From the President

I am delighted to assume the role of ACASA President, and I welcome the opportunity to work with the Board of Directors and the membership on advancing ACASA's roles both in the study of and advocacy for the arts of Africa and its Diasporas as well as in fostering communication among our association's increasingly broad constituency.

Plans are currently underway for ACASA's 16th and 17th triennial symposia. The 16th Triennial will take place in New York City in 2014, and a committee is already under formation. The 17th Triennial will take place in Ghana in 2017, and its committee has been at work for over a year. As was the case for the last triennial in Los Angeles, we will work on raising funds to bring far flung members to these conferences. I look forward to seeing some very exciting developments on these fronts.

Over the past couple of years, ACASA has made significant steps in the areas of technology. Our website in running well, our Newsletter has largely transitioned to an online publication, our elections have gone online, and our association now has a Facebook presence. I am very invested in exploring the possibilities of technology even further, particularly given that our membership hails from 30 countries around the globe. I am very pleased that 17 of these nations are in Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. As my own research and teaching becomes increasingly digital in nature, I am eager to experiment with the possibilities of new technologies and media and how they can at once advance our creative and intellectual practices and ACASA's mission.

I also believe that ACASA can grow in other ways, and I will collaborate with the Board on creating new avenues for our association. This said, I would also love to hear from all of you. How can ACASA better serve your needs? How can we improve ACASA? Please feel free to contact me at nelsons@humnet.ucla.edu. Again, I am very pleased to serve as ACASA President, and, again, I look forward to hearing from you.