Saturday, October 18 was a day of honour for Africa’s foremost female playwright, Tess Onwueme, at the University of Wisconsin/Eau Claire, United States of America, where she is a Distinguished Professor of Cultural Diversity and English.
The event was the hosting of the internationally acclaimed playwright, scholar and poet’s Archival Collection with President Goodluck Jonathan in attendance.
Represented by Ms. Molara Wood, Special Assistant to the President on Documentation, Jonathan said Onwueme belongs to the distinguished community of conscience for whom art is not for its own sake but for that of life.
“In her various literary exploits, she has used her art to give loud voices to traditionally silenced views such as African Women, life in Africa, the youth and the global poor. This special recognition by the university, where she has distinguished herself as a Professor of Cultural Diversity and English, is the icing on the cake of her numerous recognitions and awards over the years,” the president said.
He went on to congratulate Onwueme, while encouraging her to continue to “churn out more and more literary outputs to reshape our world which is in dire need of pedagogy from nurturers of global civilisation in her mould”.
Acknowledging that Prof. Onwueme is one of the most important playwrights Nigeria has produced, the president said Nigerians are proud of her and her accomplishments, and cherish the monument the university has erected in her honour.
He added that it was his wish that the great icon continues to serve as a figure of expression of the great bond between Nigeria and the U.S.
Jonathan added that he was most grateful for his invitation to the occasion marking the donation of the ‘Tess Osonye Onwueme Papers’ to the University of Wisconsin/Eau Claire Foundation.
“Very clearly, our beloved playwright’s papers will now become a permanent resource for scholars and students for posterity. This is how it should be: rewarding excellence and creativity with recognition and legacy,” Jonathan declared.
Only recently, Onwueme, whose play, The Reign of Wazobia, was performed at the event where she danced graciously, was appointment as the University Professor of Global Letters at the institution.
In 2007, Onwueme was appointed to the U.S. State Department Public Diplomacy Specialist/Speaker Program for North, West, and East India. Later that year, her play, Parables for a Season, held a world premiere in Khartoum, Sudan, under the auspices of the KICS International Theatre, directed by the American artistic director, Mark Webber.
In 2004 and 2005, the BBC World Drama Service produced Onwueme’s Shakara: Dance-Hall Queen, which has since been translated to the Hindi language and showcased in New Delhi, in their worldwide broadcast. Her plays, which have won numerous awards, have been staged all over the world including Off Broadway in New York, and have been part of an international conference in 2009 in Nigeria with participants from around the world.
In addition to teaching classes on literature and drama, Onwueme has also taught African dance at UW/Eau Claire.
Also at the event was Dr. Sonja Darlington of Beloit College, Wisconsin, who delivered a paper on the works of Onwueme. Dr. Onyeka Iwuchukwu of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and Berith Danse, Artistic Director, Theatre Embassy, The Netherlands, both gave commendations.
Born into the Akaeke family of Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Onwueme earned a B.A. in Education from the University of Ife in 1979, and an M.A. from the same institution in 1982, graduating with the Faculty Prize. She earned her Ph.D. in English at the University of Benin in 1987.