“Oxford gave Africa a Voice”
“Oxford gave Africa a Voice”: Dr Tolulope Osayomi reflects on his AfOx Fellowship and Global Health
Ò tí ó! (Yorùbá: "It can’t possibly be!") was my immediate reaction to the unexpected and delightful news of my selection as an AfOx Visiting Fellow, in September 2023. It looked too good to be true - to be offered the opportunity to conduct research at the world’s best university. Colleagues and students at my home institution, the University of Ibadan, Nigeria could not hide their profound joy at the news. Incredible! - but I later considered this great recognition as a dividend of hard work and my scholarship. Above all, it is the greatest honour of my career so far. I arrived at Oxford during the Trinity term and in the "warm" spring of April, 2024 with temperatures dipping to 9°C. It was a stark contrast to the intense heat I had left behind in Nigeria. I had grossly underestimated British weather- it was always freezing cold, with frequent light showers all through May and early June. In fact, I almost froze to death on my first night! After settling in, AfOx welcomed us with an induction event where I was excited to meet other fellows of the 2023-2024 cohort, who instantly felt like longtime friends. Following the great talks, we were hosted to a sumptuous lunch. On my way home, I witnessed a bit of the colourful May Day celebration on Broad Street.
Upon arrival, Oxford immediately reminded me of the ancient “brown rooftop city” of Ibadan where tradition and modernity also seamlessly coexist. With a truly global community, it is always open to receiving visitors from far and wide. The relationship between the city's ‘town’ and ‘gown’ – the non-academic and the academic community - like a great choral performance, is remarkably harmonious and pleasantly cooperative, contrasting with the often distant enclosures of many of the colonial era and post-independence universities in African countries. The architectural and scenic beauty of Oxford is one to behold. Memorable sights of the medieval Oxford Castle, picturesque All Souls College, the iconic Radcliffe Camera, the charming Bridge of Sighs, the towering University Church of St Mary the Virgin, the impressive Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers Museums, and the majestic ducks of Cherwell River were simply breathtaking!
Besides its kind and very hospitable people, I enjoyed the city’s cuisine, particularly the kebabs and “pint of sausages”, with unforgettable lunches with friends at George Street, Woodstock Road, Corpus Christi, St Antony’s, Wolfson, St Anne’s, and of course, my dear New College, of which I was proud to be its first AfOx fellow. My first experience of Oxford’s intellectual life was when I was invited by Director Miles Tendi to attend the African Studies Centre’s Annual Lecture. It was delivered by a fellow Nigerian, Professor Amina Mama, whose long-standing scholarship and reputation for her work on women and gender studies had preceded her. I was also pleased to have attended the talk by former BBC newscaster and current SOAS President, Zainab Bedawi on her latest book, The African History of Africa.
During the course of my stay, I recalled some faculty members at Ibadan had trained at Oxford decades ago such as the great African historian, Prof. Bolanle Awe, and the distinguished soil scientist, Prof Ayo Ogunkunle. “There was a Nigerian from your university with whom I shared office during our doctoral studies many years ago”, Nigel Hitchin, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics mentioned to me over lunch at New College. “Do you remember his name?”. I curiously asked. He gently lifted his head as he struggled to recollect. Suddenly, he burst out - “Lori!, Lori!!”. With a look of uncertainty on my face, I slowly repeated after him, “Lori!”. I then later asked, “Do you mean, Prof. Samuel Ilori?. He replied glowingly, “Yes, Ilori” reminiscing the good times they shared. For me, this was a heartwarming reminder of the ties that bound two friends, two universities and two continents.
I consider it a great honour to be the first AfOx fellow to be affiliated with the Oxford Medical Humanities Hub, as I was reliably told by my host. Though the hub was my base, I was provided a nice office space at the Oxford Centre for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology (OCHSMT), 47 Banbury Road, warmly prepared by Belinda Clark, our dynamic administrative assistant. This was after I had been graciously welcomed by my lovely and supportive host, Professor Erica Charters, an eminent historian of medicine, and the Academic Lead for the Oxford Medical Humanities Hub under The Oxford Centre for Research in the Humanities (TORCH). She is an exceptionally kind woman and a great mentor. Her support towards my research and stay has been truly extraordinary. She made every bit absolutely enjoyable. Of course, I am always delighted at every opportunity to mingle with students - many of whom I had the great pleasure of meeting and learning from at the Postgraduate Conference at the Faculty of History.
