Buzz
We are proud to have been featured in the following press media news outlets and participated in different events.
June 2023
Imagine In The Park
Imagine In The Park Children's Art Festival
Imagine In The Park is a Free Children’s Art Festival held annually at Gage Park in Hamilton, Ontario on the first Saturday in June! The Festival aims to showcase the importance of children and the arts through a free, interactive arts festival where children and families can learn from professional artists and authors through discovery and creative expression. We’re so happy to be back to in-person events. Mark your calendars for June 3, 2023!
Summer Writers Fest
RRS Summer Writers Fest 2023
Join Riverside Reading Series for our first Summer Writers Festival in Paris, Ontario! This event will include readings & performances for children, teens & adults by Ekiuwa Aire, Nic Brewer, Jaclyn Desforges, Farzana Doctor, Kim Fahner, Fareh Malik, Dwayne Morgan, Tony North, Robert Priest & Bruce Simpson.
May 2023
The Word On The Street
Word On The Street Festival
The Word On The Street is a national celebration of reading, writing, and literacy. Each year, we host hundreds of author readings for visitors of all ages and a vibrant marketplace featuring the best selection of books and magazines in Canada.
Indigo/Chapters Meet & Greet
Indigo/Chapters Meet & Greet
Join us on Saturday, May 6th 2023, for our 2nd book signing event at Indigo•Chapters (Vega); located in Mississauga from 11am-3pm! Come out and get acquainted with 4 of our BLK Book Fair members!
April 2023
BLK Book Fair
A Step In The Write Direction II: Creative Children’s Literary Workshop
We are organizing a creative writing workshop for children between the ages of 8-12 years titled "A Step in the Write Direction" on April 29th, 2023, from 12 pm to 3:30 pm. The workshop aims to inspire young writers to express themselves creatively and develop their writing skills. We believe it's important to encourage children, especially those from diverse and underrepresented communities, to pursue their writing dreams and aspirations.
March 2023
The Press and Journal
North-east children to receive free books celebrating African culture
Children in primary schools across the north-east will receive the collection of new books highlighting African culture and history this month.The project called Afri-Tales is being launched by the Africulture Network – a charity initiative dedicated to sharing African culture and improving cultural diversity.
Supported by the International School Aberdeen (ISA), 100 books written by award-winning Nigerian-Canadian author Ekiuwa Aire, will be rolled out across 10 school libraries in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Aberdeen Business News
North-East children receive new books thanks to campaign to boost African culture in schools
The Afri-Tales project is being launched by The Africulture Network, a group of passionate professionals dedicated to showcasing African culture at its best. With the support of International School Aberdeen (ISA), The Africulture Network has purchased a collection of 100 new books thanks to a recent fund-raising campaign. The initial roll out of the Afri-Tales campaign will see 10 school libraries across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire receive the books written by award-winning Nigerian-Canadian author Ekiuwa Aire highlighting the rich history and vibrant culture of the African continent.
CanvasRebel
Meet Ekiuwa Aire
Ekiuwa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
As a parent, I had a deep desire to teach my children about their cultural heritage and history. I searched high and low for children’s books that focused on African history, but to my surprise, I found none. I couldn’t believe it. Was there really no market for such books? Was it that people weren’t interested in the topic? I didn’t know, but I knew that I wanted to fill that void.
February 2023
Heritage Mom
African History Picture Books
The Our Ancestories series is a colorful collection of stories on pre-colonial African legends. The company also provides engaging activities for kids to explore specific African cultures. Their vision is to nudge the world towards a point where:
- There is an avid learning culture for African history.
- People of African descent are at least as exposed to African history as we are to Western history.
- Africans look more to our history as we pave a way for the future.
- Legends that make up African history are mainstream and are introduced to children across the globe.
Impact the Child
WHY Consider the Education of Children in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Welcome to the fourth Newsletter of Impact the Child!Why?You may ask why. Why am I choosing to raise awareness about consistent high-quality education of young learners in Sub-Saharan Africa?Here are four of many answers:
1. As an early childhood expert from the continent of Africa and having worked in the field for over 20 years, it is important for me to explore the early childhood landscape.
The Homeschool Advantage Podcast
The Preserving of True African Heritage and Culture With Ekiuwa Aire CEO of Our Ancestories
Ekiuwa Aire CEO of Our Ancestories, a born and Raised in Benin City Nigeria, this Nigerian-Canadian cultural connector is passionate about building a love and knowledge of African history and culture with all kids. She was initially motivated by a desire to teach her own children about their history. She noticed the lack of children’s books on true African history that was uplifting, encouraging and inspirational.
August 2022
RE.B.U.K.E.E
Ep. 58 Our Ancestories: Teaching our history to Kids
RE.B.U.K.E.E podcast is big on education, especially when it comes to African history. Ekiuwa Aire (pronounced eh-queue-wah eye-reh 🔊), a Nigerian-Canadian cultural connector who is passionate about building a love and knowledge of African history and culture with all kids.
