A GoFundMe campaign has been launched today (1 September) with its description calling for support in Gboyega Odubanjo’s final arrangements and continuing on his legacy. Visit the page here.
A joint statement seen by Crack Magazine has been issued by the friends and family of 27-year-old south London poet and writer Gboyega Odubanjo, who was last seen at Shambala festival – which takes place at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire – at around 4am on Saturday (26 August). Odubanjo was due to take part in a poetry reading at the festival the following day (27 August), which is when he was reported missing.
Yesterday (31 August), Northamptonshire police announced that a body had been found in the search for Odubanjo following a five-day community search, and social media campaign instigated by friends and family appealing for information. A formal identification has yet to take place.
In the new statement issued this evening (1 September), Odubanjo’s family describe him as a “loving and caring” son and a “beloved uncle” with “a warm and infectious personality, a contagious smile, and a heart full of kindness”.
“Gboyega’s disappearance was entirely out of character,” the family’s statement continues. “We believe his safety and well-being was neglected while at Shambala festival. We are profoundly alarmed and concerned about how this could have been allowed to happen. It is situated near the lake and with what appears to be inadequate safeguards in place. We wish that Shambala festival had done more when we reached out for help in the search for Gboyega.”
Continuing, they state that “due to a lack of resources, a diving team did not carry out a thorough search of the lake until Thursday 3 August 2023, the day our beautiful brother and son was found. Only shallow areas were searched before, despite Gboyega having been reported missing for several days. We believe that if Gboyega’s life had been valued more by those in power, that we would have found him sooner. We believe that if he had received adequate care, he would still be alive”.
“We hope in future, the local authorities and Shambala festival can act quicker to prevent such devastating circumstances.”
The second portion of the new statement, penned by the “close friends of loved ones” of Odubanjo, reflects on the collective grief felt following the “loss of one of our brightest and most talented stars”. Describing Odubanjo as “inimitable” and “the source of incredible joy and laughter for all of us,” it details the work undergone over the past few days in attempts to find their friend; “to ensure his name and image remained visible to members of the public across the UK and that search efforts were maintained, in the hope that we might find him safe and well”.
“We are woefully aware of the disparities faced by people from minoritised ethnic communities, including remaining missing for longer, based on data from local authorities and police forces,” it continues. “We would like to thank everyone who helped in the mission to bring Gboyega home safe; all those who shared the callout, sent in information, and went out searching. Your support has meant the world to us in this incredibly difficult time. We would also like to take this opportunity to express our feelings of deep anger and disappointment towards several parties who should have been better able to ensure the welfare of Gboyega, both prior to and in the wake of his disappearance, in addition to the immediate aftermath of the discovery of his passing.”
Tice Cin, a London-based interdisciplinary artist and close friend to Odubanjo, described yesterday’s events as “an unjust ending”, writing that “nobody deserves to go missing in a society with all the resources to find our loved ones, yet you have been without us for so long.”
An award-winning poet and editor at Bad Betty Press and poetry magazine bath magg, Odubanjo’s forthcoming debut collection full-length, Adam, is said to have been inspired by the unsolved murder of “Adam”, an unidentified boy whose body was discovered in the River Thames, in central London, in 2001. “Adam builds from the Genesis myth and from Yoruba culture to examine with an unflinching eye the disappearance of a child and its implications for all Black lives, and for the society in which we live,” reads a synposis shared with Crack Magazine. Those who work alongside Odubanjo at Bad Betty Press issued a statement to Instagram last night, criticising the police force’s handling of the missing person’s case. You can see that statement in full below.
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The statement from Northamptonshire police, issued yesterday (31 August), detailed the search efforts led by detectives, including the use of police search dogs, specially-trained police search advisor officers, neighbourhood and response police officers, a police dive team, and volunteer members of Northamptonshire Search and Rescue, including their trained search dogs. Shambala had shared the police’s statement to its Instagram account, but later removed at the request of family members who claim the statement had been shared prior to some of his loved ones being informed, a source tells Crack.
Crack Magazine reached out to representatives for Shambala festival for additional comment in light of the new statement. Responding this evening, the festival said: “We have not yet had official confirmation from the police of the identity of the person found, or detailed information about the circumstances of the death. On this basis, we aren’t able to provide any further information currently.”
Continuing, Shambala said: “When Gboyega was reported missing by friends at the event, having not turned up for his poetry set on Sunday, police were notified immediately, and attended the festival to speak to his friends. We are working closely with the police. We understand that friends and family need answers, and we will assist in good faith with any and all inquiries over the coming weeks and months. As a team and festival community, we are heartbroken by this loss, and can not imagine the pain felt by Gboyega’s family, friends and community.”
Update, 2 September: This story was updated at 07:24 BST to include links to the new statements, which were published to social media shortly after the time of writing.