In an inspiring blend of family collaboration and creative vision, Nigerian filmmaker Blessing Amidu has joined forces with her daughter, Emmanuella, to produce a new animated series titled “Secrets of the Multiverse”. The series, designed to bring African narratives into the global animation spotlight, is a bold step in redefining how African culture is portrayed in digital storytelling.
Blessing, a former oil and gas executive turned film producer, shared that her passion for animation was born from years of bonding with her children over cartoons. But as she watched, she noticed a glaring absence — African stories were missing from the screens.
“Cartoons became a huge part of our family time. Over the years, I fell in love with the genre but realized there were hardly any stories that reflected African culture or values,” Blessing explained during a recent virtual media chat. “That’s when I decided it was time to change that narrative.”
“Secrets of the Multiverse” is a spinoff from her 2020 hit animated feature, “Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters”. However, this new project takes a more profound approach, exploring themes of leadership, morality, and sacrifice, all wrapped in a futuristic African universe that resonates with today’s youth.
But what makes this project truly unique is that Blessing’s daughter, Emmanuella, is the series’ head writer — a role she stepped into unexpectedly. Initially, Blessing had set out to hire professional writers for the series but was confronted with high costs and lackluster story pitches. Then came a moment of discovery.
“I asked Emmanuella to write a few short stories just as an experiment, and what she delivered was beyond my expectations,” Blessing revealed. “One of her stories had so much depth and potential that I asked her to expand it into six full episodes. Even Adebisi Adetayo, who directed Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters and is also directing this series, was amazed by her work.”
For Emmanuella, the series is more than a creative endeavor — it’s a personal journey. “Moving abroad, I realized how easy it is to lose connection with your roots. This story is my way of holding onto my identity and sharing it with others,” she said.
Emmanuella hopes the series will not only entertain but inspire African teenagers and young adults, especially girls, to embrace their heritage and pursue their dreams with confidence. “With a little more resilience and determination, we can all achieve incredible things. That’s the core message of Secrets of the Multiverse,” she added.
The mother-daughter duo envisions the series as a catalyst for sparking more authentic African representation in animation, encouraging young creatives to tell their stories boldly and unapologetically.
As Nigeria’s animation industry continues to grow, projects like “Secrets of the Multiverse” are paving the way for homegrown stories to reach global audiences, reshaping the narrative of African creativity one frame at a time.