Dr Mark Van De Velde
Researcher
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Mark Van de Velde is a linguist. His research focuses on the languages of Sub-Saharan Africa, especially the Bantu languages and the languages today collectively referred to as Adamawa.
He tries to discover scenarios of change that make sense of synchronically attested variation in grammatical constructions by comparing related languages. The Bantu family provides a wonderful natural experiment for such an approach, thanks to the very high amount of closely related languages with a rich morphology.
During his time at IFRA he will concentrate on the analysis, documentation and comparison of the Jarawan languages, with a special focus on Mbula.
Publications
Most of his publications can be downloaded from https://mark.vandevelde.cnrs.fr/ or HAL SHS
Plusieurs liens possible pour HAL :
https://shs.hal.science/search/index?q=Mark+Van+de+Velde
https://mark.vandevelde.cnrs.fr/hal-publications/
ou simplement le lien général vers HAL :
https://shs.hal.science/
Dr Stefan Le Courant
Researcher
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Stefan Le Courant is an anthropologist whose research explores two main areas:
- Borders and migrant experiences
- Daily life under (legal, political, ecological, mystical) threats and dangers
His assignment to IFRA Ibadan is an opportunity to begin new research on missing people in migration contexts.
Based on two field studies (in Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire), the aim is to understand the effects of these unexplained disappearances and to identify the different ways of dealing with them. These investigations focus on ways of searching for, finding, bringing home, or mourning those who have been absent for years.
Latest publications
Books
Diakahté B., Diallo A., Le Courant S., Millerand C., Zougbede E., Forthcoming, Au travail !, Editions d’une rive à l’autre, Paris.
Le Courant S., 2022 Vivre sous la menace. Les sans-papiers et l’État, Le Seuil, Paris.
Articles
Andro G., Le Bonhomme F., Le Courant S., 2025, « Faire l’histoire d’une prison désaffectée avec ses anciens acteurs : retour sur une recherche participative en histoire orale (PriMem, Rennes) », Mouvements, 119 [en ligne].
Aguilera M., Boëx C., Jakšić M., Le Courant S. 2025, « Pister les preuves. Du doute à l’élaboration des faits », Tracés, 46 [en ligne].
Le Courant S., 2024 « Dos nombres y muchas fronteras », Papeles de Identidad. Contar la investigación de frontera, 2 (312) [en ligne].
Chauvin S., Le Courant S., Tourette L., 2021 « Working with Irregular Status: Undocumented Migrants and the Moral Economy of Employment », Revue Européenne des migrations internationales, 37(1-2) [en ligne]
Dr Pauline Guinard
Director of IFRA-Nigeria
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Pauline Guinard is an urban geographer whose research explores three main areas:
- the interaction between arts and public spaces, with a focus on the cities in the Global South;
- fieldwork practices, especially under constrained or challenging conditions;
- the emotional dimension of individual and collective relationships with space.
To apprehend and share this sensitive, embodied, and affective relation to space, she has been developing a research-creation methodology over the past few years. Through artistic and creative media—including sound and visual mapping, storytelling, and in situ dance—she seeks to move beyond the predominantly visual and verbal methods of geography. In doing so, she offers complementary ways of exploring how inhabitants experience urban transformations in Greater Paris and Lagos.
Latest publications
Books
Guinard P., Guitard E., Maazaz I. (ed.), Forthcoming, Looking For and Learning From Public Spaces in African Cities, Africae.
Carriou C., Guinard P., Olivera M. (dir.), 2023, Pratiques d’émancipation urbaine, Paris, Editions Le Manuscrit.
Articles
Drouin E., Guinard P. et Volvey A., 2025, « Le Lab-DeuxièmeGroupe, analyse d’une méthodologie de création-recherche en situation de transformations urbaines à Malakoff (Grand Paris) », Cybergeo : European Journal of Geography [En ligne], DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/14mba.
