Emeka Nwabueze

Emeka Patrick Nwabueze

Emeka Patrick Nwabueze is the first Emeritus Professor of Theatre and Film Studies of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in Enugu State, southeastern part of Nigeria. He is also a former dean of Faculty of Arts and ex-director of African Studies of the institution.

Early life and education

Emeka was born on September 23, 1949, into the family of Chief John Nweke Nwabueze and Josephine Nwabueze from Umubele village in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria.
He attended St. Patrick's School, Awka (1958–1965), then Zik's College, Onitsha (1966–1971).
In 1971, he gained admission to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, graduating in 1975 from the Department of English with Dramatic Arts as his focus area.

• 1977: Postgraduate diploma in Educational Administration and Planning, University of Jos.
• Further studies in the United States:
  • Master’s degree, Eastern Michigan University
  • Doctorate degree, Bowling Green State University

Career

• 1978: Began as a lecturer during NYSC at Kano State Institute for Higher Education.
• Late 1983: Appointed Associate Professor and Chairman of Humanities at Edward Waters College, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

• Returned to Nigeria (1983) to join UNN:

  • Lecturer II → Lecturer I (1985) → Senior Lecturer (1987) → Professor (1996) → Emeritus Professor (2023).

• Inaugural lecture (June 30, 2000): "In the Spirit of Thespis: The Theatre Arts and National Integration" — examined the origins of theatre, its evolution in Nigerian universities, and its role in fostering national integration.

• Visiting professor roles:

  • University of Swaziland (now Eswatini)
  • Randolph-Macon College (1999/2000)
  • University of Trinidad and Tobago (Founding Professor of Theatre, 2008–2011)
  • Imo State University, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, and Ndufu Alike, Ikwo.

• Festschrifts:

  1. Theatre and New Horizons: The Theatre of Emeka Nwabueze (Uche Nwaozuzu, 2011)
  2. The Lion on the Ijele Dance (Ngozi Anyachonkeya, 2015)
  3. In Our Own Words: The Colossal Strides of Emeka Nwabueze (Uche Nwaozuzu, Canice Nwosu, Emeka Aniagor, 2021)

Research contributions

• Masquerade Drama:

  • Defined it as the quintessence of ritual drama.
  • Identified narrative structures in Igbo masquerade performances, particularly the Awka Agaba performance.
  • Influential work on performance aesthetics and theatrical elements in masquerade traditions.

• Critical Dualism in African Fiction:

  • Essay: "Theoretical Construction and Constructive Theorising on the Execution of Ikemefuna in Achebe's Things Fall Apart" (in Research in African Literatures).
  • Argues Okonkwo's act was a blend of divine ordination and unavoidable circumstance.

Film career

• Early work: Script editing and advising filmmakers.
• Acting debut: My Father’s Love (with Kenneth Okonkwo, Eucharia Anunobi, Nkiru Sylvanus).
• Other notable roles:
  • No More War (2005) — with Pete Edochie, Muna Obiekwe, Chiwetalu Agu.
  • Rising Moon (2005) — with Onyeka Onwenu, Justus Esiri, Emeka Ike.
  • The Niger Mission — with Prof. Lazarus Ekwueme, Chiwetalu Agu.
  • Spokesman for the Oracle — adaptation of his own play.

Membership and fellowship

• Member, National Formative Evaluation of Federal Universities Sector Projects (NUC, 1993)
• WHO team on using drama to reduce maternal mortality & adolescent pregnancy (1993–1994)
• Honorary Fellow in Writing, University of Iowa International Writing Program (1994)
• Fellow:
  • Society for Nigerian Theatre Artists (FSONTA)
  • Association of Nigerian Authors
  • African Studies Association (USA)
  • National Association of African American Studies

Personal life

Married to Dorothy Chinyere Nwabueze (née Mbonu) from Osina, Ideato North — Director of Finance, University of Nigeria.
Children: Bebe, Lulu (twins), Bobby, Mmutaka (m. Ikenna Njoku), Njideka (m. Tony Oluoha).

Selected publications

Dramatic works

• Guardian of the Cosmos (1990)
• A Dance of the Dead (1991)
• Echoes of Madness (2001)
• A Parliament of Vultures (2003)
• When the Arrow Rebounds (2005)
• The Dragon’s Funeral (2005)
• Lachrymose (2014)
• Rainstorm in the Desert (2018)

Critical works

• Studies in Dramatic Literature
• The Polemics of the Dramatic Text
• A Critical Study of Modern African Drama