Howard University African Studies and Languages International Conference 2025

This annual two-day conference will be a hybrid conference which will be held both in person at Howard University in Washington, DC and virtually via Zoom. The conference will bring together scholars, policymakers, activists, practitioners, Africanists, and many others across the globe who care about the present and future of Africa and its Diaspora.

• Dr. Esther Mukewa Lisanza, Chair
• Dr. Leonard Muaka
• Oluwafunke Ogunya
• Tafessework Gebeyehu
• Innocent Ekejiuba
• Dr. Sipho Sithole
• Dr. Patrick Oyinda
• Maryan Ali
• Dr. Eman Hussein

African Indigenous knowledge is identified as a global asset, a key component of decolonization, African renaissance, inclusivity, social cohesion, transformation, and sustainable development. African Indigenous knowledge forms and languages have sustained African people since time immemorial. Despite the challenges which indigenous knowledge forms and languages have faced and continue to face such as marginalization and stigmatization caused by colonialism, neo-colonialism, and globalization, these knowledge forms and languages continue to thrive in Africa and beyond.

To continue conversations on these forms of knowledge, we invite participants to present papers on the following sub-themes:

1. Herbal Medicine
2. Indigenous Foods
3. Indigenous Conflict Resolution
4. Indigenous Governance
5. Indigenous Forms of Communication
6. Indigenous Women and Development
7. Indigenous Sustenance of the Environment
8. African Indigenous Languages
9. Folklores, Music, and Proverbial Wisdom
10. Indigenous Scripts and their role in Preserving Indigenous Languages and Literatures
11. Documentation and Preservation of Endangered African Languages
12. Agriculture and Indigenous Practices
13. Archeological Findings and African Languages
14. Indigenous Education
15. Indigenous Economies
16. African Indigenous Law
17. Indigenous Youth Voices
18. Indigenous forms of Diplomacy
19. African Literature
20. Indigenous Gender Relations
21. Indigenous Epistemologies
22. Cultural Spaces
23. Documentation and Digitalization of Indigenous Knowledge Forms
24. Indigenous Science and Technology
25. Indigenous Astronomy

This conference’s dates are crucial because they coincide with Mother Language Day which is celebrated on February 21. We, therefore, invite participants and presenters to reflect on the importance of mother languages not only in their daily communication, but in education, health, governance, justice, environment, international relations etc. of the African indigenous people both on the continent and the diaspora.

Paper Proposals

We invite individual paper proposals that are aligned with the sub-themes listed above. Accepted individual papers will be assembled into panels and the corresponding panelists will be informed accordingly.

Panel Proposals

Panel proposals should include the sub-theme of the panel and a 250-word summary of what the panelists will be presenting, the names of three or four panelists with their institutional affiliation, the topic on which each panelist will be presenting and a 250 word abstract for each of the panelists.

Deadline for submission

Please submit your abstract by June 30th, 2024. Also, indicate under which topic your presentation belongs (see above, e.g., indigenous economies) and whether you will present in person or virtually.
 
Acceptance Notifications will be sent out by September 15th, 2024.

Papers presented at the conference will subsequently be peer reviewed and those accepted for publication will be published in the third issue of the Howard Journal of African Studies.

Any conference-related questions should be sent to the following address esther.lisanza@howard.edu

Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Fourth Floor Hall  
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/89432091207?pwd=aEZbowaT8GQU8KL8F1Z4GBg1mFYxfh.1 

Dr. Esther Mukewa Lisanza, Chair of the Conference

Dr. Mbye Cham, Interim Director, Center for African Studies

Dr. Leonard Muaka, Chair, Department of World Languages and Cultures

Dr. Mohamed Camara, Chair, Department of African Studies

Dr. Rubin Patterson, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Paul Zeleza, Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives, Office of the President

Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Fourth Floor Hall 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/89432091207?pwd=aEZbowaT8GQU8KL8F1Z4GBg1mFYxfh.1  
Chair: Dr. Mohamed Camara, Howard University

