Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie’s Aya series starts in the Ivory Coast 1978. Aya is a young woman with dreams of becoming a medical doctor. The episodic story moves through her and her friends lives as they experience setbacks, love, and ambitions as they grow into adults.

Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed’s When Stars are Scattered tells Mohamed’s story of growing up in a Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Omar and his younger brother Hassan escaped Somalia when his family’s farm was attacked during the ongoing civil war.

Roye Okupe’s Malika series was inspired by the history of Nigeria, his home country. Malika is a strong ruler, who struggles with guilt, vulnerability, and the place for mercy in her empire.