“I was 35 before I could accomplish a vision I had when I was seven” – Ebele Okoye.
If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to break into a field where nobody looks like you, then you already understand a little of Ebele Okoye’s story.
Her journey is not just about cartoons on a screen, it’s about fighting for a space that didn’t exist and turning dreams into history.
Who exactly is Ebele Okoye?
Ebele Okoye also known as “Omenka Ulonka” is a Berlin-based Nigerian/German independent Animation producer/director, designer, and multi-media artist.
She was born on October 6, 1969, in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Being Nigeria’s first female animator, she is recognized as one of the pioneers of African animation and is often referred to as the “mother of African Animation.
Okoye founded Nigeria’s first animation course, established initiatives to support other female animators, and created the award-winning film The Legacy of Rubies
Early Life of Ebele Okoye: Born in War, Raised on Stories
Ebele Okoye didn’t just start life, she started it in the middle of a war. She came into the world during the Nigeria-Biafra war, in a hospital that was bombed the same day.Her mother fled with baby Ebele in her arms, the umbilical cord still attached.
Growing up in the quiet village of Igbo-Ukwu, stories were her escape, moonlight folktales whispered around fires, and comics her brothers sent from the city.
By age seven, she was already dreaming of making pictures come alive, long before she even knew the word “animation.”
But dreams didn’t erase hardship. Ebele helped her mother survive by sewing, teaching, and selling akara, sometimes walking 13 kilometers to the market.
Poverty forced her to make her own clothes at 12, endure being sent home from school, and accept being treated as an outcast.
Yet in those lonely moments, she found something priceless, creativity. She pulled apart radios, played with sewing machines, and found wonder in anything that sparked her curiosity.
Then came her spark. At 13, a single article in Awake magazine explained how animation works. It was like someone had given her language for the dream she already carried. From that day, nothing could stop her.
Struggles and Setbacks: Ebele Okoye’s Fight for Her Dream
Ebele won a scholarship to study art in the UK, but her mother couldn’t raise the 60 naira (barely a dollar) needed for the flight. The dream had to wait.
She studied Fine Arts in Nigeria instead, worked as a graphic designer and copywriter, even ran a tailoring business, but her eyes were always set on animation.
Germany became her new hope. After years of rejections, visa denials, and near-misses, she finally got her chance.
Ebele Okoye’s Breakthrough: From Odd Jobs to Global Awards
In Cologne, Ebele juggled studies, odd jobs, and endless visa battles, yet she never lost sight of her dream.
A chance encounter at her English school opened the door to an internship at West German Broadcasting (WDR), which in turn led her to the International Film School Cologne, one of just 10 students accepted into its 2D animation program.
Under the guidance of legendary mentors, she studied by day and washed dishes by night, keeping her dream alive with sheer grit and the support of friends who helped fund her training.
Her journey soon took her from classrooms to international festivals, Annecy, Leipzig, Stuttgart, where she found herself rubbing shoulders with the very industry she had once only read about.
In 2006, she created her first short animation, The Lunatic, and became the first Black woman to win the DEFA Research Award. A year later, she claimed the Robert Bosch Foundation Award, leading a groundbreaking co-production between Germany and Bulgaria.
From surviving on scraps to standing on global stages, her story felt like a fairy tale, but deep down, Ebele knew the journey was only just beginning.
The Mother of African Animation
What began as a childhood dream finally took shape in adulthood, at 35, Ebele broke ground as not just the first female Nigerian animator, but also one of the pioneers of African animation.
Fondly called “The Mother of African Animation,”her journey was never about titles but about proving that perseverance truly pays.
Her short film The Lunatic became the very first animation to be entered at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2008, receiving an honorable mention and marking her as the lone animator representing Nigeria at the time.
But her dream went beyond personal recognition, she had made a pledge to bring animation knowledge back home.
That promise came alive in 2010 when she founded The Animation Club Africa, creating a long-awaited network for African animators.
By 2013, she fulfilled her vow by hosting Nigeria’s first-ever animation course at the Goethe Institut, giving young talents the same chance she once craved.
Some of those students even contributed to her co-production The Legacy of Rubies, which went on to win the Africa Movie Academy Award in 2015.
Her story is proof that some dreams take longer to bloom, but with consistency, resilience, and faith, they eventually find their way. After all, she accomplished hers at 35. showing the world that it is never too late to become exactly what you dreamed of as a child.
Ebele Okoye’s Legacy in African
Today, Nigeria’s animation industry is slowly gaining momentum.
Studios like Anthill and Komotion are making headlines, and global platforms like Disney are exploring African storytelling.
But none of this can be told without mentioning Ebele Okoye, the woman who lit the first torch and carried it through the darkness.
Her journey reminds us that change starts with one person brave enough to imagine a different future.And for Nigerian animation, that person was Ebele.