By Leo Igwe
In January I attended the funeral of Prof Bene Madunagu(Nee Benedicta Afangide) in Calabar Cross River state. Madunagu, born on March 21 1947 died on November 26, 2024. She was the wife of the Nigerian author and prominent socialist, Edwin Madunagu. Bene was a foremost feminist and leftist, co-founder of Girl’s Power Initiative, and a professor of Botany at the University of Calabar. I have known Bene for decades and have admired her work promoting the rights of women and girls. Her death was a huge loss to the feminist, and human rights movements. Those who knew Bene closely said she was nonreligious. I was not surprised because feminism and strict religiosity are strange bedfellows. So, I was curious to know what would be the nature of her funeral. Would she be given a religious or secular funeral? For nonreligious Nigerians, a secular funeral is never guaranteed. When a humanist colleague, Patrick Naagbanton, died some years ago, his religious relatives were literally up in arms. They vehemently opposed a proposal for a secular funeral. They threatened to beat up secular celebrants who showed at the event. While on his sick bed and dying, the Pentecostal arm of the family pressured my father, who renounced Christianity and theism, to profess and reembrace religious and theistic beliefs. From these experiences, I thought that a secular funeral in the case of Bene, might not happen.
So when a friend who is close to the family called to inform me about her funeral. I tried confirming again the type of funeral being planned. He emphatically said it was secular and would definitely be secular. He noted that Eddie, the widower insisted that a secular funeral aligned with Bene’s outlook. I looked forward to attending the event, not only to pay my last respects to this woman whom I admired so much from a distance but also to condole with the Madunagu family on the passing of this revolutionary activist and feminist icon. Particularly I looked forward to attending this secular funeral of a kind.
In most cases when nonreligious people pass away, religious members of the family hijack the funerals. They bury atheist, humanist, or nonreligious relatives in a religious, Christian, or Islamic way even when they know very well that these persons did not profess religious or theistic beliefs. Cross River is predominately Christian. And Madunagu family has Christian family members and relatives. Will Bene secular funeral be hijacked?
I decided to attend to witness how Eddie would contain, and withstand the pressures; manage, and stave off interference, and intrusions from Christian/religious relatives and friends. But my worries and concerns were misplaced. Everything went on well, smoothly and serenely secular.
I arrived Calabar on January 16, 2025, and went straight to the Metropolitan Hotel where the first event for the funeral was held. It was a conference titled: Feminist: NO IFs, NO BUTs: THE LIFE & TIMES OF AN ICONIC FEMINIST. At this program, different panelists explored Bene’s theory and practice of feminism and the making of future Benes; they paid glowing tributes to Bene for her contributions to the feminist movement in Nigeria, nay in Africa.
This event was followed by a funeral conference at the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) Secretariat, University of Calabar. ASUU organized it to honor Bene, who was the first female chairperson of the union. The event featured a reading of Bene’s biography, some cultural performances, and a lecture. Later in the day, there was a social/funeral wake also at the ASUU secretariat, University of Calabar featuring tributes, cultural performances, and solidarity songs.
On Friday, January 17 was the interment. The body arrived at the compound of the Girl’s Power Initiative and lay in state for a couple of hours. During that period there were tributes from family and friends. The body was later taken to the graveside and interred. I looked at the program of events I did not see any item on praise and worship. Throughout the event, I did not hear anyone say: Let us pray. I didn’t see anyone speak in tongues and made some sudden pious rendition or ministration urging the gods, Jesus, angels, or saints to meet up with her and receive her soul in paradise. I never heard any person utter even a word of intercession or supplication.
Some people sang a few songs which I was told were GPI songs, not ‘religious’ songs. The event was a secular funeral in its own category because there was no secular celebrant who conducted or led the ceremony. I was told that a burial committee of friends put together the program guided by Eddie’s stand and insistence that the funeral be secular.
Just like Bene was aptly described as a feminist: “NO IFs, NO BUTs”. Her funeral was secular: “NO IFs, NO BUTs”.
Leo Igwe, a humanist and secular celebrant, lives in Ibadan, Oyo state.