Autor: superdilly

Adwoa Owusuaa Bobie – a career update

My path crossed with Foundation Oumou Dilly at the maiden edition of the CODESERIA Summer School in 2015. The programme was organized in Dakar, Senegal, in collaboration with the Centre for African Studies of the University of Basel. After the Summer School, there was an opportunity to apply for a full PhD scholarship among participants of which I won.

The Foundation sponsored my four-year PhD programme at the Centre for African Studies (Sociology option) at the University of Basel. The scholarship was comprehensive, covering my fees, stay, medicals, fieldwork travels and quota for book purchase. Living in a country like Switzerland, with its high living standards, the monthly stipend and medical coverage eased the financial burdens most migrant students face in Switzerland. The provision of fieldwork allowance afforded me the room to explore my interest in the African fashion industry, specifically Lagos, Nigeria. Studying the Lagos fashion industry was an ambitious task considering the fact that I had never been to Nigeria before the time.

Besides the financial support, the Foundation facilitated the creation of scholarly community for beneficiaries in Basel which became a social network that supported integration and intellectual development. This scholarly community have existed till date and has increased in membership over the years. Based on the financial and social support I received through the Foundation I was able to complete my degree on time amidst managing family back at home and two pregnancies.

Fortunately, I got an opportunity for a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in Ghana in 2019, few months before I completed my PhD. The postdoctoral fellowship was on the Ghanaian creative industry, titled “Advancing Creative Industries for Development in Ghana (ACIG)”. After completing my tenure as a postdoc in 2022, I was contracted by UNESCO for three months to consult as a researcher on the Preliminary Exploratory Research on the African Industry.

Currently, I am a research fellow at the Centre for Cultural and African Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. My research areas are the African fashion industry, cultural and creative industry, gender and development studies. The Foundation Oumou Dilly continues to support my academic career by financially supporting my research work and conference presentations.

Antoinette Danebaï Lamana – a Spring in Basel: a sojourn between the Academy and Culture, renewing oneself!

I started my stay in Basel for a semester in February 2023: a spring semester on wheels… a time when, literally and figuratively, the harshness of winter gives way to renewal.

First, a working environment reminiscent of chalets, a view over the River Rhine at the Center for African Studies, and many researchers. Warm support from the entire Centre team in general and, in particular, the follow-up by Dr Veit Arlt lending tireless support before and during the sojourn. Then, how not to mention the Basler “Fasnacht” (my first carnival experience in vivo) that set the tone for my eclectic academic stay in Basel (carnival atmosphere, committed message, generosity, parody etc.).

Then the challenging seminars and symposia at the University of Basel immersed me in current scientific debates and methodological and epistemological questions. I enjoyed the framework and resources of libraries (Universitätsbibliothek, University Library Rosental…), great moments with researchers willing to exchange and discuss in a friendly way, but also sessions working on the dissertation thesis in the company of doctoral students of the Graduate School of Social Sciences G3S and with participants of the Research Seminar on Quantitative Data Analysis in African Studies and other sessions and workshops.

In addition, magnificent landscapes, the River Wiese, the mountains, and the caves far from the beaten track offer contemplation and provide a unique setting for meditation while far from home. Amazingly, exploring the city and the surroundings by bicycle is so easy and pleasant. My bike, “Bestie from Basel”, and I had unique moments between hills and stops to contemplate the breathtaking landscape on very busy paths or less frequented routes.

This stay was an exceptional moment for me academically, personally and socio-culturally, a space for reflection, work, and escape but also an ideal setting to find myself… Finally, my time in Basel was both stimulating for my thesis and for addressing its challenges and on a personal level through unique and magnificent encounters: I have thoroughly enjoyed my “Basel spring”.

Albert Tibaijuka – it feels like a homecoming

Receiving a postdoc fellowship from the Oumou Dilly Foundation to join the Centre for African Studies at the University of Basel, feels like a homecoming. I was in Basel between 2012 and 2016 for my PhD studies. My stay in the city at the time was a great honour and a tremendous experience, which broadened my horizons in a very remarkable manner. Back in Tanzania, the nostalgia followed me all along like my own shadow. I was thousands of miles from Basel but still cherished the mind-blowing life in that town; and you see? I’m back!!! I am deeply grateful to the Foundation, the Centre, and the St. Augustine University of Tanzania for making this return possible and offering yet another academic research opportunity. A special thank you goes to Barbara Buser and Max Honegger for receiving me back to their family. I simply cannot explain how thankful I am to you all.

My return to Basel has indeed been a privilege because it allowed me to attend weekly seminars like the Colloquium for Research in African Studies and the course Quantitative Analysis for African Studies, both offered by Prof. Elísio Macamo. Similarly, I participated in the weekly Colloquium in Social Anthropology organized by Prof. George-Paul Meiu, as well as in the African Politics Research Group convened by Dr. Michael Aeby. I had the opportunity to present my research project in the Methodological Challenges workshop, jointly organized by Prof. Elísio Macamo and Prof. Rose Marie Beck (Leipzig) and received valuable feedback. Likewise, I benefitted from a second workshop they organized under the title „Is Methodology the Only Way?“ These academic gatherings offered me deep understandings of methodological approaches and challenges, and also allured me to thought-provoking debates such as the (geo)politics and hierarchies of knowledge; reversing the gaze; decolonizing African studies; the problems of scientific knowledge production and a call for non-academic research; just to mention a few.

The opportunity to return to Basel, once again, has not only exposed me to the intellectual eagerness and enthusiasm prevailing at the University of Basel, but also allowed me to indulge in the city’s attractions: the hills; the bridges, ferries and barges on the river Rhein; the Zoo; the incredible precision of the weather forecast and of the public transport; the Saturday flea market on Peterplatz; and the food market at Markthalle. Do you think I was to forget mentioning the fondue, raclette, ravioli, roesti, asparagus, and the ‘Unser Bier’? No. I am in Basel.