Friends, family celebrate Funso Aiyejina

THE Daaga Hall, UWI, St Augustine, resounded with songs, dance, stories, and readings from his works as friends, colleagues, and well-wishers gathered to honour the life of the poet, short-story writer, playwright and administrator Prof Emeritus Funso Aiyejina.

Some of Aiyejina's closest friends also paid tribute to him at the memorial service on July 10.

Acting dean of Humanities and Education Dr Freddy James said Aiyejina was described by many as the father of the faculty and would be remembered for his leadership, wisdom and his will to be better, do better and live better.

"He embodied a complete and balanced trio of leadership skills that guaranteed personal, professional and spiritual improvement in a sustainable way."

James said Aiyejina balanced his talent with humility and generosity which made him, his genius and scholarship accessible to all.

"His contribution as a literary giant and academic scholar is global and widely embraced.

"His work at the faculty as a dean was innovative, visionary and sustainable and his successful strategies that raised his calibre, endure."

Acting head of department of Literacy, Cultural and Communication Studies Dr Douglas-Wade Brunton had known Aiyejina since 2002 and admired him as a mentor, guide, motivator and leader.

"He was an influential figure in a generation of scholars...all of whom were working to help define and illuminate the Caribbean literary canon.

"This work and the measure of the man mean that he never has and will never leave us in spirit."

Brunton said Aiyejina's generosity and sharing of his wisdom, with colleagues whom he knew for decades and sometimes those he did not know well at all, would always be remembered and appreciated.

Prof Emeritus Brian Copeland said he was still in shock at the passing of Aiyejina, whom he described as his good friend.

"While many respected Funso as an academic, I really knew him as an effective administrator. I realised that he was one of the handful that can competently straddle both spaces."

Copeland said he always asks this when he is asked to speak at memorial services: "Release all resentment one may have toward the deceased, don't hold it back. Forgive and release."

Novelist Earl Lovelace, the subject of much of Aiyejina's work and who had known him since the late 1970s, concluded the tributes.

He said those seeking to discover meaning to Aiyejina's early passing should use it to bring everyone together.

Wasafoli Drummers and Soul Oasis Cultural Ambassadors performed Orisha songs and dance respectively.

About Funso Aiyejina

Aiyejina was born in 1949 in Ososo, Edo State, Nigeria and graduated from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Acadia University, and UWI.

He taught at Obafemi Awolowo University and UWI and was a Fulbright lecturer in creative writing at Lincoln University, Missouri.

He was also a James Michener Fellow of the Caribbean Writers Summer Institute at the University of Miami, and an honorary fellow of the International Writers Workshop, Hong Kong Baptist University.

Aiyejina was also one of the four board directors and former deputy festival director of the Bocas Lit Fest.

He also worked with the Cropper Foundation. The Foundation's facebook page said, "He led the residential workshop for Caribbean Writers for over 20 years, with Merle Hodge, until their retirement as co-facilitators in 2021.

"With over two decades of co-leadership, he led and mentored over 180 Caribbean writers, many of whom have gone on to leave their own mark on the regional and global literary landscape."

Aiyejina was married to Trinidadian Lynda Quamina-Aiyejina, with whom he had two sons, Abuenameh and Ararimeh.