"If You Want Justice, You Must Work For Truth": Fonlon-Nichols Award or a Call to Action”, in Literature, The Visual Arts And Globalization in Africa
and its Diaspora. Ed. Lokangaka Losambe and Maureen Eke, 15African Literature Association annual Series (2011), 55-64.

"I WRITE TO KILL SILENCE": Keynote Address delivered by Professor Tess Onwueme at the inauguration session of the 2009 Tess International Conference, held in Dr. Onwueme's honor, and co-hosted at the Rockview Royale Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria, by the Central Michigan University, USA, the University of Abuja, Nigeria, and The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, from Novermber 11-14, 2009.

"TATTOOED WITH THE TRUTH": Acceptance Speech delivered by Professor Tess Onwueme on receiving the 2009 Prestigious Fonlon Nichols Award, at the Sheraton Hotel, Burlington, Vermont, in April 17, 2009.

March 9, 2007: Guest Writer/Performer at the Play/Poetry Reading Session at the Hotel Swosti with Orissa poets/writers, Gopalpur-on-sea, East India. Also featured as Guest Writer/Speaker, Berhampur University, Berhampur, East India.

March 8, 2007: Guest Writer/Speaker, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, East India. Also featured as Guest Writer/Performer at the Play/Poetry Reading Session at the Trident Hotel, Bhubaneswar with several Oriya poets/writers, Bhubaneswar, East India.

March 7, 2007: Inaugural/Keynote Speaker, seminar on "The Dialectics of America: Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in American Society and Culture" at the American Center, Kolkata, East India.

March 6, 2007: Guest Writer/Speaker on African American Literature, Department of English, University of Mumbai, West India, followed by the Press Interview at the American Center, Mumbai.

March 5, 2007: Guest Writer/Speaker to the SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, hosted by the US State Department at the American Center Auditorium, Mumbai, West India.

March 2-3, 2007: Inaugural Guest Writer at the National Seminar on Language and Literature hosted by the English Department, Saurashtra University, Rajkot, West India.

February 27 -28, 2007: Inaugural Speaker, Seminar on Cultural Diversity in South Asia, organized by the University of New Delhi and the South Asian Project at the International Centre. Inaugural Address "On the Limits of Cultural Diversity."

February 26, 2007: Keynote/Plenary Speaker and US State Department Guest of Honor at the Inaugural Session on Comparative Perspectives on American/African American Cultural Literary Writings, at Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur, North India. Keynote Presentation on "Dissing Acts: Staging Exile and Alienation in African American Drama/Literature."

February 23, 2007: Keynote Speaker/Guest Writer at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, India, following my appointment to the US Department Public Diplomacy Speaker Program in India.

October 27-78, 2006: Plenary/Keynote Speaker – with Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, and Bill Ashcroft) International Commonwealth/Postcolonial Studies Association Conference, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California.

April 24-25, 2006: Distinguished Lecture & the Artists’ Series Speaker/Writer, Pace University, Westchester, New York.

February 24, 2006: Invited Guest Writer/Speaker for the Public Reading/Lecture Series in celebration of Black History Month, Jumel Terrace Book Place, Harlem, New York.

February 25, 2006: Invited Guest Writer/Speaker, Queens College, Queens, New York.

November 24-27, 2005: Guest Writer/Speaker, Department of English and Theater, Faculty of Arts, and Faculty of Fine Arts, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

November 18-20, 2005: Featured Writer/Speaker, Miami International Book Fair, Miami, Florida.

November 15-17, 2005: Guest Writer/Speaker, International Studies Week, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

October 24-28, 2005: Keynote Speaker/Guest Writer, South Central Modern Language Association (SCMLA), Houston University, Houston, Texas.

May 4, 2005: Featured Writer/Lecturer, the Annual English Festival, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

April 11-14, 2005: Guest Writer/Speaker, English Department, Hamilton College, Canton, New York.

April 9, 2005: Guest Writer/Speaker: University of Minnesota (African Night), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul.

February 23-26, 2005: Guest Writer/Speaker, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Lake Forest University, Illinois.

October 20-22, 2004: Guest Writer, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York.

October 13-17, 2004: Guest Speaker Yari Yari: Black Women Writers Dissecting Globalization

February 22-25, 2004: Guest Writer/Speaker for the 2004 African American History Month, College of Humanities, and Graduate Studies, Hamline University, Minneapolis St. Paul, Minnesota.

February 9, 2004: Guest Speaker/Writer in African Literature organized by Dr. Akua Saar. Department of African Language and Literature. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.

October 1-3, 2003: Guest Writer/Speaker, University of West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica.

