HU African Indigenous Knowledge and Languages Conference 2026

The annual two-day Howard University African Studies and Languages conference returns in 2026. Similar to last year, the conference will be in a hybrid format 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. In this conference, we are interested in how African indigenous knowledge and language can help Africa carve a path for its future.

The 2026 conference explores how African Indigenous knowledge, and languages can help the continent forge a path toward its future. We ask: "What is the future of African Indigenous knowledge systems and languages?" and “How can we develop the future of Africa through traditional wisdom and knowledge systems while avoiding the quicksand of nostalgia?”

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
26. African Languages in the Digital Age
27. Indigenous Knowledge Transmission and the diaspora
28. Indigenous Knowledge Forms and AI

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 to the following link Abstract Submission by November 10, 2025. 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 November 20, 2025.

Papers presented at the conference will subsequently be peer reviewed and those accepted for publication will be published in an edited volume.

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

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.