09/14/2026
In Conversation with Ifeoma Onyefulu
Ifeoma Onyefulu is a Nigerian author and photographer renowned for her children’s picture books that depict everyday life in Africa through her own photographs. Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, she was influenced by an Igbo storytelling tradition passed down from her mother. This heritage infuses her work with warmth, clarity, and cultural pride, both in the imagery and the text. After relocating to the UK in 1982, she trained in photography in London and worked as a press photographer, including a position as a staff photographer for Caribbean Times.
Since the early 1990s, Onyefulu has authored more than 20 books, including eBooks and a children’s play, starting with the acclaimed alphabet book, “A is for Africa.” A two-time winner of the Children’s Africana Book Award, she is also recognised for her titles such as “Here Comes Our Bride!” and “Ikenna Goes to Nigeria.”
Onyefulu regularly conducts workshops in schools and at festivals, utilising storytelling, drafts, and traditional African games to encourage children to write without fear. She is also involved in a project called the Young People’s Commission for Africa, which connects schools in the UK with those in Africa. We had the opportunity to catch up with her to discuss her career and the book that started it all.
https://occhimagazine.com/through-her-lens-author-ifeoma-onyefulu-and-the-africa-she-knows/
