For one week, a historic university town in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province reverberated with some unlikely noises: the sound of rockets igniting, robots chirping and home-made cars racing.
Most of all, though, it was the voices of thousands of pupils racing between venues to hear lectures, see films or peruse another installation that reminded Grahamstown locals that Sasol SciFest was under way. The annual science festival, the biggest in Africa, is primarily sponsored by Sasol, the South African oil, gas and chemical giant that specialises in converting coal to fuel.
”Fun is the essence,” says SciFest director Brian Wilmot, a former entomologist who — unsurprisingly — has earned the nickname of ”Bugs”.
”Fun may sound flippant and light,” he adds with a smile, lighting his pipe. ”But demystifying science is the first level of awareness.”
And so, the activities on offer this year included interactive exhibits, competitions and multilingual plays that made light work of weighty topics such as human evolution, traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge.
There were daily laser shows, and events that bridge the divide between art and science — such as a popular series of workshops on the physics of sound, run by an alto-saxophone player who also has a science degree. Other workshops taught children how to build radios.
Even animation has been harnessed to the cause of making a life in the sciences seem more appealing — and attainable — to the rising generation: the festival included screenings of the film Shark Tale.
”I love sharks and the ocean animals,” said 12-year-old Sisiphokazi Ngomo from the south-eastern town of Butterworth, who found herself contemplating a career in marine biology after watching the film.
Commercial companies, the government, educational institutions and NGOs contribute to SciFest, which draws not only renowned local scientists, but also foreign researchers.
This year, the delegates from overseas included a Finnish computer science professor, rocket scientists from France, a British neurologist and a Canadian environmentalist.
African academics do not feature as widely — partly because speakers are researched on the internet, where many African scientists have only a shadowy presence. But this year, for the first time, a seven-member team from the Namibian government was present in Grahamstown, with hopes of franchising the festival.
A number of schools from countries north of South Africa’s border also have a vibrant interest in SciFest, sending pupils and teachers to attend the fair if they can afford to do so.
”In our country, we are proud of our wildlife heritage, but in these modern times children should not be introduced only to the wild,” said Botswana teacher Jackie Segopolo. ”The SciFest was fun!”
More black researchers needed
The concerted emphasis on fun notwithstanding, SciFest is also underpinned by something altogether more serious: the urgent need to bring more blacks into the ranks of South Africa’s researchers.
More than four decades of racial segregation under the apartheid system had a disastrous effect on the education received by black South Africans, most of whom were given sub-standard schooling — if any. These limited educational opportunities and a host of other racial barriers prevented blacks, by far the majority in South Africa, from entering the scientific community, and making their mark.
And, the lingering after-effects of discrimination continue to bedevil the schooling of black children.
Danicicus Bango (16) had never seen the inside of a laboratory until her trip to SciFest. Nonetheless, the Orion High School student — who came all the way from De Aar in the dry south-central Karoo region — remains undaunted.
”I’m going to be a scientist,” she said firmly.
But, it’s not only the need to make science more racially inclusive that is at issue. With several of the country’s younger scientists having departed for other countries, South Africa is racing against the clock to come up with replacements for its ageing population of senior researchers — many of whom are now within shuffling distance of retirement.
Three of the high-profile scientists at SciFest this year were South Africans now working abroad: astrophysicist Neil Turok, genetic engineer Tom Bligh and Ducati motorcycle designer Pierre Terblanche.
All three were happy to help out at the fair; but African academia does not offer the incentives, at present, that will get them to return home permanently.
So, SciFest organisers press on in their search for funders who can sponsor the attendance of pupils who might grow up to form the next generation of researchers. While thousands of students do make it to the fair, the cost of the trip to Grahamstown and attendance at the daily SciFest lectures is still beyond the reach of many cash-strapped schools.
”On the day of the opening I saw many, many black people,” says Thebe Medupe, who researches the astronomical information contained in ancient manuscripts from the Malian city of Timbuktu. ”Compared even with last year, there is more participation by black kids.”
Are there signs that SciFest, now in its ninth year, is convincing young people to continue with science after leaving school?
”Anecdotal evidence from universities says SciFest makes a difference. Students say this was their first experience of science,” says Wilmot. ”Of course, you’re not going to convert everyone.”
For the moment, though, SciFest is winning as many hearts and minds as it can. The fair wrapped up on Tuesday. — IPS