My fellowship project, which evolved from a COVID-19 mapping initiative, I spearheaded at the University of Ibadan, aimed to investigate why Africa was relatively less affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. My goal was to challenge misleading claims, such as the idea that "poverty could be a vaccine against COVID," and to offer alternative explanations for understanding global health from the Global South epistemologies. This study was informed by Chimamanda Adichie’s conceptualisation of "The Danger of a Single Story" and Chinua Achebe’s imagery of the "Dancing Masquerade." In the end, I drew up a list of considerations that could possibly explain this pandemic mystery such as onset/early preparedness/timely leadership, innovation, resourcefulness, and volunteerism; Africa’s tropical climate, continent’s history of disease outbreaks, youthful population, faith and religion, and local medicine systems.
I shared these findings at the Centre for African Studies, Cambridge; King’s College, London; and the Pandemic Sciences Conference at Oxford. My engagement with the Medical Geography research cluster at Oxford’s School of Geography and Environment, facilitated by Professor Beth Greenhough, was also enlightening. My rewarding discussions with scholars and friends, including Kevin Marsh, Alberto Giubilini, Kat Lecky, Toby Green, Ruth Watson, Rebekah Lee, Simukai Chigudu, Mark Harrison, Utsa Bose, Caesar Atuire, Philippa Johnstone, Philip Bejon, Adebisi Adenipekun and David Kerr, revealed a genuine passion for Africa.
Towards the end of my fellowship, Erica and I co-organized a multidisciplinary workshop titled "COVID-19 and Africa: Equations, Epistemologies, and Experiences," which attracted a varied group of scholars at the Said Business School to discuss the African pandemic mystery. In my presentation titled Poverty As A COVID-19 Vaccine: The Danger of A Single Ontology, I plainly expressed that the COVID-19 narrative in Africa should not be reduced to a single story, as single narratives can be "incomplete and even sometimes untrue" and complex phenomena must be constantly viewed from multiple perspectives as my favourite Yorùbá proverb puts it: “There is no single way into the market”. I was thrilled to see that subsequent presentations re-emphasised and even consolidated that standpoint. At the end of the event, some attendees whispered to us how impressed they were, and indicated that this workshop was the first of its kind in Oxford, and wished we could host another very soon. It was particularly gratifying to hear colleagues from both the Global South and North praise the dynamism of African agency in the face of crisis. To them all, I am deeply indebted.
In the end, I quietly reflected on my experience so far, and conclude with some thoughts on global health. First, the "corpus and praxis" of global health clearly needs to be redefined. Global health must drop those notions of universality and homogeneity, and recognize and incorporate the idea of ‘One World, Multiple Contexts’ which in a broad sense denotes geographical and cultural diversity. Second, it therefore follows that local realities must inform and reinforce global health practices and policies, which can no longer be context blind. Lastly and most importantly, equal treatment as a universal response does not in any way guarantee equal outcomes in health all over the globe; instead, equitable responses that are geographically explicit and culturally sensitive are key to making the world a healthier and more inclusive space for everyone.
“Oi!, Oi!!, let’s beat it”, as I often heard some young lads say, after a good Friday night at Swan & Castle. I only wish my stay was longer but my dear “Naija” awaits me, her proud son. I hope to return to Oxford someday, if only to have that cup of tea and biscuits with Belinda.
Thank you, AfOx and Oxford. For the voice and the listening ear, Africa is truly grateful!
Tolulope Osayomi
Hohee Cho, Erica Charters, Utsa Bose, Tolulope Osayomi, Adebisi Adenipekun, Alberto Giubilini, Yui Chim