Speaker: Dr. George Sefa Dei, University of Toronto, Canada

Ghanaian-born George Sefa Dei is a Professor of Social Justice Education & Director of the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. In 2024 Professor Dei received two honorary doctorates from the University of South Africa and Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In 2012 he received the honorary title of ‘Professor Extraordinarius’ from the Department of Inclusive Education, University of South Africa [UNISA]. In 2017 he was elected as Fellow of Royal Society of Canada, the most prestigious award for an academic scholar. He also received the ‘2016 Whitworth Award for Educational Research’ from the Canadian Education Association (CEA) awarded to the Canadian scholar whose research and scholarship have helped shape Canadian national educational policy and practice.  He is the 2019 Paulo Freire Democratic Project, Chapman University, US - ‘Social Justice Award’ winner. In 2021 Professor Dei received the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Alliance of Black School Educators [ONABSE] for outstanding work in promoting Black and minority youth education.  Also, in 2023, he was named by Silvertrust Media as one of the 100 most influential Black Canadians nationwide. In 2023 Professor Dei received the highly prestigious ‘2023 President’s Impact Award, given to a University of Toronto scholar whose work has reached beyond walls of academia to significantly impact local communities, nationally and internationally.  Professor Dei has forty-seven (47) books, over eighty (80) refereed journal articles, as well as 78 chapters in books to his credit.  Finally, in 2007, Professor Dei was installed as a traditional chief in Ghana, specifically, as the Gyaasehene of the town of Asokore, Koforidua in the New Juaben Traditional Area of Ghana. His stool name is Nana Adusei Sefa Tweneboah.

REFRAMING AFRICAN INDIGENEITIES: BRIDGING BLACKCENTRICITY, AFRICAN ‘ELDERCRITS’ AND THE UBUNTU PHILOSOPHY FOR BLACK SOLIDARITIES

This address will employ the interface of Blackness and Africanness, grounded in the Ubuntu philosophy and African Elders’ Indigenous cultural wisdom traditions to articulate ‘Blackcentricity’ as an approach for Black/African peoples’ advancement. The discussion is anchored in African ‘Eldercrits’ [see Dei 2023; Dei & Adjei, 2024; Dei, et als., 2024] as knowledge associated with long-term belonging & nurturing relationships to Land and places. ‘ElderCrits’ reference Elders’ cultural knowledges that counter imposition of ‘external’ ideas, values & worldviews.  These are cultural metaphors immortalizing wisdom, values, worldviews & philosophies deployed to develop & affirm learner’s intellectual power & reasoning skills. The significance & recognition of Elders cultural knowledges are grounded in Land ecologies & teachings of the Environment [social, physical, metaphysical]. Acknowledging ElderCrits grounds us in African Indigeneity [e.g., re-articulating the ‘African Being’ as Indigenous to Land & soil, and offering a basis of claiming an authentic African identity]. The discussion notes in particular African intellectual traditions of ‘Ubuntu’ philosophy was born out of African struggles, resistance, and liberation. The intellectual and political objective is to contribute to a discussion on the power of Black and African bodies to define challenges afflicting our communities and to think through our own creative solutions grounded in our Elders’ cultural knowledges. For example, how do we engage the ‘Black African humanhood’ working across solidarities, relationalities, inter-connections, mutual interdependence as shared knowledge base for educational praxis? How do we advance critical African scholarship to upend our mental/intellectual enslavement? My address acknowledges the “dialectics of theory” and “social praxis”, engaging the Black African body as a site, source and place of knowing, as well as educational resistance and political action. It is contended that when it comes to the Black/African experience, the ‘question’ has always been: How do we assert the ‘locus of control over our story’ and how we tell stories about ourselves, identities, histories, cultures & lived experiences? We must ‘vocalize our politics’ with an adherence to the idea that ‘to know is to act’ politically, responsibly and timelessly. And, with a realization that the Black/African educator/learner/scholar/worker must always develop a spiritual remembrance of: ‘I am because We are and because We are therefore I am’.  In my address this twinning of ‘Black’ and ‘African’ in “Blackcentricity” is deliberate - to register the confluence of race, colour, culture, spirituality and history to implicate, invoke and further advocate for a global Black African radical politics. The implication for disrupting the colonial appellation of Indigenous will be clear, making the case for African Indigeneity in schooling and Education.

Parallel Session 1A: Indigenous Conflict Resolution and Law-1
Time: 10:05am-11:35am
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Room 119
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/83300890946?pwd=7gITUS1kObsi6fnnGtCa3Pd1rAaNIb.1  
Chair: Abdel Mouncharou, Howard University

• Paper: Traditional Institutions and Their Roles on Peaceful Co-Existence Among The Diverse Ethnic Groups in Nigeria.
  • Presenter: Oluwasegun Ogunsakin, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria (Virtual)
• Paper: Xeer, the Somali Indigenous Law
  • Presenter: Maryan Ali, Howard University (In person)
• Paper: Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Dispute Resolutions: The Yoruba Example
  • Presenter: Hezekiah Olufemi Adeosun, University of Ilorin, Ilorin (In person)

