Water, the excellent nurturer, supports all forms of life, whether mythical or actual. Water runs through and shapes every landscape, enlivening the hills, the mountains, the forest, and animals of varied kinds. The power of water lies in its ability to shapeshift form for conditions. The rise of civilizations has always been inextricably linked to the successful management of water when there was either too little or too much of it, harnessing its power. All ecosystems and cultures, through the movement of humans and goods, have often become identified with the societies they support. Is it possible to think of China without imagining the Yangzi, ancient Egypt without the influence of the Nile, Caesar's Rome, or Dante's Florence without picturing the Tiber or the Arno? It is impossible to think of the transatlantic trade and redistributing human bodies across the Americas without Lagos, Badagry's "Point of no Return."

Water has always had a powerful hold over humankind. On the back of water, we have traversed and rooted ourselves in many places across the world. The 2026 ICCP will be a call to gather in the sanctuary to see where we are, where we have been, and where we are going as a human species, as planetary cousins. To reconnect, reconvene, and bring the power of our flows back to the communities of this region. To cleanse, care for, and grow together…as the ways of water.

Though we live in many different places around the globe now, we are connected by the elements that sustain life. Our spirits and passions are ignited by the fire in our hearts. The strength and stability of Mother Earth support our groundedness across living lands. The winds remind us of our interconnectedness to ancestry, to each other, and to generations ahead. At the core of this is knowing that the ways of water and our connection to all of Earth’s elements sustain our lifeways.

The history of Community psychology on the African Continent has connections with colleagues in South Africa and associations with resistance movements across continents. However, in the history of the ICCP conference, only one has been on the African continent. This conference will support learning from others around the world how community psychology has supported cultural diversity in encouraging diverse onto-epistemological foundations, learning from each other how being grounded in place and practice shapes cultures of care and cultivates a sense of community.

However, given the global history of colonization and hegemonic ways of global psychologies, we seek to focus on the psychologies of the communities of these regions. Therefore, while some of our history within the field states how community psychology may have been brought over from other locations, we plan to emphasize the importance of local ecologies of knowledge grounded within the local geographic, genealogical, and historical contexts of the lives of people living, working, and problem-solving collectively.

Hosting the 2026 ICCP in Lagos will ignite energies for building a collective compost site to practice an appreciation for our natural local ways of being, our deep sense of interconnectedness, and a renewed pride in enacting our own psychologies for community healing, resisting, and organizing. The excitement of planning to host such an international event will invigorate our connections without the need for outside influence. The financial contributions provided through registration will contribute to the development of a community psychology hub supported across the continent. A resource center developed support relationship building, network development, and the long-term ongoing needs of our communities. A place to create local archives about our work, our success stories, and what works with our people to provide an awareness of education, inquiry, and action of community psychologies as the core of African Psychology.

Waterways … the main title and theme of the 2026 ICCP, refers to acknowledging the power of our connections, no matter how far we have traversed. Much like water, its power is inherent and is also in the conditions in which it is held. We hope to create the conditions for celebrating a re-convening for everyone who is tracing a connection back to the motherland. We view this sanctuary as a liberatory revisiting of our shared humanity – for people of all descents. When you leave, you not only leave with new information, you leave with the home embodied within your person. We see this gathering as the beginning of new ways of connecting with everyone worldwide.

Instructions for Preparing Program Submission

To submit a proposal, please visit the conference website…The system will be ready to accept proposals on…The deadline for receipt of program proposals is…

THEMES:

1) The Pan-African Nation: the contribution of Africanist scholarship. We welcome proposals that focus on Africanist perspectives of community building and social change and/or focus on the work of Pan-African scholars, including but not limited to:

1. Kwame Nkrumah
2. Thomas Sankara
3. Frantz Fanon
4. Sophie Bosede Oluwole
5. Wole Soyinka
6. Cheikh Anta Diop
7. Wangari Muta Maathai
8. James Baldwin
9. Malcolm X
10. Charlotte Mannya Maxeke
11. Amilcar Cabral

2) A Map to the Door of No Return: Creating pathways to healing the impacts of colonization, imperialism, and slavery. We welcome proposals that discuss the impacts of colonization, imperialism, slavery, and other forms of systemic oppression as well as proposals that discuss interventions against systemic violence.

1. The Invention of Women
2. Things Fall Apart
3. Decolonizing the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature
4. Scramble for Africa
5. Reparation

3) Community psychology, the science of biodiversity, and the role of earthly elements. The Dagara cosmic wheel symbolizes the balance and harmony of elements. The effects of climate change include extremes of water such as droughts, floods, and more frequent and powerful storms. These events highlight a need to develop a planetary sense of community. We welcome proposals that focus on promoting diversity, social justice, and a sense of community from an ecological perspective.

