I received a scholarship as a visiting scholar at the University of Basel. My stay began in March 2025. I arrived on a Sunday, completely new to Europe, and on my first day I was shown around the city and discovered the European atmosphere.
The first thing I did the following Monday was to get up at 3 a.m. to experience the Morgenstreich of the Basel Fasnacht. Lost in the middle of a large crowd, all the lights went out at 4 a.m. and at the same time, music began to play throughout the city. A carnival with thousands of people moving through the streets of the city at their own pace, causing chaos and yet somehow organised.
Basel is usually a quiet city, but it is a hub for events. In six months, I saw the flags on the Mittlere Brücke change with every major event in the city. Art Basel, the Eurovision Song Contest, the UEFA Women’s European Football Championship and Swiss National Day offered a variety of experiences in a short period of time. Thanks to Switzerland’s excellent public transport links, I was also able to visit other cities and enjoy the beautiful countryside with its mountains, lakes, vineyards and cows. What makes these cities special is that they are very pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly.
The Centre for African Studies always had a calm and supportive atmosphere, allowing me to focus fully on my research projects and make progress. Thanks to the excellent library network of Swiss universities, I had access to extensive resources. From my workplace, I could see the Rhine, the summer activities and the swimmers enjoying their breaks.
In June, I was also able to attend ECAS 2025 in Prague. It was a unique opportunity to discover a large network of scholars and learn about new cultures.
My journey from the CODESRIA Summer School 2024 in Dakar, Senegal, in collaboration with the Centre for African Studies at the University of Basel, took me to Basel in 2025 for this research stay funded by the Fondation Oumou Dilly.
I am leaving Basel feeling that I have had an enriching experience in many ways. My goal was to focus on writing my dissertation. At the end of my stay, however, I left Basel not only with good progress on my dissertation, but also with many new ideas in my head, many memories in my heart and new friends. I am very grateful for this opportunity to get to know the Fondation Oumou Dilly, the Centre for African Studies, all the colleagues I spent these months with, and of course Basel.