Wole Soyinka on Wednesday led members of the National Association of Seadogs, widely known as the Pyrates Confraternity, in paying their final respects to renowned scholar Biodun Jeyifo at the Anglican Cemetery, St James the Great Cathedral Burial Ground in Ijokodo, Ibadan.
Jeyifo, an acclaimed literary critic, public intellectual, Marxist scholar and dedicated trade unionist, passed away on February 11, just over a month after family, friends and former students celebrated his 80th birthday in Lagos.
Mourners from across the country gathered at the cemetery for the burial, including members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), where Jeyifo once served as pioneer president. Members of the Pyrates Confraternity arrived earlier, dressed in their traditional attire of white shirts, black trousers and red regalia.
They performed their customary “sailing” ritual—singing, drumming and dancing—while awaiting Soyinka’s arrival. Shortly after, the Nobel laureate arrived and led the ceremonial procession, holding a sword as he walked solemnly toward the graveside, accompanied by fellow Pyrates chanting traditional confraternity songs.
At the graveside, the ceremony took on a reflective tone as Soyinka and members of the group paid tribute to Jeyifo’s intellectual legacy and lifelong commitment to social justice.
Among those present were the late scholar’s children—Okunola, Lekan and Ayoka—along with grandchildren, colleagues and close associates.
As members sang another farewell anthem, the gathering celebrated a life closely linked with scholarship, activism and camaraderie.
The Pyrates Confraternity was established in 1952 at University College Ibadan by Soyinka and six others famously known as the “Magnificent Seven.” The group later evolved into the National Association of Seadogs, a humanitarian organisation known for promoting good governance, social justice and charitable causes.
In keeping with its tradition, the confraternity honoured Jeyifo with a symbolic “Pyratical burial,” a ceremonial farewell that marks the passing of members as they “sail on to Elysium.”
After the burial rites, Jeyifo’s family members and associates paid a courtesy visit to Rashidi Ladoja, further commemorating the late scholar’s enduring impact on the intellectual and cultural life of Ibadan.
Through the ceremony, Soyinka and the Pyrates Confraternity celebrated Jeyifo not only as a respected member of their brotherhood but also as a towering figure in African literary scholarship and progressive thought.