written by an African:

On the question of what Astronomy (and specifically the International Year of Astronomy) means to Africa and the developing world:

 

I write this on behalf of numerous individuals and organizations across the African continent that have come together through the common appreciation of astronomy and its benefits to the people of Africa. I have found that our sentiments, although focused on our experiences in Africa, apply readily to developing regions across the world.

I live close to the Southern tip of Africa and am employed by the South African Astronomical Observatory, home to the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), the largest single aperture optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact, Africa can also boast to be the home of the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS), the largest Gamma Ray detector in the world, as well as the Karoo Array Telescope, a large array of radio telescopes currently under construction. Also, a number of countries in Africa could soon be home to the largest radio telescope array ever built, the Square Kilometre Array, if our bid to host it is successful. The message here: Africa IS a world player in the astronomy field and the International Year of Astronomy means a lot to us, most especially in terms of education and the development of research communities.

 

So what is astronomy? What does it mean to people in developing regions? Well, firstly it must be acknowledged that astronomy belongs to us all. Virtually every culture in the world had already established a relationship with the stars, moon and sun hundreds if not thousands of years ago. In fact, for as long as human beings have walked the earth we have looked up at the night sky and wondered about the objects we saw. In Africa, people have used the stars for centuries, be it for navigation, agriculture, or even story telling. Today, astronomy as a field of study has developed into something that attempts to answer some of the biggest questions imaginable. It is a field that challenges the limits of human understanding and yet never ceases to expand on it. Astronomy, as I have seen for myself on the faces of children, is also a spark that triggers the curiosity and wonder that is so often suppressed in a world of distractions – a curiosity that is so effective for the development of a person and thus the development of a people.

 

Coming back specifically to the International Year of Astronomy, there are four areas where the IYA would play a major role in Africa and developing countries: Education; Development of Research; Public understanding of Science; and Development of Partnerships.

 

1. Education:

In keeping with the spirit of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, which has made the revamping of the education sector a topmost priority goal, we would like to use the astronomy celebrations of 2009 as a rallying point for the development of a strong learning culture, with the view that education, although probably the most sustainable form of development, remains one of the most important and crucial challenges facing our continent, a challenge which could be the single most significant barrier to peace and development. The reason that this event is so important and so useful to us in Africa is that astronomy is one of the most accessible of all sciences, with the biggest laboratory (a dark night sky) being most available to people in rural areas. Astronomy is used to spark curiosity and interest, not only in Science and Mathematics, but education in general. Very young people can be inspired by the beauty and scale of the universe, directly influencing the Millenium Development Goal of Universal Primary Education.

 

2. Development of Research:

The need for the development of a strong research community is clear from policies and structures already in place within the African Union and NEPAD. From the 1996 South African White Paper on Science and Technology:

 

“Scientific endeavour is not purely utilitarian in its objectives and has important associated cultural and social values. It is also important to maintain a basic competence in "flagship" sciences such as physics and astronomy for cultural reasons. Not to offer them would be to take a negative view of our future - the view that we are a second class nation, chained forever to the treadmill of feeding and clothing ourselves.”

 

All across Africa I have found students and researchers who capture this spirit. People who are driven by the innate human curiosity within us all. People who want to contribute to the global knowledge and understanding of the universe. In our quest as human beings to discover things that often fall outside of our wildest imaginations, Africa wants to play a role! The International Year of Astronomy is an opportunity to stimulate and support these researchers, and to spark the next generation of great minds.

 

3. Public Understanding of Science

In many developing countries one finds that scientific knowledge amongst the public is not very strong. In many cases traditional knowledge or superstitions dominate, leading to many misconceptions. Astronomy can play a key role in addressing this often sensitive relationship between traditional and scientific knowledge systems. Astronomy, as mentioned earlier, is something that virtually every culture already has a relationship with. Indigenous astronomy is often a very interesting topic of conversation and an easy way to start a gradual process of introducing a person to modern understanding of the universe. By bringing to the public the things we know about the universe and more importantly, how we know them (technologies employed, scientific method, etc), we can spread knowledge of science and technology.