November 13-15, 2003: Guest Writer/Performer in celebration of Africa and the Black World, Epson Downs/Surrey England, Piccadilly Square, London.

April 16, 2003: Guest Writer/Speaker at the Collegium for African American Research (CAAR) Conference, held in King Alfred¹s College, Winchester, England, from April 12-15, 2003.

April 5, 2003: Keynote Speaker at the Women Studies Conference in celebration of the 2003 Women History Month, held in Indiana University, Northwest, Indiana, USA, from April 3-6, 2003.

April 17, 2002: Keynote Speaker at the Southern Institute and Research in African Studies (SIRAS) Convention, Frankfurth, Kentucky State University, Kentucky, USA.

April 13, 2002: "Sojourner Speaks to the Global Village." Keynote Address, delivered at the SIRAS/Black Expressions Conference, Kentucky State University, Lexington, Kentucky.

April 5, 2002: "Buried in the Rubble: The Missing Face in African Literature". Keynote Address, presented at the African Literature Association (ALA) Annual Convention, San Diego, California.

February 19, 2002: "Hear Us Too! Niger Delta Rural Women and The Multinational Oil Companies". Guest Lecture/Reading, presented at the Salem College, Winston Salem, North Carolina.

March 29, 2001: Guest Writer/Speaker, Housatanic College, New Haven, Connecticut.

April 4-5, 2001: Guest Writer/Speaker, Augustana University, Davenport, Illinois.

April 6-7, 2001: Guest Writer/Speaker, St Andrews University, Rock Island, Iowa.

October 7, 2000: Keynote Address/Featured Speaker, Women Studies Conference, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven CT., USA.

August, 2000: Guest Writer/Speaker, The National Black Arts Festival, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

June 28, 2000: Featured Writer/Speaker, Beloit College & Public Schools, Beloit, WI, USA.

December 1999: "The Playwright In Search of an Audience." The Writer/Speaker Series, for the Millennium Forum on African Writing, sponsored by the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC.

May 1999: Guest Writer/Speaker, English Department & African American Studies Department, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.

November 1999: Keynote Speaker, Pan-African Writer’s Millennium Convention, Accra, Ghana, hosted by the Pan-African Writers Association, Ghana.

November 1999: Guest Writer/Performer, English Department, Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin.

April 10-13,1999: Guest Speaker/Writer, English Department, University of Houston, Houston, Texas.

January 19-23,1999: Guest Writer at The Hellenic International Theatre Institute, organized by the conveners of the International Women Playwrights Conference in Athens, the Delphi Centre, Greece.

March 23-April 4, 1998: Guest Writer/Speaker, Swedish Cultural Centre in Stockholm, at the invitation of the UNESCO & the Bellagio Publishing Group, for “The Ubuntu 2000: Movements for Global Visions of Cultural Policy And Connectivity."

February 19-27, 1998: Guest Writer/Speaker, "Dialogues on African Writing & Publishing," held in Arusha, Tanzania, and organized by the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation, Uppsala, Sweden and The African Books Collective in Oxford, UK.

November 1997: Guest Writer/Speaker, St. Mary's College, St. Mary's City, Maryland, USA.

November 1997: Invited Guest Writer/Speaker, "Dialogues on African Writing and Publishing, organized by the DagHammaskjold Foundation in Upsalla, Sweden, in collaboration with the African Books Collective (ABC), Oxford, United Kingdom held in Arusha, Tanzania, East Africa.

October 1997: Guest Speaker, "Playwrights Panel Discussion On Black Theatre" at the "Yari-Yari" Conference of Women Writers of African Descent, New York.

April 1997: Guest Writer/Scholar, African/African American Studies Department, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

December 1996: Featured Writer/Speaker, Pan-African Theatre Festival (PANAFEST). On "Re-Uniting The African Family in The 21st Century," Accra Ghana, West Africa featuring major black artists, Steve Wonder, Isaac Hayes & Ama Ata Aidoo.

August 1995: Guest Speaker/Performer at the 1995 National Black Arts/Theatre Festival in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

April 1995: Guest-Speaker "(Dis) Connections: African, African American and Caribbean Drama" The Second National Black Theatre Festival (Theme: The Spirit of Black Theatre Into The 21st Century, Medgar Evers College, New York, April 26-30, 1995.

March 23, 1995: Invited Guest Writer/Speaker for the 1995 Women’s History Month, organized by the Women Studies Program in Univ. of Wisconsin, Stout - my presentation, titled, "Feminist Aesthetics in African Literature and Drama."

March 17, 1995: Invited by the NCTE to lead the Workshop on International Drama. My chosen theme: "Let’s Play Together: Connecting World Voices Through Drama."

