Prof. Andrew Zamani, President of the Pan African Psychology Union (PAPU), has called on African psychologists to develop solutions rooted in the continent’s realities.
Zamani made the call virtually on Wednesday at the 11th International Conference of Community Psychologists at Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo.
The conference had the theme “Gathering in the Motherland: Celebrating Life-ways, Ways of the Waters and Reconnecting to the Source”.
It started on Sept. 1 and will end on Sept. 4.
Zamani said that African psychologists at home and in the diaspora must strengthen partnerships to address developmental challenges confronting the continent.
According to him, the conference provided an opportunity for psychologists to examine Africa’s history, contemporary challenges and the psychological consequences of slavery and colonialism.
“The comparative study of culture and contemporary issues of social development and change reflect the differences between African psychologists in the diaspora and their counterparts at home,” he said.
According to him, the resilience, adaptation and determination of Africans and their descendants have transformed destinies and produced leaders in science, politics, education, religion and industry.
He said that waterways once associated with slave transport and human degradation had become channels of hope through the resilience of communities of survivors.
“Despite the negative outcomes of slave journeys, waterways have now become channels of hope because they have bred communities of survivors,” he said.
Zamani said that inter-generational trauma, alongside colonial heritage, contributed to several social problems confronting African societies.
He listed sectarian crises, religious bigotry, corruption, urban violence, crime, xenophobia and despotism among challenges that required psychological interventions.
The PAPU president urged African psychologists to critically examine decolonisation and develop partnerships capable of contributing meaningfully to Africa’s development.
He challenged participants to determine strategies for advocating reparations for human and natural resources taken from Africa during slavery and colonialism.
“These are some front-burner issues for the Pan-African Psychology Union right now,” Zamani said.
He said PAPU was reshaping psychology education through context-appropriate research and pedagogical resources to achieve relevant outcomes for African societies.
Zamani said the union was supporting efforts to include community psychology in undergraduate curricula and promote it as a specialised postgraduate course.
He said community psychology had great prospects for addressing social, environmental, security, health and educational challenges across the continent.
The PAPU president commended LASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, for accepting to co-host the conference.
He described Olatunji-Bello as a “psychology-friendly vice-chancellor”, noting her support for the Nigerian Psychological Association.
Zamani also commended Dr Moshood Olanrewaju, Convener of the conference, for bringing the international gathering to Nigeria.
He expressed PAPU’s appreciation to the Lagos State Government for its financial, material and moral support for conferences organised by the Nigerian Psychological Association.
He thanked Lagos State Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for supporting psychologists.
Zamani urged participants to use the conference to build a stronger common identity among African psychologists in spite of the continent’s linguistic, religious and ethnic diversities.
“While we celebrate gathering in the motherland, we must ask ourselves hard questions,” he said, urging participants to pursue practical solutions to Africa’s developmental challenges.
He expressed optimism that discussions at the conference would produce new perspectives, partnerships and strategies capable of strengthening psychology’s contribution to Africa’s development.
