Emeka 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 region of Nigeria. He attended St. Patrick's School, Awka from (1958–65). He proceeded to Zik's College, Onitsha from (1966–1971) and he got admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1971. He graduated in 1975 from the Department of English, with Dramatic Arts as his focus area. In 1977, he obtained a postgraduate diploma in Educational Administration and Planning from the University of Jos. Then, he proceeded to Eastern Michigan University and Bowling Green State University where he earned his master's degree and Doctorate degree respectively.

He was a visiting professor at the University of Swaziland (now Eswatini), and between 1999/2000, he was invited to Randolph-Macon College as Quillian Visiting International Professor. In 2008, he was invited by the University of Trinidad and Tobago as Founding Professor of Theatre; a post he held for three years. He was also a visiting professor at Imo State University in Owerri (the capital city of Imo State), Alex Ekwueme Federal University and Ndufu Alike, Ikwo.

Also, in his critical analysis of African fiction, Nwabueze made a significant incursion into the subject of critical dualism. In his much publicized essay, "Theoretical Construction and Constructive Theorising on the Execution of Ikemefuna in Achebe's Things Fall Apart: A Study in Critical Dualism" published in the American-based journal, Research in African Literatures, Nwabueze lays bare his contention that from an available analysis look of authorial voice Okonkwo's killing of Ikemefuna should be seen not as an intentional act but a combination of his paternal imago and an ordination by the gods. He contends that all Okonkwo's efforts to avoid the act even by withdrawing the rear, Ikemefuna escaped the executioner's blow and those of other elders and found himself in the rear where Okonkwo had withdrawn to, there was no other course open to Okonkwo than to commit the act. This research has provided scholars with another way of examining the novel.

Film career Nwabueze's incursion into Nollywood started with behind-the-camera activities like script editing. His ideas were eventually published for the benefit of film makers. An interview he granted entitled, "A good Script is the first step to a good Film" was a welcome material to film makers. In the interview, he said:

He later detoured into acting to lead by example. His first major acting experience was in the film, My Father's Love produced by Andy Best Electronics and directed by Obi Okoli. He played the role of Elder and acted along with Kenneth Okonkwo, Eucharia Anunobi and Nkiru Sylvanus. In 2005, Nwabueze acted in No More War along with Pete Edochie, Muna Obiekwe and Chiwetalu Agu.

Membership and fellowship In 1993, he was a member of the National Formative Evaluation of Federal Universities Sector Projects by the National Universities Commission and also member of the World Health Organisation team on the use of Drama to curb maternal mortality and Adolescent Pregnancy, in collaboration with the Nigerian Society for Gynaecology and Obstetrics. In 1994, he was given the honour of Honorary Fellow in Writing by University of Iowa International Writing Program. A Dance of the Dead (1991) Echoes of Madness (2001) A Parliament of Vultures (2003) When the arrow rebounds:(a dramatized recreation of Chinua Achebe's Arrow of God) in 2005 The Dragon's Funeral (2005) Lachrymose (2014) Rainstorm in the Desert (2018)

Selected critical works Studies in Dramatic Literature The Polemics of the Dramatic Text A Critical Study of Modern African Drama