Ekiuwa Aire was born and raised in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria. Ekiuwa's passion for African history emerged when she left Nigeria for Canada in 2007. When she became a mother, Ekiuwa realized that there were not a lot of resources to introduce African history to her young children. She wanted her kids (and other kids) to develop an appreciation for African history and to value the wisdom and pride that will come from this knowledge. This desire spurred her to write her first picture book about Queen Idia, Idia of the Benin Kingdom.