Esther Nneka Nnanna is the star of Episode 3 of the Zikoko HER docu-series, and her story emphasises dreaming, believing, and living. For many young girls with hobbies often considered silly or frivolous, Esther’s story is for you. It’s the story of how she turned her love for K-dramas and a crush on one of South Korea’s biggest stars into a life-sustaining path. This is HER story: the beginning, now, and the future.
Nneka’s dream started with knowing what she didn’t want for herself — early marriage and being financially dependent on a husband chosen for her. In her hometown, girls often got married in their teenage years, and when she came of age, Nneka wasn’t exempt from that expectation. It was a fate common among her siblings and peers. But from a young age, Nneka internalised her father’s love for education and her mother’s ambition and tenacity. Life, for her, was beyond childbirth in a small, lively town in Ebonyi State. She was driven by fairytales on pages and made-up women who lived lives larger than the ones she saw around her. That was the beginning of her dream.
But like most women, Nneka had to fight the convention, even when it came from the same people who had nurtured her big dreams. After several spiritual sessions meant to redirect, Nneka stayed the course. She began to believe that maybe the dreams she held were more heavenly than unholy. That belief, in what her mind could imagine, even when reality offered little, became her anchor.
That was how it started with Korean dramas. The journey was small and maybe a bit large. A simple Google translation search and a stubborn crush on Lee Min Ho made Nneka want to learn Korean in preparation for a future that may have seemed unlikely to many of us. Once her understanding of the language reached an acceptable level, Nneka took on her father’s academic nature and her mother’s entrepreneurial spirit. She started making money and building a community for herself.
In a way, Nneka was ahead of the game. She fell in love with and adopted a culture that is now globally recognised and highly sought after. If you’ve been around long enough, you’re familiar with Korean skincare, K-pop, and cooking staples like Gochujang (red pepper paste), Samyang noodles, and Ganjang (soy sauce). The culture has become a global movement, and Nneka is one of the few faces leading the charge in Nigeria. These days, Nneka works with a Korean Government Agency, driving business partnerships and diplomacy between the two countries. She hasn’t just created a life for herself from this hobby, she’s merged two worlds and is thriving in both. She is, quite literally, eating her cake and having it.
In Episode 3 of HER, this girl-next-door shows what it means to have a dream and live in it, even if it’s in another language.
Watch the video below to see more of Nneka’s journey and how you can do the same.
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