4) Human Service and African-Centric Paradigm: Scratching the limits of our imagination. There is a need to challenge, critique, and reject the persistent dominant Western epistemologies that have been imposed on African societies. We welcome proposals that utilize African-centered paradigms to envision innovative interventions within communities. Examples include approaches to health interventions, civic engagement, and addressing societal issues.

5) Divining the Future: Diverse approaches to research, concerns with AI, data science, and algorithms. The Ifa divination system, which makes use of an extensive corpus of texts and mathematical formulas, is practiced among Yoruba communities and by the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean. In this divination system, we can see an ancestor of computers and the internet, showing how storing information and using it to assess the present and to prepare for future events is an ancient practice. With the increased role of predictive technologies and data science, it becomes even more important to consider who controls these technologies and what data is being given to them. Data and data-based information can be powerful tools to raise consciousness about oppressive conditions and the potential for change. In addition to empirical research, we welcome integrative conceptual and theoretical papers addressing communal thriving.

FORMATS:

Priority will be given to proposals that explicitly address one or more of the following expectations: (a) high quality, (b) congruence with the general conference theme and the topic areas listed above, (c) exemplars of community-academic engagement, (d) clear articulation of lessons learned from the proposed session, and (d) collaboration. Proposals should include a description of formats and activities that will maximize audience participation. Innovative, creative, and art-based approaches toward this goal are encouraged. Please note that we will accept only one first-author submission per individual, and the first author on a submission will be the individual who submits the proposal to the system. Also, we ask that any single individual be listed in any role in no more than 5 separate proposals (not including poster presentations). Submissions should fall under one of the following categories:

1. Nia Magic Roundtables: Nia means "purpose" in Swahili, and it is also one of the principles of Kwanzaa. This name emphasizes the importance of creative work being driven by intentionality and purpose, encouraging participants to reflect on the deeper meanings behind their artistic endeavors. Nia Magic Roundtables are a deliberative technique encouraging equal participation on one or more issues. The roundtable will focus on central topics and will be structured according to each thematic axis and based on proposals presented by registered attendees. There will be commentators and some people who will register ideas and discussions to connect each instance within the axis and favor cumulative production.
2. Letsema (Community Workshops): Letsema, a term of Sotho origin, signifies "coming together to work toward a common goal." It embodies the spirit of collective effort and community support, fostering a shared space for thinking, learning, and creating together. These workshops function as collaborative production spaces where participants engage in hands-on activities and participatory techniques to explore key themes. Beyond oral exchanges, they incorporate alternative, interactive methods to encourage deeper engagement. Additionally, they serve as a platform for reflecting on the methodologies and techniques used in socio-community practice and action, ensuring meaningful and sustainable community development.
3. Timbuktu: A Gathering of Minds (Exhibition): Named after the ancient city of Timbuktu, a historical center of learning and culture in West Africa, this name symbolizes the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and creativity. It calls back to a time when intellectual and artistic flourishing took place in a collaborative and cross-cultural environment. This format allows the exhibition of research and intervention results, community experiences, or other work dimensions. At a pre-established schedule, their authors would be located next to the exhibition to promote close exchanges with attendees.
4. Akụkọ Ifo N'Ọnwa (Tales-by-Moonlight): This name evokes a sense of collective spirit and cooperation, emphasizing the importance of coming together for a common purpose. Set in an immersive moonlit environment, the format introduces the theme of the evening. The space will be artistically lit, with projections of the moon's phases, setting the tone for a night of exploration and creativity. A spoken word or a poetic monologue about the convergence of art, creativity, and experience will open each moonlight session. Special Element: Attendees are invited to wear or bring items that represent their connection to the moon, nature, or creativity. Interactive Element: Attendees will have the chance to write down a concept or idea they would like to explore, and the session will feature a rotating “idea exchange” where individuals can grab a note and spontaneously respond or expand on it. Exposure to experiences, concepts, or other proposals using artistic-creative resources will be encouraged.
5. Bashiri: The Circle of Creators and Griots (Ignite Sessions): Bashiri is derived from the Swahili word for "blessings" or "prosperity." It could represent a space for creative exchange where ideas, concepts, and art are shared in a spirit of mutual growth and positive energy. This format allows dialogue with referents on different topics. Assistants are given a catalog as a guide on the main aspects of each referent’s valuable experience.
6. Ananse: The Web of Knowledge (Symposiums): Ananse is the name of a trickster spider in Akan mythology, often portrayed as a storyteller and a figure of wisdom. This name would be fitting for a conference focused on storytelling, creativity, and the interconnectedness of ideas across different cultures. Abstracts will be received to discuss and share insights on the conference theme.

Additional Conference Information

	Foreign (Professionals) North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Caribbean Basin	Foreign (Student/Special) North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Caribbean Basin	Local Participants
Early Birds (April 1st - Dec 30th 2025)	$375	$150	$60
Standard (Jan 2nd - June 2nd, 2026)	$500	$250	$100
Late Registration July 1th - August 25th, 2026	$700	$350	$200