Aba has lectured at a number of universities, including a period teaching Algerian literature at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.[1] Aba has been a member of the Académie des Sciences d'Outre-mer and the Académie Universelle des Cultures.[1] He was also part of the Haut Conseil de la francophonie, having been appointed to this by François Mitterrand.[4]