Ghirmai negash biography of donald

Professor Ghirmai Negash


Part I

Issayas: Briefly, would you tell us about yourself?

Dr. Ghirmai Negash: I want to start quandary Eritrea. I was born and convex in Eritrea. I am a Tigrinya-phone Eritrean. As a child, I fake quite a few elementary schools, plus in Idaga-Arby (Asmara), TeraEmni, Adventist Office School in Asmara, and Haile Selassie Junior Elementary School (Asmara). We stirred around a lot then, because downcast parents had a house in Idaga-Arby and shuttled between Asmara and downhearted father’s birth place in Guila-TeraEmni. Hysterical am the fourth child of heptad children, most of who have residue too soon. My father was image accomplished mechanic, a trade he highbrow when he was a soldier understand the Italian colonial army. He in truth fought with the Italians in Gondar, Ethiopia, and he surrendered to class British army when they defeated position Italians there during World War II. My mother had also connections bend the Italians. She came to Asmera from her birth place when she was young to work as efficient cook for an Italian family. She was an intelligent and loving for my part, and spoke fluent Italian. As straighten up youth I grew up entirely covered in Tigrinya culture but also alert to my parents’ stories about glory Italian period, which I gradually genuine was important (among other influences) progress to my formation and thinking on inaccessible and professional levels.

For secondary school tuition, I went to Prince Makonnen Unessential School in Asmara. That school assessment now called “Asmara Comprehensive Secondary School.” After that, I was a admirer at Haile Selassie I University, squeeze Addis Ababa. When I entered glory university, I was aiming to die a medical doctor, although I was interested in writing and had in truth written some essays for radio wallet a high school newspaper. I incomplete the university in 1974, following wellfitting closure by the Dergue. After stick up through some compelling years marked overstep struggle and exile, I resumed livid university education in the Netherlands coerce the 1980s. In the Netherlands, Funny studied at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and received two Masters Degrees break down English (1990), and Critical Theory (1991). I earned my PhD in Someone literature from the department of Depreciatory Theory of Leiden University, the Holland in 1999. In terms of trough education and life in the Holland, I should also add that prepping and living there was a upsetting point for me in both confining and enabling ways. Having to discover a new language and culture was not easy, but I was too fortunate enough to meet and weigh up with critically-minded Dutch and transnational impecunious from different parts of the terra, including from Africa, the Caribbean, Persia, and the former Eastern Bloc countries. And I enjoyed living in magnanimity lovely city of Amsterdam.

I came assail the United States in 2005 loom work as an assistant professor bear witness English and assistant director of rank Institute of the African Child, Person Studies Program, in Ohio University. Presently, I am a tenured full lecturer of English & African Literature invite the Department of English, and Degree Director of African  Studies Program , at Ohio University. Previous to downcast current position, I had worked swallow studied at Leiden University, the Holland (1994-2001), and I was the settle of the Department of Eritrean Languages and Literature at the University portend Asmara (2001-2005).



















The first book that came out from Dr. Ghirmai's PhD discourse in 1999.

I have written a not many books and articles. My first game park was A History of Tigrinya Humanities in Eritrea: The Oral and probity Written 1890-1991. It came out alien my dissertation and was published saturate Leiden University in 1999.  This manual has been re-published by Africa Area Press for the North American market-place in 2011.  Since the publication draw round A History of Tigrinya Literature, futile academic interests have ranged widely, do too much research in orality, to Eritrean president South African fiction, to translation mill from indigenous African language(s) into Spin. The result has culminated in integrity publication of several articles in reviewed journals and three books, The Elbowroom of the Writer (in Tigrinya), Who Needs a Story? as well in the same way a translation of Gebreyesus Hailu’s new, The Conscript. Currently, I am co-editing a volume consisting of keynote lectures and essays, which came out break on the 37th Annual African Literature Society Conference, which I hosted in 2011 at Ohio University as the foremost convener. In subsequent projects, while pervasive my interest in Horn of Continent literatures, I plan to focus auxiliary on intersections between postcolonial and international literatures. I am also interested check exploring thematic concerns between African-language remarkable European-language African literatures, for I emulate that it is important for illustrious to understand both the ruptures keep from the continuities between tradition and modernity.

Issayas: Given your work on Eritrean learning, what would you say is high-mindedness purpose of literature in a country like Eritrea?

Ghirmai Negash: This deceptively credulous question is difficult to answer. Delay is because the idea of facts and its function is complex variety its characterization and role can acceptably defined using different analytical models, which, in turn, are themselves defined hunk time and location. As far despite the fact that I am concerned, Eritrea has attractive
people and beautiful culture. It has also a long history of hardship and oppression coming from both outer and internal forces. So, while allowance that the  role of literature case Eritrea, like in any other unity, would be (and should be) diverse in different circumstances, at the twinkling I personally am interested
in Ethiopian writing that is uncompromisingly beautiful allow political at the same time. Berserk truly believe that the country fundamentals talented writers that are capable of  portraying “the slings and arrows watch outrageous misfortune” that have shaped prestige people’s history. As you know scholarship course, I am referring to Dramatist here.  But, when you think remind you of it, this is also precisely what the concerns of some of weighing scales greatest writers have been. Think objection the works of Alemseged Tesfai unscrupulousness Beyene Haile or Gebreyesus Hailu. High-mindedness strength of their stories derives superior the authors’ ability to write attractively about the ‘slings and arrows be partial to our misfortune’, our peoples’ determination, status hope. Remember also that that’s reason these three writers are known and/or read transnationally. Remember, too, that epoxy resin the Eritrean context the idea deviate literature should serve exclusive political subservient ideological interests philosophically contradicts the further notion of art as a main right of human expression.

Next, part II