Parallel Session 1B: Indigenous African Women and Development 
Time: 10:05am-11:35am 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Gallery Room 102 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/87509662397?pwd=befMrXMfQCki2rq0PlFtt2Ew8xtsUq.1  
Chair: Denis Waswa, Louisiana State University

• Paper: Indigenous Women and Development in Francophone African Literature: Une si longue lettre by Mariama and Munyal, les larmes de la patience by Djaïli Amadou Amal
  • Presenter: Ariane Ngabeu, Howard University (In Person)
• Paper: Empowering Indigenous Women: Pathways to sustainable Development, A Study of Tsitsi Dagarembga's Nervous Conditions
  • Presenter: Atinuke Adebowale, Lead City University, Nigeria (Virtual)
• Paper: Threads of Empowerment: Kente Cloth and the Resilience of Indigenous African Women
  • Presenter: Nirbhay Rana, IILM University Gurugram, India (In Person)

Parallel Session 1C: Indigenous Epistemology  
Time: 10:05am-11:35am 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Room 138 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/4744636209?pwd=ODQ2MEhLZnlmaHlQalJPQ1ltL3Y4Zz09  
Chair: Dr. Traci Wyatt, Howard University

• Paper: We Bear The Gifts of Our Ancestors: The Epistemic Gift of African Elders Critical Teachings (Eldercritics) for Black Liberation
  • Presenters: Paul Banahene Adjei, Memorial University of Newfoundlland, Canada & Bodia Bavuidi, University of Kinshasa, DRC (In Person)
• Paper: African Tones in Brazilians’ Life: African Perspectives Reshaping Black Brazilian Existence
  • Presenter: Maria Azevedo, Municipal Department of Education of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (Virtual)
• Paper: Human-Jinn Communication: Implication, Asbaab, and the Place of Ruqyah
  • Presenter: Umar Ajetunmobi, University of Kansas (Virtual)

Parallel Session 1D: Digital Space 
Time: 10:05am-11:35am 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, 2nd Floor: Faculty Reading Room
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/81809655139?pwd=m0PCk2vZhSJM0DUCO8SxjakqrKMBNA.1  
Chair: Davonte Lyons, Howard University

• Paper: Worlding African Epistemologies through Digitizing African Literatures in Autochthonous Languages in Tiktok
  • Presenter: Stephen Mutie, Kenyatta University, Kenya (Virtual)
• Paper: Podcasts: The New Nigerian Public Sphere
  • Presenter: Stephen Odebiyi, Wayne State University (Virtual)
• Paper: The Influence of Migration to Digitization on the Production of Alaroye Nigerian Indigenous Newspaper
  • Presenter: Oluwaseyi Olawole, University of Ibadan, Nigeria (Virtual)

Parallel Session 2A: The Role of Indigenous Languages  
Time: 11:40am-1:10pm 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Room 119 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/83300890946?pwd=7gITUS1kObsi6fnnGtCa3Pd1rAaNIb.1  
Chair: Tafessework Gebeyehu, Howard University

• Paper: Exploring the Significant Role of Ge’ez in Preserving the Book of Enoch.
  • Presenter: Zebene Lemma, Howard University (In Person)
• Paper: The Child Destiny: An Ethno-Pragmatic Analysis of Fortune Personal Names in Anaan Culture in Nigeria
  • Presenter: Victoria Etim, University of Calabar (Virtual)
• Paper: Toward Inclusive Language Policy: Incorporating Indigenous Languages into Learning Practices, A Case of Tanzania
  • Presenter: Jane Shange, University of Iowa (In Person)

Parallel Session 2B: Language Empowerment and Revitalization 
Time: 11:40am-1:10pm 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Room 138 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/87509662397?pwd=befMrXMfQCki2rq0PlFtt2Ew8xtsUq.1 
Chair: Dr. Patrick Oyinda, Howard University

• Paper: Revitalizing Endangered Languages Through Indigenous Systems in Digital Media Technologies Era: The Case of Suba in Kenya
  • Presenter: Gerry Ayieko, Daystar University, Kenya (Virtual)
• Paper: Language Empowerment and the Revitalization of Africa Indigenous Knowledge: Exploring Ethnic Identity and Multilingualism
  • Presenter: Akinloye Ojo, University of Georgia (In Person)
• Paper: Challenges of Some Indigenous African Languages in Intercultural Communication: A Case Study of Yala Local Government and The University of Calabar, Nigeria
  • Presenter: Godwin Iwuchukwu, University of Calabar, Nigeria (In Person)

