Soyinka’s daughter, Iyetade to be buried January 10

Iyetade Soyinka, the late daughter of Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, will be buried next week in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The deceased, born on June 5, 1965 and survived by a daughter, Oreofe, and a son, Adeoto, passed away on December 28, 2013 at the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, after a brief illness.

A statement by the family said Iyetade will be laid to rest “on Friday, January 10 in Ibadan, after a funeral service at the Chapel of Resurrection, University of Ibadan, at 11a.m. A short service of songs will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday, 9 January.”

It noted that the death had brought “great sadness and an overwhelming sense of loss,” describing the deceased as a cherished daughter.

The statement further narrated that Iyetade had her early education at the Staff School of the University of Ibadan and Queens School, Ibadan. Her higher education was at the University of Ibadan, where she focused on science courses.

She later moved to England where she “chose to leave the sciences altogether and explored the world of Theatre Arts, culture and writing.”

On her return to Nigeria, she set up base in Ibadan where she raised her two children. She also began a vocation as “a poet and performing artiste who embraced the interior shores of life with an unusual depth of perception, courage and understanding.” The funeral statement revealed that the deceased’s volume of poetry, Stars, Fill My Skies, was scheduled for release at the end of 2013.

The family stated that Ms. Iyetade Soyinka was “a fervent Christian who cared deeply and generously for those shunned by society,” “scorned the vain,” “discarded hypocrisies, rejected the limelight and sought to live a life of depth and truth.”