51ĀŅĀ×

Dr. Ghirmai Negash, professor of English at 51ĀŅĀ×, takes over as the new president of the African Literature Association determined to forge a new path to safeguard the association during the pandemic.

In his acceptance address, ā€œ,ā€ he says that ā€œas we explore our path to the futureā€ during these trying times of coronavirus pandemic, ā€œit is imperative that we accept the fact that weā€™re already workingā€”and will increasingly do soā€”in a radically re-structured and re-cultured environment.ā€

Among the initiatives Negash cited to help keep the association strong while universities and faculty face budget and enrollment and challenges due to the pandemic, Negash cited:

• Building the Journal of the African Literature Association's presence online.
• Broadening membership and strengthening the association's intellectual base.
• Initiating the ALA Lecture Series, virtually, to support membersā€™ research and creative endeavors.

ā€œWe increasingly will be working in a fundamentally changed post-COVID-19 social and institutional environment,ā€ he said. ā€œAccordingly, we will need to adjust our ways of thinking and doing to meet the challenge. We can achieve this by together forging a new path for our association.ā€