Parallel Session 2C: Indigenous Calendars and Visual Art Practices 
Time: 11:40am-1:10pm 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Gallery Room 102 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/4744636209?pwd=ODQ2MEhLZnlmaHlQalJPQ1ltL3Y4Zz09  
Chair: Oluwafunke Ogunya, Howard University

• Paper: Ududu Culture as a Medium to the Chronology of Non-Literate Ohafia Igbo of Nigeria
  • Presenter: Ahamefula Mba, Hezekiel University (In Person)
• Paper: Shared and Distinct Aspects of Africa’s Ancient Stone Calendars: Inzalo y’ Langa, Nabta Playa, Ng'amoritung'a and the Wanar complex
  • Presenter: Gardiana Bandeira Melo, University of Oxford (In Person)
• Paper: Nsibidi Re-inventing as an Adjunct in Contemporary Visual Art Practice
  • Presenter: John Agbor Nje, University of Calabar, Nigeria (In Person)

Parallel Session 2D: African Indigenous Dance  
Time: 11:40am-1:10pm 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, 2nd Floor: Faculty Reading Room 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/81809655139?pwd=m0PCk2vZhSJM0DUCO8SxjakqrKMBNA.1  
Chair: Dr. Sipho Sithole, Howard University

• Paper: Maintenance of African Traditions Through the Festival of Drums and Cultural Expressions in Palenque De San Basilio/De Benkos
  • Presenter: Mesi Bakari Walton, Howard University (In Person)
• Paper: Indigenous Dance as a Healing Modality
  • Presenters: Tebogo O. P. Kgobokoe, North West University, South Africa (Virtual) & Motheo Koitsiwe, North West University, South Africa (Virtual)
• Paper: The Indigenous Cultural and Spiritual Practices of the Taita People Through Music, Folklore, and Wisdom.
  • Presenter: Anna Mwalagho, Howard University (In Person)

Lunch Break

Parallel Session 3A: Indigenous African Governance- 1 
Time: 2:10pm-3:40pm 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Room 119  
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/83300890946?pwd=7gITUS1kObsi6fnnGtCa3Pd1rAaNIb.1  
Chair: Dr. Francis Wiafe-Amoako, Howard University

• Paper: The Limits of Traditional Authority: A Case for Balancing Representative and Participatory Democracy in Rural Governance
  • Presenter: Wandile Zondo, University of Cape Town (UCT) (Virtual)
• Paper: Traditional Authorities and the Quest for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa
  • Presenter: Babajide Tella, Howard University (In Person)
• Paper: Political Contestation in Africa in the 21st Century: Is it the End of Liberal Democracy?
  • Presenter: Mouhamadou Hoyeck, Howard University (In Person)

Parallel Session 3B: Indigenous Modes of Communication  
Time: 2:10pm-3:40pm 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Room 138 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/87509662397?pwd=befMrXMfQCki2rq0PlFtt2Ew8xtsUq.1  
Chair: Rebecca Portis, Howard University

• Paper: Facial Expression and Body Language in Yoruba Social Interactions
  • Presenter: Oluwafunke Ogunya, Howard University (In Person)
• Paper:  Traditional Modes of Communication in Southeastern Nigeria
  • Presenter: Chioma Vivian Ngonadi, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (Virtual)
• Paper:  Freedom Braids: The History, Preservation, and Ingenuity of African Hair Braiding
  • Presenter: Monique Duncan, Vermont College of Arts (In Person)

Parallel Session 3C: African Education and Languages 
Time: 2:10pm-3:40pm 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Gallery Room 102 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/4744636209?pwd=ODQ2MEhLZnlmaHlQalJPQ1ltL3Y4Zz09  
Chair: Dr. Amsale Alemu, Howard University

• Paper: How the Use of Foreign Languages Underdevelop Africa.
  • Presenter: Bandjougou Dit Fousseyni Berthe, University of Arts and Human Sciences of Bamako (Virtual)
• Paper: A Minimalist Rendition of Yoruba Indigenous Education
  • Presenter: Kunle Oluwafemi, Bishop’s University, Quebec, Canada (In Person)
• Paper: Fix the School, Fix the Country: A Dive into Nigeria’s Education System
  • Presenter: Tochukwu Okafor, Howard University (In Person)

Parallel Session 3D: African Literature and Culture 
Time: 2:10pm-3:40pm 
Venue: Louis Stokes Library, 2nd Floor: Faculty Reading Room 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/81809655139?pwd=m0PCk2vZhSJM0DUCO8SxjakqrKMBNA.1  
Chair: Amartey Laryea, Howard University

