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| Celebrating the Archival Collection of Dr Tess Osonye Onwueme (
Photo: Courtesy University of Wisconsin Eau Claire).
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ADA DIKE
The President of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His
Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, has congratulated one of
Nigeria’s best playwrights, Professor Tess Osonye Onwueme at the celebration of
her Archival Collection.
Speaking
at the event which at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, United States of
America On Saturday, October 18, 2014, President Jonathan said: “It is my
pleasure to be here today at this celebration of the Archival Collection of
Professor Tess Osonye Onwueme, eminent University Professor of Global Letters
at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.”
Mr. President, who was represented
by the Special Assistant to the President on Documentation, Molara Wood,
described Onwume as “unarguably Africa's most famous female dramatist.”
In his words: “The
letter informing me about this event from the Chancellor and Foundation offices
of the university, eloquently describes Prof Onwueme as "a national icon
that Nigeria and the United States shares with the world".
“That description
succinctly captures the essence of the great woman of letters and
internationally acclaimed scholar and poet who earned her place in the globe
writing plays with themes of social justice, culture and the environment. She
belongs to the distinguished community of conscience for whom art is not for
its own sake but rather for the sake 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 on her too
numerous recognitions and awards over the years.
“I congratulate Prof
Onwueme and encourage 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 civilization in her mould. It is also my wish that this great
icon will continue to serve as a figure of expression of the great bond between
Nigeria and the United States of America.
“We the people of
Nigeria are proud of her and her accomplishments, just as we cherish the
monument Wisconsin University has erected in her honour,” he said.
Prof. Onwueme, according
to him, is one of the most important playwrights that our country Nigeria has
produced. “She is, without doubt, the most published and celebrated female
playwright to emerge from the continent of Africa. We are most proud of her
exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions to Literature and Drama,
and the world of letters as a whole.
“Distinguished
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Honour is befitting. Very few playwrights are
candidates for the canon with their very first works. Prof. Tess Osonye Onwueme
is one of those rare few. From the beginning, her work stood out with a
striking poise; and three decades of prolific literary production have only
confirmed, with copious proof, her original promise.
“ Prof. Onwueme’s
career is characterised by a trajectory of consistency, range, beauty and
energy. Among her most memorable works are: the epic dramas ‘Tell It To Women’ and
‘What Mama Said’; ‘Then She Said It’ (a play) and ‘Riot In Heaven’ (drama
for the voices of colour). She has engaged the environment in every sense of
the word. She has explored gender relations, and has created a fresh paradigm
for performance aesthetics. Her works have also helped revive a dimension of
that unity of conception and performance that the world is in danger of
forgetting.
“ Having emerged as
one of the most vibrant voices of the radical theatre tradition in the Nigeria
of the 1980s, Onwueme went on to become a leading voice of politically
committed drama in our country. She was one of the ‘Cock Crow Voices’ in what
is now known as the ‘Alternative’ tradition of Nigerian letters during our
Second Republic, fearless artists that engaged in the daring quest for a better
Nigeria.
“Through the fierce
beauty and commitment of her work, Onwueme has stood against all forms of
oppression, including gender discrimination and environmental exploitation in
the Niger Delta.
According to Prof.
G. G. Darah, Prof. Onwueme “challenged the orthodoxies of drama by women
writers... she took on the issues of women victims of exploitation in the oil
industry and attendant environmental crisis... Many of her female protagonists
are activists who resist marginalisation and gender stereotype.”
“Dr. Onwueme’s works
have become canonical and we in Nigeria are proud of her achievements. Her
energy remains a source of inspiration to generations of young men and women at
home and now, evidently, in the rest of the world. Her commitment to her art
has also inspired a new dimension of respect for both artistic and scholarly
excellence.
We are blessed that
God gave us an artist of the calibre of Prof. Onwueme, and we are proud to
share her gifts with the world.
“For inviting me to
this occasion, marking the donation of the ‘Tess Osonye Onwueme Papers’ to the
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Foundation, I am most grateful. 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.”
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