Guinard P., Lanne J.-B., 2021, “Emotions from and beyond the classroom. An experiment in teaching and sharing emotional methodologies.”, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, URL : https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2021.1977916.
Guinard P., 2021, "Inhabitant By Sello Pesa and Vaughn Sadie (2011) or how to (re)imagine public spaces in Johannesburg through art", Critical African Studies, vol. 13, n°3, p. 270-285,URL : https://doi.org/10.1080/21681392.2021.1902830
After three years as head of IFRA-Nigeria, Professor Barbara Morovich finished her contract at the end of August 2025. She will be joining the Université Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris in September 2025 as a Professor in the Department of Urbanism. Below is her farewell message, in both French and English.
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Edafe Uzuazor Okosodo
Secretary, Communication and Logistics Assistant
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Edafe holds a master's in Translation from the Advanced school of Translators and Interpreters in Buea Cameroon. She worked from 2020 to August 2023 in the Consulate General of Nigeria in Douala, Cameroun, first as consular assistant/translator and then as social secretary/translator. She joined IFRA-Nigeria as secretary, communication and logistics assistant in 2023. Fluent in French, she is in charge of updating IFRA-Nigeria's social networks, drafting correspondence, and she plays a key role by managing IFRA's logistics, relations with local partners and organising the travel of researchers and exchange students.
Marie Lureau
Research Project Manager
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After a master's degree in International Cooperation and Development at Sciences Po Bordeaux, Marie began studying Nigeria as an intern with Crisis Group's West Africa Program. She then worked for a year as a project manager for social impact studies at Insuco in Gabon, followed by experiences at the Office of the Director-General of the UN in Geneva and as a partnerships officer at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Marie joined IFRA-Nigeria in 2025 as a research project manager. She is responsible for IFRA's communication and website, supports the development of research projects, organizes events, and will also conduct her own research.
Olushola Patrick Babalola
Documentalist & Archivist
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Olushola holds a Bachelor's degree in Library, Archival, and Information Studies, as well as a Master's in Archival and Records Management from the University of Ibadan. He began working as a library officer at IFRA-Nigeria in 2009 before becoming our documentalist and archivist in 2013. He oversees the management of IFRA's Resource Center and its collection, including the acquisition of new books. In addition to assisting researchers and students in making the best use of our resources, he shares his extensive expertise by organizing workshops and training sessions at IFRA and beyond. As an archivist, he is also dedicated to digitizing parts of the Institute's material. Beyond these responsibilities, he plays a key role in event logistics and photography.
Olaolu Popoola
Driver
Olaolu has extensive experience as a driver, having worked in the field for 20 years—first for a decade at the Lister Flour Mill in Ibadan, then with Uber before joining IFRA-Nigeria in 2016. A trusted and essential member of our team, he is responsible not only for IFRA-Nigeria's daily transportation needs but also for facilitating the arrival of researchers from abroad. Additionally, he provides invaluable support for various practical tasks within our offices.
Emmanuel Udoh
Secretary-General
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A graduate from the Polytechnic Ibadan, with a higher national diploma in Office Technology and Management, Emmanuel Udoh previously worked with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA Ibadan), Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), and Center for French Training and Documentation (CFTD Ibadan). Emmanuel became IFRA's secretary-general in 2023. His role involves overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Institute, including financial management and coordinating with various departments and stakeholders.
Tobi Bemi Awe
Cleaner
Originally from Lagos, Tobi trained in bag-making and sold her creations before moving to Ibadan five years ago. Since joining IFRA in 2023, she has been an integral member of our team, responsible for maintaining our offices and assisting with events' setup. In addition to her work at IFRA-Nigeria, she continues to practice bag-making.
Director
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Secretary-General
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Researcher & Deputy Director
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Researcher
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Researcher
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Secretary, Communication and Logistics Assistant
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Research Project Manager
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Documentalist
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Driver
Maintenance technician
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