• Paper: Construal of Mau Mau Humanism: The Kenyan Forest and Black Liberation in Meja Mwangi’s Carcase for Hounds.
  • Presenter: Denis Waswa, Louisiana State University (In Person)
• Paper: Roots and Routes: Cultural Dichotomy in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Devil on the Cross.
  • Presenter: Swathi Madhavan, Madurai Kamarai University, India (Virtual)
• Paper: Culture, Religion, Patriarchalism: The Oppressive Tendencies Towards the African Woman.
  • Presenter: Joshua Usman, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Nigeria (Virtual)

Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Fourth Floor Hall 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/89432091207?pwd=aEZbowaT8GQU8KL8F1Z4GBg1mFYxfh.1  
Chair: Dr. Leonard Muaka, Howard University

Speaker: Dr. Lang Fafa Dampha, Executive Secretary, African Academy of Languages (ACALAN)

Born in The Gambian, Dr. Lang Fafa Dampha is the Executive Secretary of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) of the African Union. He obtained his PhD in Civilization, Society and Culture at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne.

He taught Legal English (Law and Politics US/UK) at the University of Paris 2 Panthéon Assas; and Banking and Finance, the Stock Market and the History of Economic Thought at the University of Paris VIII, from 2007 to 2009. 

THE ROLE OF ACALAN IN EMPOWERING AFRICAN LANGUAGES AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE TO FOSTER AFRICAN INTEGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) is the specialised language institution of the African Union, whose mandate is to develop and promote the use of African languages as a means of fostering African integration and development. ACALAN works with member states of the African Union to develop and implement national language policies, as well as the sharing of experiences in policy development and implementation, according to the provisions of the Language Plan of Action for Africa, as a means of using African languages in a wider range of domains.

This paper looks at the structure and functioning of ACALAN, as well as its strategies and programmes to empower African indigenous languages and knowledge, as a factor of continental integration, development, peace and security. It examines the language situation of Africa comparatively, as the only part of the world that has tried to develop itself using foreign languages to the detriment of its own. Since Africa is the most diversified continent in the world linguistically, the paper considers the plurality of African languages and its effects on their use particularly when it comes to advocating a Pan-African language or languages of wider communication for the continent. 

The paper will equally look at the Language Plan of Action for Africa as the African Union’s blueprint for the role of African languages in Africa’s development; the African Languages Week, the Decade of African Languages, the Comprehensive and Interactive Platform for African Languages and the Dar es Salam Framework for Action (Kiswahili as a Working Language of the African Union and Language of Wider Communication in Africa), as programmes of ACALAN.

The paper concludes by supporting the notion of linguistic justice, and that African languages are indispensable for effective education and sustainable development in Africa.

Venue: Louis Stokes Library, Fourth Floor Hall 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/89432091207?pwd=aEZbowaT8GQU8KL8F1Z4GBg1mFYxfh.1  
Chair: Dr. Leonard Muaka, Howard University

INDIGENOUS AFRICAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND BEYOND: AMHARIC, ARABIC, SOMALI, SWAHILI, TWI, WOLOF, YORUBA, & ZULU

Presenters: 

• Tafessework Gebeyehu (Amharic)
• Eman Hussein (Arabic)
• Oluwafunke Ogunya (Yoruba)
• Sipho Sithole (Zulu)
• Esther Mukewa Lisanza (Swahili)
• Leonard Muaka (Somali, Twi & Wolof)

Venue: Alaine Locke Hall, Room 105  
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/89432091207?pwd=aEZbowaT8GQU8KL8F1Z4GBg1mFYxfh.1  

Dr. Esther Mukewa Lisanza, Chair of the Conference

Venue: Alaine Locke Hall, Room 105
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/89432091207?pwd=aEZbowaT8GQU8KL8F1Z4GBg1mFYxfh.1  
Chair: Dr. Akinloye Ojo, University of Georgia

Speaker: Dr. Deo Ngonyani, Michigan State University

Dr. Deo Ngonyani Obtained a BA(Ed) and MA (Linguistics) from the University of Dar es Salaam. He went on to study at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he got an MA and a PhD in Linguistics. His teaching experience includes teaching in secondary schools in Tanzania, the University of Dar es Salaam, UCLA, Indiana University, Pwani University, and Michigan State University. At Michigan State University, he teaches Swahili language and Linguistics courses. His research interests include language documentation and description, the structure of words in world languages, and Swahili studies in general.

