Remembering Biodun Jeyifo: A Scholar's Legacy

Biodun Jeyifo, an eminent Marxist cultural theorist and scholar, died on February 11, 2026, from renal failure, shocking many worldwide, especially his close friends and associates. Just a month prior, he had celebrated his 80th birthday in Lagos, displaying his usual energy and warmth.

Jeyifo was an emeritus professor of African and African American Studies and Comparative Literature at Harvard University, where he joined the faculty in 2006 after moving from Cornell University. He had previously taught at Indiana University and Freie Universität Berlin.

Born in Ibadan on January 5, 1946, he achieved a first-class honors degree in English from the University of Ibadan. Jeyifo published significant works, including monographs on African drama and essays on Wole Soyinka.

He was the first president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and was deeply involved in academic activism. His legacy includes mentoring two generations of students and contributing to the discourse on postcolonial studies.