May 2022
The Canadian Children's Book Centre
2022 Book Creator Profile: Ekiuwa Aire
Canadian Children’s Book Week connects Canadian authors and illustrators with children and teens across Canada. Tour participants speak to their audiences about the pleasures of reading and the delights of Canadian children’s books through their presentations and workshops. Meeting authors, illustrators and storytellers can be a turning point in a child’s life, inspiring a lifelong love of reading. The readings and workshops that take place during Book Week can open a child’s eyes to the world of literature. These readings and interactions with authors, illustrators and storytellers can excite a child about literacy. Whether a child is interested in writing, drawing or telling stories aloud, Book Week inspires young imaginations, teaches children how wonderful a good book can be and encourages them to tell their own stories.
Heroe Book Fair
Heroe Book Fair 2022
The Heroe Book Fair is a Pan-African yearly event held in Mombasa, that brings together Anglophone, Francophone and German speaking Writers, Poets, Publishers and Literary Enthusiasts from Kenya, the rest of Africa and the black diaspora, for a couple of days of exciting literary activities which include book sales, panel discussions, book launches and readings by select authors and poets.
Shamontiel L. Vaughn
African history through the eyes of a child
How Ekiuwa Aire and ‘The 1619 Project’ educate all from childhood to adulthood. An annual promo for NYT crossed my desk. I signed up for it. And curiosity made me scroll around to look for something new in the report that has had anti-Critical Race Theory activists falling all over each other to get this research project to disappear. A smile lit across my face when I got to Mary Elliott and Jazmine Hughes’ article on “the history you didn’t learn in school.” In the middle of the page was a hand-colored lithograph of Queen Njinga. She is a woman I got to know quite well, courtesy of a book editing project with the author of “Queen Njinga”: Ekiuwa Aire.
March 2022
TD Stories
One woman's dream to bring African history to children
When Ekiuwa Aire went looking for books on African culture to help teach her children about their heritage, little did she know the path would lead her to not only become an author herself, but would culminate in the launch of her own publishing company.
The Caribbean Camera
Who run the world? Girls!
Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba “The true story of a girl who had a difficult birth but went on to become the Queen of two ancient African kingdoms. Revered for her wisdom, courage, and strength, Njinga became a dominant political figure in Angola in the 1600s.” – Our Ancestories, 2021.
Halton Catholic District School Board
Award-winning Children's Author Ekiuwa Aire Teaching HCDSB Students About Nigerian Culture!
As part of our Black History Month celebrations, best-selling and award-winning children's author from Oakville, Ekiuwa Aire, will be visiting primary classrooms across our Board to teach students and staff more about Nigerian culture and traditions!
February 2022
Toronto Star
Celebrate Black History Month with your kids with African heroes of Our Ancestories
Nigerian-born Ekiuwa Aire loved researching African history, devouring as many blogs and books on the subject as she could. “I wanted to understand from a more balanced point of view how colonization affected Africa, and all the downstream impacts,” the Toronto-based author and publisher says. Then her two little girls came along.
Oakville Public Library
Celebrating African Cultures through Stories with Ekiuwa Aire
Join local author Ekiuwa Aire for a walk through African cultures through stories and discussion. Ekiuwa Aire is an award-winning children's book author. She is passionate about sharing positive stories on African history with children. Ekiuwa's debut title Idia of the Benin Kingdom has been the recipient of the Children's Africana Book Awards, Kidsshelf Book Awards, and Eric Hoffer Book Awards. Her second book is titled Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba.
Howard University - Center for African Studies
Global Read Webinar Series - Africana Book Award Webinars
Once a month, the World Area Book Awards (Américas Award, Children's Africana Book Award, Freeman Book Award, Middle East Book Award, and the South Asia Book Award) sponsor a 60 minute webinar on a book recognized by one of the awards. The series of webinars is called Global Read Webinar Series. Each webinar features a presentation by an award-winning author with discussion on how to incorporate multicultural literature into the classroom. All sessions are free and open to the public.
Burlington Public Library
Meet the Author: Ekiuwa Aire
Ekiuwa Aire is an award-winning Nigerian - Canadian children's author. She is passionate about sharing stories about legendary African figures, African history, and culture with children. Ekiuwa's debut title, Idia of the Benin Kingdom, was the recipient of the Children's Africana Book Awards, Kidsshelf Book Awards, and Eric Hoffer Book Awards. Her second book, Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba, was published in 2021.
Richmond Hill Public Library
Visiting Authors: Black History Month with Ekiuwa Aire
Discover ancient kings, queens, and landmarks in this workshop on African culture and history. Register your class for a virtual visit with Ekiuwa Aire, award-winning author of Idia of the Benin Kingdom and Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba.
Halton Catholic District School Board
Award-winning Children’s Author Ekiuwa Aire Teaching HCDSB Students About Nigerian Culture!
