Note from MAAAS President

As we prepare for the 9th annual Mid-America Alliance for African Studies meeting at the University of Kansas Lawrence and as we continue in our quest to promote African studies in the mid-America region, we need to pause and reflect on the significant role that MAAAS plays. Since 1995 when the organization was founded at the University of Kansas, MAAAS has sought to encourage scholarship and teaching in African Studies by way of conferences and seminars within the region. The organization has also sought to establish academic exchanges and promote the teaching of African languages. Clearly, a lot has been achieved; a lot of progress has been made; but there is still more to do. Through its annual meetings, MAAAS has been able to promote African studies in this region and there is no denying the fact that the organization is waxing strong. MAAAS has served as a vital tool in maintaining the focus on Africa from Manhattan, Kansas to St. Louis, Missouri to Norman, Oklahoma. We must continue in this stride.
The theme of our next conference "Teaching Africa: New Themes, Techniques, and Technologies" deals directly with the mission of MAAAS and is, therefore, important insofar as it will help us provide concrete tools and practices for teaching Africa across the curriculum and at different levels. I encourage every MAAAS member to participate in this important discourse by proposing panels and submitting papers.

How can we move forward from here? What challenges or issues shall we be considering? The organization has done a great job so far, within the limits of available resources, but more needs to be done. For instance, we still need to do more in terms of educating the American public about Africa beyond what they see on the Discover Channel. We need to create more understanding of the realities and disparities that exist between African countries and the rest of the world. We also need to provide information on the implications of decisions made here in the US for African countries and the implications for the US and other rich nations of the socioeconomic difficulties of African countries within the context of international relations, geopolitical concerns, and national security. Finally, we need to reinforce the need for action to promote the needs of African people. These are clearly issues that have a strong bearing on America's geopolitical interests. These are critical issues that we must consider as we continue to strengthen and improve the performance of MAAAS.

As we continue to educate mid-America about Africa, we need to seriously consider having more activities between the annual meetings, as resources permit. We must also act within our individual institutions to create awareness and to encourage all Africanists (existing and potential) to attend our meetings.

We are grateful to our Past President Ken Lohrentz for his invaluable contribution to the organization. Likewise, the members of the executive committee are deserving of a great deal of gratitude for their unwavering commitment to the organization. As we all know, they have all sacrificed a lot to make invaluable contributions to the organization. The Executive Committee of MAAAS believes that participation by all members in and contribution to our 9th Annual Meeting and other meetings will help us fulfill our goals. I look forward to seeing you all at Lawrence, Kansas in October.

Emmanuel Nnadozie, President
Professor of Economics, Truman State University