Welcoming this year’s LUCAS-LAHRI Virtual Visiting Research Fellows

We are honoured to welcome this year’s cohort of LUCAS-LAHRI Virtual Visiting Research Fellows whose projects will focus on the theme of ‘Africa’s Entanglements in a Global World’ and will examine the continent’s role as an active participant in shaping global dynamics rather than a passive recipient of external influences. 

This scheme is a collaboration between LAHRI and the Centre for African Studies at the University of Leeds (LUCAS). The visiting fellowships provide an opportunity for academics based at institutions on the African continent to undertake a piece of research while interacting closely with an academic at the University of Leeds, with a view to developing ongoing partnerships.  

Six projects are now underway: 

• AbdulGafar Olawale Fahm’s project explores how digital technologies are reshaping Islamic knowledge in Africa, with Nigeria as a key site of innovation and debate. This research will include the critical examination of ethical challenges, such as authenticity and epistemic control, through the lens of Islamic law and decolonial theory. 

• Rosalind Macharia’s research investigates how digital media is driving a renewed wave of Pan-African and anti-imperialist thought, shaped by youth activism and growing distrust in democratic systems. It explores how digital tools, including AI, are used to construct powerful narratives, resist domination, and question emerging geopolitical influences disguised as support for African sovereignty. 

• Ayele Tariku Meshesha’s work traces the history of leprosy in Ethiopia from 1941 to the present, examining how colonial legacies and cultural beliefs shaped public health responses and societal attitudes. The project explores the interplay between traditional healing and biomedical approaches, highlighting the enduring impact of colonialism on disease management and social cohesion. 

• Ibukunolu Olodude’s project studies African queer epistemologies by examining how Yoruba gendered proverbs reflect or silence non-normative gender and sexual identities. Through discourse analysis and interviews with queer Yoruba individuals, it investigates how traditional language shapes and challenges understandings of queerness in African contexts. 

• Zoly Rakotoniera’s work examines how Malagasy literature is entangled with global literary systems, focusing on the transnational circulation and reception of works by Jean-Luc Raharimanana and Johary Ravaloson. It explores the impact of digital globalization, translation, and publishing structures on literary recognition, while reflecting on postcolonial language use and persistent inequalities in world literature.  

• Kingsley Uwaegbute’s research investigates how Igbo youth in Southeast Nigeria are using social media to (re)invent and promote cultural traditions as part of a revivalist movement. It explores how these digital practices reshape cultural identities and challenge existing social structures, framing tradition as both heritage and innovation. 

Our Visiting Fellows page has more information about all the projects.