Reni worked with a Nigerian artist, Godwin Akpan, for the cover of her book (Picture: Joy Olugboyega)

Reni K Amayo is a young author who is opening up the fantasy genre to include black narratives – and her debut young adult novel sounds incredible.

Historically, fantasy in literature has been overwhelmingly white – there is rarely space for diverse characters, settings or themes.

But Reni is transporting this traditionally homogeneous world to ancient Africa and centering two young, black women as the protagonists – and we are absolutely here for it.

Daughters of Nri is a fantasy set in an ancient Nigerian kingdom. It charts the journey of two sisters, twins and goddesses, separated at birth, as they venture on a path of self-discovery.




‘It is set in Nigeria. The ancient kingdom of Nri was a real kingdom,’ Reni tells Metro.co.uk.

‘They were a really interesting, really successful group of people. They based their society on peace and religion – so they never really used weapons.

‘Although, I have used a lot of creative license, so in the book they do use weapons – which are really shiny and green,’ laughs Reni, ‘But originally, as a people, they were very peaceful.’

There is a stereotype that black people can’t be in to traditionally ‘nerdy’ things like fantasy, mythology or science fiction. But Reni wants to subvert this misconception and reassert that black readers are as capable of having broad, varied, multifaceted interests as anyone else.

‘It is such a shame. I think it is very much tied into this inability to see black people as individuals. As humans, three-dimensional characters who have different tastes and opinions and likes,’ Reni explains.

‘I have always had an eclectic taste – and I am not different! I have never met a black person who is only into, say, hip hop and nothing else.

‘Every black person I know is into so many different things, and I don’t think any of these things are niche at all. It is completely normal.

Daughters of Nri is a young adult fantasy fiction set in ancient Nigeria (Picture: Godwin Akpan)

‘I think that all stems from what is pushed on us, and what is made available to us.

‘For such a long time the only narratives that seemed to truly belong to black people were these gritty, urban stories. And when we discuss black people we only seem to want to discuss pain, suffering and struggle.

‘But I want to reclaim other spaces for black people. Why can’t we have fantasy stories or rom coms?

There is a distinct lack of black narratives in fantasy books. For Reni, who grew up an avid reader, hungry for stories that reflected her own experiences, there was often disappointed and a feeling of being excluded.

‘For a long time, I feel like the narrative has been controlled by gatekeepers who have been predominantly white men. And these gatekeepers are so much more likely to buy into something that they see themselves in.

‘So diverse authors with diverse stories come along with their books and the people in charge will dismiss them and instantly think – no, that wouldn’t sell.



‘But I think now, with the rise of social media, people are able to have more say over what they actually want. And it turns out, that’s not necessarily the same fantasy story about a white boy with magical powers – people really do want stories about different people.

‘There have been so many brilliant authors who have never really made it to that next level because of these pre-existing barriers. But I think now there is really scope for that to change and I think it is finally starting to happen.

‘You only have to look at the success of Tomi Adeyemi with Children of Blood and Bone.

‘The people in power are finally starting to recognise that this is content that everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or background, can be interested in and enjoy. It just adds more depth and makes the literary world more interesting.’

Representation is crucial in Reni’s work. She wants to tell stories that reflect a different cross-section of the population.

Growing up, Reni had to dig deep to find stories that even remotely reflected who she was. She wants young readers today to be have diverse stories at their fingertips. She says it is an invaluable tool of empowerment and inspiration.

‘I have always been really in to fantasy. I read so many stories set in medieval England. They were different stories, great stories – but always in the same place,’ Reni tells us.

‘I tried to find different settings wherever I could – I actually spent a lot of time being really in to Asian fantasy. I was craving variation.


‘So I want Daughters of Nri to add to that diversity, to be another addition in this space which has characters that we haven’t necessarily seen before.

‘Although we are starting to see more of these diverse stories, I can’t stress enough that we are not there yet. We are like a drop in the ocean.

Reni held a brunch with 24 influential black women to launch the artwork for her novel (Picture: Joy Olugboyega)

‘Representation is so important to me. What you see is what you know you can become.

‘For so long black children have only had images of themselves as victims or slaves – and although that is a part of our history – it isn’t the only part of our narrative.

Western perceptions of Africa have been skewed by decades of negative information and a willful ignorance that ignores the triumphs and successes of the entire continent. But Reni doesn’t think the damage is irrevocable.

‘Changing the mainstream narratives about Africa was a huge motivation for me when I started writing,’ she explains.

‘Writing for me has always been about self-care. When I’m stressed or frustrated, I just write. It’s how I cope.

‘I started writing the book around five years ago, when I was in an incredibly stressful job.

‘I was gravitating towards all of this negative news – specifically around black people. From police brutality to African countries being saddled with an immense amount of debt. It was a lot to handle.

‘I tried to pivot away from that slightly and seek out positive news. And I started to look into African history as well, as part of that.


‘I was trying to specifically avoid anything to do with slavery, because I feel like that is the only thing we are taught about Africa – and even that is only taught at a minimum and from a very peculiar perspective.

‘But I refused to believe that in a continent as resource-rich as Africa – the only story to come out of it is slavery.

‘But there are millions of other narratives. You just have to go and find them. And they are not easy to find.

‘The stuff that I eventually found was amazing. And I was just like – why didn’t I know this? Why didn’t I know that the Oxford and Cambridge University system was modeled off the Timbuktu university system?

‘I’m Nigerian – I should know these things. I know so much about the rest of the world and its wonders, but I didn’t know anything about this huge, diverse continent – the home of my ancestors.’

Creating an image of an African kingdom that is steeped in complex mythology, decadence, academic and technological superiority, is a crucial step in redressing the balance and positively altering perceptions.

So much of how we see the world is based on the narratives and stories we consume from the mainstream media, books, movies and advertising campaigns. This is something Reni intrinsically understands.

‘I wanted to create a world where black people weren’t suffering. Where our narrative as a people wasn’t so attached to struggle. I wanted our narrative to be about us being human.

‘I consciously chose to avoid elements of oppression in the novel. I wanted to focus more on human nature, on internal conflict, as opposed to that “us versus them” mentality.

‘I am asking questions like, why is it that we as humans tend to gravitate towards destructive choices?

‘To me, it seems that we all want to be good, but we end up shifting eventually, as a collective, to these negative places. And I think that is a truly fascinating element of human nature.’

Daughters of Nri will be available to buy on the 27th August and will be published by Onwe Press.

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