November 5-7, 1994: Guest Writer/Speaker/Panel Presenter to the 1994 African Studies Association (ALA) convention held at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

February, 1994: Invited Guest Writer/Speaker to the convention of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AACU), Philadelphia, PA - my presentation titled; "The Question of Intercultural Studies in the American Academy.”

May 29-30, 1993: Keynote Speaker/Guest Writer at the International Symposium on African Theatre and Film, held in the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada - my presentation titled; “The Next Stage for African Theatre?”

March 30, 1992: Invited Guest Writer/Speaker for the Women’s History Month Guest Lecture Series at the CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, NY, New York - my presentation titled; “Sheroism: Bridges Across Land and Sea.”

May 17-20, 1991: Invited Guest Writer/Speaker at the 2nd International Woman Playwright’s Conference, University of Toronto, Glendon College, Guelph, Ontario, Canada - my presentation titled; “The Legacy of Oedipus: Women and Tragedy.”

April 4-9, 1991: Invited Guest Writer/Performer to the Theatre Department at Smith College, Northampton, MA.

March 17-20, 1991: Invited Guest Speaker/Writer at the 1991 African Literary Association Conference, Loyola College, New Orleans—my presentation titled; “The Co-Wife Syndrome: The Politics of Being Woman in African Folktales.”

April 4-7, 1990: Panel Presenter at the 1990 Annual Convention of the African Literature Association (ALA), held in the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.; my presentation titled; “Speaking Without Tongue: Crisis of Identity in Ayi Kwei Armah’s Novels.”

February 4-7, 1990: Guest Writer/Speaker to the 1990 International Symposium on Chinua Achebe's Fiction held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria—my presentation titled; “The Community as Shadow of the Individual: Issues in the Social Theory of Nanganism and the Cult of Personality in Achebe’s Novels.”

June 14-July, 1989: Invited Guest Writer (sponsored by the British Council) for the International Panels/ Dialogues on Writing Across the Atlantic: The Contemporary British Writer held in King’s College, Cambridge University, England. Panel of distinguished writers included: William Golding, Doris Lessing, Kazuo Ishiguro, Michael Ondaatje, Arnold Wesker and Wole Soyinka - my presentation titled; “The New Face of Women in Africa.”

March 26, 1989: Keynote Speaker for the occasion marking the celebration of the appointment of the first three female professors at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka - my presentation titled; “The Art of Being a Woman and More.”

November, 1988: Presidential Address delivered at the 1988 Annual Convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), held in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria - my presidential address titled; “The Tribe of Writers in Search of Homestead.”

October 14-22, 1988: Featured Writer/Speaker/Performer at the First Convention of the Women Writers International, held at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo, New York in October 1988 - my presentation titled; “Mythopoeic Vision and the Revolutionary Imperative: New Orientations in Modern Nigerian Drama.”

February 14, 1988: Keynote Speaker at the 988 Annual Convention of the Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA), delivered in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria - my presentation titled; “Of ANA, Growth and Harvest.”

December 4, 1987: Panel Presenter at the Annual English and Literature Conference held in the University of Calabar, May 4-9, 1987 - my presentation titled; “The Unanswered Question: Literature and National Consciousness.”

October 14, 1986: Panel Presenter at the Annual Convention of the Literary Society of Nigeria (LSN) held in the University of Benin, Benin-City, Nigeria - my presentation titled; “The Writer as a Pathfinder: Dimensions of Epic Theatre in Osofisan’s Once Upon Four Robbers.”

May 7, 1986: Panel Presenter at the 5th Annual Literary Society of Nigeria Conference, University of Port Harcourt, May 6-9, 1986 - my presentation titled; “The Function of Metaphor in Osifisan’s The Chattering and The Song.”

February 22, 1985: Panel Presenter for the Seminar Series in English Studies, Organized by the Department of English, University of Benin, Benin-City, Nigeria - my presentation titled; “Osofisan’s Idiom of Confrontation: An Alternative Mode of Value and Valuation in Modern Nigerian Literary Aesthetics.”

May 7, 1985: Panel Presenter at the 6th Annual Literary Society of Nigeria (LSN) Conference held in the University of Ahmadu Bello (ABU), Zaria, May 6-9, 1985 - my presentation titled; “The Quest for Identity: Female Protest in XaLa and So Long a Letter.”

January 22, 1985: Panel Presenter at the 5th Annual Literary Society of Nigeria (LSN) Conference held in the University of Benin, Benin-city, Nigeria from January 22-25, 1985—my presentation titled; "Semiotics and Semantics in Camara Laye’s Radiance of the King."