Under the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Visiting Fellowship programme, fellows are affiliated with the University for a year. The fellowship comprises two components: a ten-month virtual engagement and a two-month in-person visit to Oxford during Trinity term (April to June).  

While at Oxford, Dr Masakure’s research project ‘Humanitarian Workers and Humanitarian Medicine during Zimbabwe’s Liberation War, 1972-1980’ will analyse humanitarian workers during Zimbabwe’s liberation war, a group whose work remains undocumented in the historiography. Highlighting their role in alleviating suffering during one of Zimbabwe’s torturous moments expands the historiography of the liberation struggle and the historiography of ‘humanitarian care’ and ‘humanitarian medicine’ and broadens discussion on the political dynamics of international humanitarianism during Southern Africa’s decolonisation. 

During his stay in Oxford, based at the Refugee Studies Centre, Dr Ayegbusi will be collaborating with Professor Naohiko Omata to examine how displaced families in Katsina State, Nigeria and the Maradi region, Niger Republic, as a result of armed banditry and kidnapping, adapt to conflict-induced migration, focusing on livelihood access and social cohesion. Using participatory methods, the study amplifies the lived experiences of internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and returnees, aiming to bridge academic and policy gaps and inform sustainable peacebuilding. Through the Oxford fellowship, he aims to enhance his expertise in participatory research, strengthen global networks via the Refugee Studies Centre, and further contribute to inclusive and impactful scholarship in African migration studies.