If you grew up in Eastern Nigerian during the 1980s / 1990s, or if you were already an adult during that era, you must have known of Theresa Onuorah of the famous Egedege dance troupe.
She popularised the Egedege music in the 80s/90s. And for that reason, some people ask if Theresa Onuorah was still alive or has died?
The legendary singer popularised Egedege with their colourful costume, acrobatic displays, intricate dancing steps, and her sonorous voice. Theresa was the beloved queen of her dancing troupe.
Theresa offered good entertainment, and was a staple in high profile social events, whether celebratory like marriages and chieftaincy titles, or mourning events such as celebrations of life.
However, as it were, her music was mostly limited to eastern Nigeria, and the diaspora when called upon to perform. Which perhaps is partly accounted for by the fact that she sings only in the Igbo language.
Over the years, the popularity of Egedege has declined sharply. To a large extent, the music might be regarded as resembling relics from the past. Remembered by some with nostalgia.
Theresa Onuorah, herself, does not seem to perform much any more, which has led many to wonder if she is deceased or alive.
In an attempt to clear the doubt, I reached out to someone who is a very big fan of hers. Someone whom I know has several times engaged Theresa Onuorah and her famous Egedege Dance Troupe of Unubi, to answer the question of whether she is still alive or dead.
According to the person, Theresa is still very much alive and still performs on the stage.
Asked about her family, this fan says: “I don’t think she’s married, I don’t think she has any children… Her base is Unubi, her hometown.”
Also according to my source, one can engage Theresa to perform at a cost of about NGN 150-200,000.00.
Now, while death is inevitable and will eventually come to us all, it is exhilarating to know that Theresa Onuorah is still very much alive. And not just that, that she still performs. It feels good to know that.
However, asking if Theresa Onuorah of the famous Egedege is still alive as a topic of a blog seems a bit strange. However, I decided to answer that question after my Google Analytics shows that many people were searching for an answer to the question.
I think it may be natural to ask the question as Queen Theresa Onuorah has been around for decades now. I really do not know the demographic that asked the question. Probably people in their thirties and upwards. I guess this was because Theresa was popular in the 80s and 90s. As I mentioned in my previous article where I discussed one of her songs, Ijele Elubego, it will be hard-pressed to find people younger who know about her music. So, it may not be unnatural for some people to wonder if the great singer was still alive. Thankfully, that is the case.
I hope you enjoyed the article. See you next time and don’t forget to share the article with your friends and family.
Update: The writer was privileged to watch Theresa Onuorah perform at a ceremony in Aguata local government area, Anambra State in November of 2021, more than a year after this article was first written. A clip of the performance is shown below.