LANGUAGE DOCUMENTATION AS THE KEY TO REVITALIZING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS
 
Language documentation, especially documentation of endangered undocumented languages, has emerged as a popular and vibrant subfield of linguistics. It concerns multipurpose recording, compilation, and preservation of primary linguistic data (Austin, 2010; Himmelmann, 2006). There has been a growing concern about endangerment and death. According to UNESCO (2011) half of the over 6000 living languages of the world are endangered. The growing concern for endangered languages parallels growing interest in indigenous knowledge systems (IKR). Recognition of IKR is an acknowledgment that there exist other ways of knowing and diverse worldviews from which to understand nature and society. However, indigenous ways of knowing and transmitting knowledge are rapidly diminishing in contemporary Africa, where Western ways of knowledge transmission dominate, underscoring the urgent need for preservation. There is need for deliberate documentation of Indigenous knowledge systems to tap into ancient local wisdom. Language documentation is the key to IKR documentation and preservation. There are at least two reasons why language documentation is central to IKR documentation.  First, it is well known that language is not only a tool of communication but also an identity marker and an archive and depository of the speech community’s history, culture, wisdom, and knowledge. Documenting languages, therefore, is a way of archiving indigenous wisdom. Secondly, language is central to generating and communicating knowledge. It is through language that we transmit knowledge to the next generation. Language documentation reveals how indigenous knowledge is disseminated and transmitted. The presentation demonstrates this using examples of riddles, proverbs, taboos, folktales, songs, and ethnobotany, all of which reveal an incredible wealth of knowledge that is overlooked in contemporary African cultures. It also discusses the need for close collaboration of researchers and speech communities in language documentation.

Parallel Session 4A: Indigenous Forms of Diplomacy and Youth Engagement 
Time: 10:05am-11:35am 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 101 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/83300890946?pwd=7gITUS1kObsi6fnnGtCa3Pd1rAaNIb.1  
Chair: Amat Tidjaann, Howard University

• Paper: Cosmology Diplomats: The Intersection of Indigenous Spirituality and Diplomatic Practices
  • Presenter: Samuel Regina, University of Nairobi (Virtual)
• Paper: Resistance and Diplomacy: Local Diplomatic Strategies in West Central Africa During the 17th Century.
  • Presenter: Guillem Martos Oms, University of Barcelona (Virtual)
• Paper: Adolescent Engagement-Conflict Resolution involving Adolescents
  • Presenter: David Mukoba, Laikipia University, Kenya (Virtual) 

Parallel Session 4B: Indigenous Conflict Resolution and Law-2 
Time: 10:05am-11:35am 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 104 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/87509662397?pwd=befMrXMfQCki2rq0PlFtt2Ew8xtsUq.1  
Chair: Chidoka Chidinma, Howard University 

• Paper: Restorative Justice
  • Presenter: Saidat Ilo, University of Houston-Victoria (Virtual)
• Paper: Revisiting Indigenous Conflict Resolution Mechanisms in West Africa
  • Presenter: Saliou Dione, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal (In Person)
• Paper: Gacaca in Post-Genocide Rwanda: The Study of the Contribution of Traditional Heritage in Post-Conflict Community Rebuilding in Africa
  • Presenter: Abdel Mouncharou, Howard University (In Person)

Parallel Session 4C: Indigenous African Governance-2 
Time: 10:05am-11:35am 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 208/210 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/4744636209?pwd=ODQ2MEhLZnlmaHlQalJPQ1ltL3Y4Zz09  
Chair: Innocent Ekejiuba, Howard University

• Paper: Relevance of Indigenous Governance in Rural Development: A Comparative Study of India and South Africa
  • Presenter: Anil Kumar Biswas, University of Burdwan (Virtual)
• Paper: Sanctification of the Tongue among the Ozo Title: A Tool in the Sustenance of the Igbo Society
  • Presenter: Chinyere Ojiakor, Madonna University, Nigeria (Virtual)
• Paper: Nana Buku and the Construction of Ife Ethnicity in Togolese Yorubaland, 1750-1894
  • Presenter: Semiu Adegbenle, Northwestern University (In Person)

Parallel Session 4D:  Cultural Identity and Religion 
Time: 10:05am-11:35am 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 207/205 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/81809655139?pwd=m0PCk2vZhSJM0DUCO8SxjakqrKMBNA.1  
Chair: Dr. Sipho Sithole, Howard University

• Paper: Navigating Cultural Revitalization, Heritage, and Identity Through Lexico-Semantic Analysis of the Tachoni Male Circumcision.
  • Presenter: Lucy Mandillah, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (Virtual)
• Paper: Tattooing in Indigenous Culture and Identity in North Africa
  • Presenter: Eman Hussein, Howard University (In Person)
• Paper: Singing His Story: Eulogy and the Transmission of Cultural and Religious Beliefs Through Yoruba Gospel Music
  • Presenters: Lydia Olaifa, Adeleke University, Nigeria (Virtual) & Bolatito Adejare, Adeleke University, Nigeria (Virtual)

