Cambridge honours Nigerian PhD student for Biafra Heritage Project
A PhD student at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology, Stanley Onyemechalu, has been recognised for his Legacies of Biafra Heritage Project.
According to an article published by the department on Monday, Onyemechalu was recently named runner-up in the Early Career Researcher category at the Cambridge Awards for Research Impact and Engagement.
Onyemechalu’s project reportedly engaged both young and old in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria, through creative artistic expressions.
“Through workshops and an exhibition, the project aimed to promote intergenerational dialogue and historical awareness on the legacies of the Nigeria-Biafra war, a sensitive part of people’s collective history that has been suppressed by successive Nigerian governments,” the article read.
“I am honoured to have received this important recognition from the University of Cambridge for my work with communities in south-eastern Nigeria,” Onyemechalu was quoted as saying.
He added, “I am grateful to my collaborators at the Centre for Memories in Enugu, Nigeria, including the project volunteers and participants; my supervisor, Dr Dacia Viejo-Rose, and colleagues at the Cambridge Heritage Research Centre; as well as the Public Engagement team at the University of Cambridge.
“I would also like to thank the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and the University’s Public Engagement Starter Fund for supporting the project.”
Onyemechalu’s award was part of a wider celebration of research excellence at Cambridge.
Professor Gilly Carr, a researcher at the Institute of Continuing Education and the Department of Archaeology, was also recognised as runner-up in the Established Academic category for her work on The Safeguarding Sites Project, while Dr Nik Petek-Sargeant, a scholar at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, was similarly honoured as a runner-up in the Early Career Researcher category for his Historical East African Archaeology and Theory Project.
The Cambridge Awards for Research Impact and Engagement are reportedly presented annually to celebrate innovative research approaches that have significant social, cultural, and academic impact.
“The awards, presented by Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice and Professor Sir John Aston FRS, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, recognise innovative practices and partnership working across the engagement, knowledge exchange, and impact space,” the article noted.
