of the story.

Do you have a special person in your life who inspired Onyeka? Do you see any of yourself in Onyeka and her drive?

Onyeka is actually named after my youngest daughter, whose Igbo name is Onyekachi. I have a habit of naming characters after my children.

Whilst Onyeka and my daughter share a stubborn streak, I do think there’s a lot of me in Onyeka. The same struggle with my hair and identity, all whilst trying to figure out my place in the two very different cultures I inhabited growing up; Nigerian and British.

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun is set in 2025, and this world presents Nigeria as a green super-power, driven by an immense network of solar energy. Can you tell us a bit about this alternative future setting?

Yes, the book is set in a near future but alternate history Nigeria that’s powered entirely by solar energy. It’s a powerful nation with advanced technology and I was excited by the challenge of re-imagining what Nigeria would be like if certain historical events were changed. The greatest challenge was making sure I properly represented the culture and people. Nigerians are some of the most innovative and joyful people you’ll ever meet.

Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels is the second book in the series. Without giving too much away, what can we expect from Onyeka next?

Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels follows Onyeka and her superpowered friends as they race against time to save themselves and the Solari. It’s a thrilling, action packed story about friendship, and resilience. But perhaps most importantly, it’s a story about accepting yourself as you are and owning your power. I hope Onyeka’s journey to discovering her power will help others discover theirs too.