Parallel Session 5A:  Indigenous Gender Relations and Black Aesthetics 
Time: 11:40am-1:10pm 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 101 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/83300890946?pwd=7gITUS1kObsi6fnnGtCa3Pd1rAaNIb.1  
Chair: Dr. Anita Plummer, Howard University

• Paper: Women First: Managing the Indigenous Community Based on Women's Values in Mozambique
  • Presenter: Fidel Terenciano, Alberto Chipande University at Mozambique (In Person)
• Paper: Power of Doings: Yoruba Culture as a Decolonial Approach to Feminists Studies.
  • Presenter: Malik Ade, University of Bonn (Virtual)
• Paper: Paper: Space for Soul: Finding Well-being Through the union of Holistic Interior Design and Black Aesthetic.
  • Presenter: Ryane Smith, Howard University (Virtual)

Parallel Session [Panel] 5B: Incorporating the Indigenous Education into the Formal Education System: A Case Study of Ghana and Tanzania 
Time: 11:40am-1:10pm 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 104 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/87509662397?pwd=befMrXMfQCki2rq0PlFtt2Ew8xtsUq.1  
Chair: Jane Shange, University of Iowa

Presenters: Jane Shange, Cecilia Botwe, & Akenten Dwamena, University of Iowa (In Person)

Parallel Session 5C: Indigenous Ecology  
Time: 11:40am-1:10pm 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 208/210 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/4744636209?pwd=ODQ2MEhLZnlmaHlQalJPQ1ltL3Y4Zz09  
Chair: Dr. Florie Bugarin, Howard University

• Paper: Forced Migration and Human Despair of Ecological Displaced Persons in Selected Niger Delta Literature
  • Presenter: Joshua Usman, Ibrahima Badamasi Babangida University, Nigeria (Virtual)
• Paper: The Critical Analysis of Color Symbolism in Medicinal Plants within the Context of Zulu Worldview During the Traditional Healing System.
  • Presenter: Mthokozisi C. Myeza, University of South Africa (UNISA) (Virtual)
• Paper: Historical Foraging Practices and Ecological Knowledge in Ghana.
  • Presenter: Adamu Sadat Bole, University of Ghana (In Person)

Parallel Session 5D: Revaluing African Indigenous Knowledge and Documentation 
Time: 11:40am-1:10pm 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 205/207 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/81809655139?pwd=m0PCk2vZhSJM0DUCO8SxjakqrKMBNA.1  
Chair: Dr. Eman Hussein, Howard University

• Paper: Revaluing African Indigenous Knowledge: Practical Insights from Oral Traditions and Indigenous Languages
  • Presenter: Akinloye Ojo, University of Georgia (In Person)
• Paper: Indigenous Language Films as Catalysts for African Language Documentation and Preservation
  • Presenter: Maureen Ndu & Grace Ikechukwu, Madonna University, Nigeria (Virtual)
• Paper: Echoes of Sungura: Transforming Folktales for the Next Generation.
  • Presenter: Elizabeth Mwambulukutu, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Alumna (Virtual)

Lunch Break

Distinguished Scholars Panel-1 Session: ElderCrits, Decolonization, and Restorative Justice 
Venue: Alaine Locke Hall, Room 105 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/89432091207?pwd=aEZbowaT8GQU8KL8F1Z4GBg1mFYxfh.1  
Chair: Dr. Leonard Muaka, Howard University

1. Dr. Paul Banahene Adjei, Memorial University of Newfoundlland, Canada: African ElderCrits [Elders Critical Teachings] for Educational Reforms: A Conversation we are yet to Have (In Person).
2. Dr. Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, Howard University: Decolonizing the African University (In Person)
3. Dr. Francis Kariuki, Strathmore University, Kenya: Restorative Justice (Virtual) 

Parallel Panel 6A: Ten years (2013-2023) existence of the Bachelor of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (B.IKS) Programme at the North-West University, South Africa (Virtual) 
Time: 3:40pm -5:10pm  
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 104 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/83300890946?pwd=7gITUS1kObsi6fnnGtCa3Pd1rAaNIb.1  
Chair: Anna Mwalagho, Howard University

