Nigerian writer, playwright, and poet Wole Soyinka has sparked social media conversations after leading members of the Pyrates Confraternity to pay their final respects to renowned literary scholar Biodun Jeyifo.
Pyrates Confraternity, also known as the National Association of Seadogs (NAS), was founded by Mr Soyinka and six others, the “Magnificent Seven.”
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The group, founded in 1952 at the University College, Ibadan, was registered as a humanitarian organisation and was known for charity and advocacy for good governance, among other activities.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Jeyifo, the pioneer president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), died on 11 February at the age of 80.
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In a video obtained by this newspaper on Wednesday, the Nobel Laureate led the group as they paid their last respects to Mr Jeyifo, who was laid to rest in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The group, under Mr Soyinka’s leadership, celebrated the late scholar’s enduring contributions to African literature, theatre and intellectual discourse.
Traditional attire
The footage showed Mr Soyinka dressed in a white shirt, black trousers and a jacket, leading members clad in the confraternity’s traditional white, red and black colours.
Holding a sword, the 91-year-old guided the procession as members sang solemnly in tribute.
Upon arrival at the graveside, they rendered songs in honour of a life devoted to scholarship, activism and the advancement of African thought.
The interment of Mr Jeyifo took place at the Anglican Cemetery, St James the Great Cathedral Burial Ground, Ijokodo, Ibadan.
His final journey home commenced on Tuesday with an evening of tributes held at Omolayole Hall, International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
A lying-in-state was first held at TOS Funeral Homes, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, and later at the deceased’s residence on Jeyifous Street, Oke-Bola, Ibadan.
Mr Jeyifo
Colleagues and students affectionately referred to Mr Jeyifo as “Professor BJ”, a testament to the deep respect he commanded within academic circles.
He began his academic journey at the then University of Ife, where he established himself as a formidable scholar, before holding joint teaching appointments at Cornell University and Harvard University in the United States.
In January, scholars, writers and cultural figures gathered at the MUSON Centre in Lagos for an international colloquium to celebrate his 80th birthday and honour his lifelong contributions to literary scholarship and intellectual engagement.
Background
Mr Jeyifo earned widespread recognition as a foremost authority on the life and works of Wole Soyinka.
His seminal book, “Wole Soyinka: Politics, Poetics and Postcolonialism”, published by Cambridge University Press in 2004, attracted global acclaim and won several awards.
Many scholars have since regarded it as one of the most comprehensive and rigorous single-author studies in African postcolonial literary criticism.
Born on 5 January 1946, Mr Jeyifo was a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and a respected public intellectual whose decades-long career encompassed teaching, research and mentorship in both Nigeria and the United States.