Ekiuwa is an author with Our Ancestories, a publishing company that focuses on sharing a positive narrative on African History. Born in Nigeria, Ekiuwa writes stories that provide all students with a means to connect with and learn from pre-colonial African figures.
November 2021
Library of Congress
Navigating Society: Challenges and Female Agency
Join the Library of Congress for a panel discussion that explores representations of female agency in new Africana children’s literature, featuring authors Tricia Elam Walker (Nana Akua goes to School), Aya Khalil (The Arabic Quilt) and Ekiuwa Aire (Idia of the Benin Kingdom). These authors will explore the challenges faced by immigrant children living in an America that has little knowledge of their home countries and traditions, and the strategies that a girl living in a long-ago kingdom uses to achieve her dreams of becoming a warrior. Central in the three stories are the supportive adult characters who help the young protagonists navigate the challenges of their world.
The Onside
Rediscovering African History: Ekiuwa Aire, Our Ancestories
Ekiuwa Aire started Our Ancestories with an aim to educate and share the rich African history with the next generation. Here she talks to Onside Media about her growth story and how she is planning to share stories of African legends while publishing children’s books and merchandise.
October 2021
Oakville News
Two female-owned Oakville businesses awarded National Visa Grant
National Visa Grant Program recipients include two female-led Oakville businesses: Our Ancestories and Nuba. Did you know that female-owned businesses are about twice as less likely to obtain capital financing than male-owned businesses?
September 2021
Global News
Canadian publishing company highlighting African history
Author Ekiuwa Aire checks in with The Morning Show to share the reason behind starting the publishing company ‘Our Ancestries’ putting the spotlight on African history.
August 2021
Writing Black Joy
Ekiuwa Aire
This week’s author - Ekiuwa Aire - is a bestselling, award winning author at Our Ancestories, a publishing company focused on creating children’s books that provide a more positive narrative on African History. Her debut book - Idia of the Benin Kingdom ...
July 2021
Black Motherhood
Black Motherhood - Episode 5: Rediscovering African History: Exploring representation in children's books
This week we are joined by Ekiuwa Aira. Ekiuwa is an award-winning author born and raised in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria. She is passionate about sharing positive stories on African history with children. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Ontario, Canada.
May 2021
CBC Listen
Author Ekiuwa Aire draws on African histories for children’s books
The Canadian children’s author says when she tried to find books for her own kids that reflected her childhood in Benin City, Nigeria, she couldn’t find anything. Now she writes children's books based on the true stories of African women in history, and soon men too. She tells us about her latest book, Njinga of Ndongo & Matamba.
February 2021
CBC Books
Idia of the Benin Kingdom
Idia of the Benin Kingdom introduces young readers to the story of Queen Idia of the ancient Kingdom of Benin, who played an essential role during the reign of her son, Esigie, who ruled Benin from 1504-1550. This story tells of a young Idia who pursued her dreams, believed in herself, and became the first Queen Mother of Benin. The story starts with a dream young Idia has where she sees a woman in battle...
January 2021
CityNews
Promoting African history through children's books
An Oakville woman is striving to teach Black children about their culture and history through the eyes of relatable characters. Brandon Rowe speaks to author Ekiuwa Aire about the release of her first book...
December 2020
Push or Pivot
Create What You Wish Existed with Ekiuwa Aire
My guest today is Ekiuwa Aire. Ekiuwa is previously a full time Finance Manager turned IT Data Engineer turned Photographer and recently turned Self Published Children's Author of books on African History. She has a history of pivoting whenever she is faced with a career path that does not align with her personality or vision of how she wants to lead her life...
November 2020
Oakville News
Oakville author introduces the African warrior queen Idia to the pantheon of fairy book heroines
Long, long ago, in a land far away, there was a prosperous kingdom called Benin, where there lived a brave and cunning warrior queen named Idia. Her life was an epic adventure worthy of inclusion in any boxed set of Disney princess movies. But if Idia’s inspiring tale is unknown to little kids growing up today, Oakville author Ekiuwa Aire is here to change all that...
FACE2FACE Africa
Nigerian-Canadian mom writes inspirational children’s book about legendary Queen Idia of Benin Kingdom
Benin Kingdom, located in what is now southern Nigeria, was one of the most highly developed states in Africa when it fell in 1897 following the destruction of its capital, Benin City, by the British...
BILLION SUCCESS
Ekiuwa Aire – Rediscovering African History
Ekiuwa Aire was born and raised in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria. She moved to England when she was nine and it was here, away from all she had grown up with, she discovered her passion for writing...
October 2020
Black Children's Books and Authors
What’s Your Story?: Ekiuwa Aire: Idia of the Benin Kingdom
As a first-generation Nigerian-born Canadian mom and author, I have always wanted my kids to understand and be proud of their history and heritage. Africa has a vast collection of impressive cultures and legendary heroes. But there aren’t that many options for books that tell these stories...