Monicca Thulisile Bhuda, University of Mpumalanga, South Africa

Diane Thelma Molokwa, North-West University, South Africa

Motheo Koitsiwe, North-West University, South Africa

Parallel Session 6B: The Linguistics of African Languages 
Time: 3:40pm -5:10pm 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 205/207 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/87509662397?pwd=befMrXMfQCki2rq0PlFtt2Ew8xtsUq.1  
Chair: Theon Gruber, Howard University

• Paper: Lexical Functions of Tone in Lwisukha Nouns
  • Presenter: Sussy Nandama, Kenyatta University, Kenya (Virtual)
• Paper: The semiotic of the language of prediction: Indigenous Knowledge Perspectives
  • Presenter: Naomi Musembi, Moi University (In Person)
• Paper: Axiomatic Representation of the Agîkûyû Women: Analysis of 1000 Kikuyu Proverbs by G. Barra
  • Presenter: Arthur Muhia, University of Pecs, Hungary (Virtual)

Parallel Session 6C: Indigenous Foods  
Time: 3:40pm -5:10pm 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 208/210 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/4744636209?pwd=ODQ2MEhLZnlmaHlQalJPQ1ltL3Y4Zz09  
Chair: Kevin Hayes, Howard University

• Paper: The Psychology of Traditional Cameroonian Dishes: An Exploratory Analysis
  • Presenter: Njengoue Ngamaleu Henri, The University of Yaounde (Virtual)
• Paper: Decolonizing food in multicultural Kenya and diaspora: Renaming and attitudes towards indigenous cuisines
  • Presenters: Vicky Khasandi-Telewa, Pennsylvania State University & Margaret Barasa, Kisii University (In Person)
• Paper: Indigenous foods and health among the Swahili and Kikuyu.
  • Presenter: Catherine Mwihaki Ndungo, Kenyatta University, Kenya. (Virtual)

Parallel Session 6D: Social Transformation and Integration 
Time: 3:40pm -5:10pm 
Venue: Douglass Hall, Room 101 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/81809655139?pwd=m0PCk2vZhSJM0DUCO8SxjakqrKMBNA.1  
Chair: Hellen Maleche, Howard University

• Paper: Indigenous Knowledge, Language and Culture as Drivers of change and Continuity in Africa: Understanding the software of civilization.
  • Presenter: Dr. Alem Hailu, Howard University (In Person)
• Paper: Indigenous Knowledge Production as a tool in addressing Social Transformation and Rural-Urban Migration in Wa East District, Ghana 
  • Presenter: Emmanuel Yakass, University of Ghana (Virtual)
• Paper: Bridging the Gap: A Comparative Analysis of Cultural Integration in Public Policy in Nigeria and Rwanda"      
  • Presenter: Chidinma Chidoka, Howard University (In Person)

Distinguished Scholars Panel-2: Swahili, Herbs, and African Children as Custodians of Indigenous Knowledge  
Venue: Alaine Locke Hall, Room 105 
Zoom Link: https://howard.zoom.us/j/89432091207?pwd=aEZbowaT8GQU8KL8F1Z4GBg1mFYxfh.1  
Chair: Dr. Msia Clark

1. Dr. Leonard Muaka, Howard University: Swahili as a Global Language (In Person)
2. Dr. Nancy Ngowa, Pwani University, Kenya: Documenting indigenous medicinal plants from the Waata community (Virtual)
3. Dr. Esther Mukewa Lisanza, African Children and Youth as Keepers of Indigenous Knowledge (In Person)

6:10pm-6:20pm Closing Remarks and Vote of Thanks: Drs. Esther Lisanza, Leonard Muaka, and Mohamed Camara

Dinner location: Locke Hall Rooms 300/304

Venue: For those who are presenting in person, please note that the conference will be held at Howard University in Washington DC. The following is our address:

Howard University
2400 Sixth Street NW
Washington, DC 20059

For those travelling by air, the nearest airport is 

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport which is 6.5 miles from Howard University in Washington, D.C. If you are traveling domestically, we recommend this airport. 
Address: 2401 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Access Rd, Arlington, VA 22202 
Code: DCA

You can also use the following two airports which are about 30 miles from Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Washington Dulles International Airport 
Address: 1 Saarinen Cir, Dulles, VA 20166 
Code: IAD 

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.  
Address: 7050 Friendship Rd, Baltimore, MD 21240 
Code: BWI

We recommend the Morrison Clark Inn www.morrisonclark.com in Washington, DC. This hotel is about 2 miles from Howard University. You can call in or go online to book your room. Guests may cancel up until 72 hours prior to arrival. There is no deposit charged when reserving; only upon arrival or in the event you do not arrive to the guaranteed reservations.