OVATION PUBLISHER, DELE MOMODU, BAGS OXFORD UNIVERSITY FELLOWSHIP
The Chairman, Ovation Media Group, Dr Dele Momodu, returns to his first love, academia, in February 2019, as an Academic Visitor, at the instance of University of Oxford, England. The Director of The African Studies Centre, and The Rhodes Professor of Race Relations at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, Professor Wale Adebanwi conveyed the wonderful news to, Dr Dele Momodu, one of Africa’s most famous publishers, in a letter written in January 2019. Professor Adebanwi wrote:
“I am happy to inform you that the Management Committee of the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford, UK, has approved your request for an Academic Visitor status at the Centre in the Hillary and Trinity Terms, 2019 – that is, between February and July 2019.
Oxford University’s African Studies Centre (see: http://www.africanstudies.ox.ac.uk/) is one of the world’s leading centres of African Studies. The Centre is the focal point for graduate level work and faculty research on Africa. Alongside a vibrant doctoral (DPhil) programme, the MSc in African Studies, inaugurated in 2006, is already recognised as one of Europe’s most prestigious and most successful training programmes in its field. We have trained graduate students who are now holding important positions in different spheres of social, economic and political life in Africa and the rest of the world.
We note that during your fellowship at the Centre, you plan to work on a book manuscript based on your experiences as a journalist, writer, publisher and social media activist entitled, “Celebrity Journalism and the Social Media in Contemporary Africa.”
We will expect you to present aspects of your work at a seminar before the end of your fellowship.
We look forward to hosting you. And we hope your time at Oxford will be mutually rewarding.”
Dr Momodu holds a first degree in Yoruba from the University of Ife, as well as a Master’s in Literature-in-English from the same University, now known as Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He is the first person to combine such Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the country. His journalism career spans four decades in diverse media platforms like African Concord magazine, Weekend Concord newspaper, Classique magazine, among others. He was the founding Editor of Leaders & Company in 1992 (now known as Thisday newspapers) and has contributed to various newspapers and journals including The Premier newspaper, African Guardian magazine, The Sunday Tribune newspaper, Thisweek magazine, The Guardian newspaper, The Sun, The Fame, Global Excellence, among others. He has been a regular contributor to Thisday newspaper, where his remarkable “Pendulum” column attracts and enjoys tremendous followership and accolades.