 

I must stress, though, that the conversation certainly goes both ways, and an acknowledgement of indigenous knowledge is important and essential in building the relationship and pride of a people. Indigenous astronomical knowledge in Africa, such as the constellation isiLimela (aka Pleiades) which indicated the planting season, serves as proof of the advanced thinking and observations of our ancestors and is certainly something to be proud of. In fact, archeological finds in Mali and other parts of Africa strongly suggest that Africans were doing astronomy hundreds if not thousands of years ago.

 

4. Developing Partnerships:

Partnerships are essential for development and its importance is clear from its choice as a MDG as well as the sentiments and spirit of the African Union and regional co-operation bodies such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC), and the Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS).

 

The International Year of Astronomy will not end at the end of 2009. One of the biggest legacies of the IYA will be the establishment of strong partnerships for astronomy both within Africa and globally. This applies to all developing countries and is reflected in the latest “IYA Global Cornerstone Project” which deals with Developing Astronomy Globally.

 

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Those are the four focus areas that the International Year of Astronomy addresses in terms of development. The choice of the four was not without motive of course – and it brings me to the subject of our status and aspirations in Africa:

 

In Africa, where education is probably the only sustainable solution to challenges facing the continent, a group of astronomy-, space science- and education-related individuals and organizations have come together to harness the opportunity for the benefit of Africa as a whole. The International Year of Astronomy shall be used as a launching pad for a network of African individuals and organizations who intend to work together into the future using astronomy to enhance education in Africa. In pursuit of this we have already drafted a plan that is based strongly on the theme of “Astronomy for Education”. In its current version the vision of this plan reads:

 

“The continent of Africa, with an ever-growing astronomy research community, united in the fields of astronomy education and promotion, working together and sharing resources, such that the people of Africa are educated, especially in the fields of science, engineering and technology.”

 

The choice of 4 development areas are in line with the 4 Core Missions of this plan, namely:

1. Enhance the teaching and interest in astronomy in schools
2. Enhance the teaching and interest in astronomy in universities
3. Increase the awareness and knowledge of astronomy amongst the public
4. Support and encourage an African network on astronomy

 

Fundamental to this plan are the issues of sustainability and development with specific objectives for what is to be in place after 2009.

 

This plan, which has been written with the spirit of NEPAD, can easily be extended to the rest of the developing world as it specifically focuses on countries that may have little or no astronomical communities. It has been developed thus far and continues to develop with input being sought from over 100 people, the overwhelming majority of whom are based in over 20 African countries. Such a pro-active and dynamic effort by the continent has certainly given Africa significant status in terms of the global IYA activities. This status is evident from IAU plans to hold the next international “Communicating Astronomy with the Public” conference in Africa, as well as a new IYA global cornerstone project currently being driven by the Africans entitled “Developing Astronomy Globally”.

 

So, in a nutshell, the International Year of Astronomy means a lot to Africa and thus to the developing world.

 

Having said this one may still ask the question “Do you really believe that looking at the stars can make a difference to a person living a hard life in Africa?”

 

My response is simple. I believe it because I’ve experienced it!

I work with some of the poorest schools and communities in Southern Africa. I’ve seen the wonder on a child’s face when they look through a telescope for the first time. I’ve watched youth change their career plans after a long conversation about the universe – and I’ve seen the naughty ones stop their games and listen. I’ve seen the smiles on wrinkled faces as they grasp the mechanism of eclipses for the first time after long lives of fear and misconception.

 

I’ve seen people smile peacefully when presented with a view of the earth from space – an earth with no borders, no nationalities or skin colour, no wars or anger – simply a little blue planet, a part of the universe – with life, life that belongs to the earth as much as the earth belongs to it! Astronomy is a powerful tool. It is something that can alter one’s perception of the universe. It can make one realize how fragile our lives are. Above all, astronomy is a subject that makes one think. It broadens the mind and allows us to appreciate different perspectives – to appreciate the diversity of people and of life – and it is certainly something that is to be celebrated.