Searching for Africa’s next Einstein

This is really a good idea. African students need this kind of equipment in them (like the above quote says.) Above all the education system should provide them with an encouragement and trust in themselves that they can pioneer Africa’s solutions to its problems. We must think solutions for our own problems. A bid to get the NextEinstein from Africa demonstrates this kind of thinking. As a matter of fact, no good husband feeds his family by depending on support from another husband.

Great post AK. I hope many will be encouraged to go and start similar bold and ambitious projects. Tapping solar energy to light the African poorest villages (from our perspective) would be one of them.

there are a lot of einstein-like minds across the continent. I applaud the founders of this initiative. In TZ we had a similar idea, but the idea perished when its advocate – Prof Shayo – died.

the Daily News

BENIEL SEKA, 21st April 2009

IN December last year we lost Professor Leonard K. Shayo, who was a great mathematician. He taught at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and later at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT). He was the first mathematician in Tanzania to start a political party.

He also cherished the ideas of constructing an International Village for Science and Technology (IVST) in the country. Unfortunately, he died before realising his dream, after working tirelessly towards its start.

I have known the late Prof Shayo since he was in his final year (3rd year) at UDSM in 1971. I noticed him at the university library when he was returning the books he had borrowed. I was returning one book but he carried five books. I realised that I had to read more books, if I wanted to get my degree.

From that time, I used to watch his movements. I noticed that the books he used to carry made him inline at an angle to balance himself. We used to call such balance “the academic angle of inclination.”

Prof Shayo was an extremely busy person. He had no time to waste. If you were coming towards him, he would start greeting you from a distance and by the time you get close to him he has said all he wanted to say.

The idea of starting an international science village emerged after he had attended a series of Curriculum Development Workshop based in Trieste, Italy, called International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).

In 1986, Prof Shayo co-ordinated a curriculum development workshop in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science held in Nairobi, as part of ICTP External Activities Programme. One of the recommendations of the workshop was the creation of centres of Excellence in Africa.

Following on that recommendation, he and James Eelis developed a paper on Afro-math project, which stimulated a lot of enthusiasm among African Scientists to create such centres. Subsequently the ICTP Regional Office was created at the University of Dar es Salaam in 1987 under the leadership of Prof Shayo.

After writing the proposal he presented it to the National Executive Committee of the CCM meeting chaired by the father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere in Dar es Salaam. Mwalimu supported the idea and became the patron of the IVST. I remember talking to Leonard Shayo soon after the idea was endorsed by the party chairman.

“I sneaked into the party conference and listened to how the various party leaders were presenting their papers. I got courage and applied for my presentation. It was endorsed and I was very excited about it. The mere fact that Mwalimu has been convinced boosted my morale,” he said.

The African Mathematics Union (AMU) under the chairmanship of Professor Kuku of Nigeria was held at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) in Arusha in 1989 and was among the first activities conducted under the auspices of the IVST.

Professor Shayo co-ordinated the meeting, which was attended by the first African (Nigerian) to obtain a PhD in Mathematics, Dr Obi and opened by the then Deputy Minister for Education, Mr Marcel Komanya, the Member of Parliament for Misungwi.

Another significant activity was writing of chapters, which constituted the book Advanced Mathematics volumes 1 and 2. This book was very useful in teaching the Advanced Mathematics syllabus for secondary schools, since no proper Tanzania textbook has been published todate for that level. Prof Shayo subsequently established an office for IVST at AICC.

The village, which would be a great complex would include talented children of all kinds and levels. The complex would involve vast land and he chose Arusha as its proper site. Unfortunately he failed to obtain the land and this frustrated him a lot. The IVST complex became a non-starter.

In 1991 the Mathematical Association of Tanzania (MAT/CHAHITA) while celebrating its silver jubilee, invited Prof Shayo to present a lecture of the year on IVST. Many participants were excited about the idea and remained optimistic.

When I met him a few years ago and inquired about the state of art of the IVST, he told me, “I have failed to obtain land in Arusha. The failure is attributed to politics. I think I should be a politician.” “You, to be a politician? I think you are joking. Remember politics is a dirty game,” I warned him. “I am serious,” he replied.

A few months later, when I visited him in his office at the UDSM, he showed me the constitution of his newly established political party “Demokrasia Makini”. He also showed me the temporary registration certificate from the Registrar of Political Parties.

Some months later, he showed me his permanent registration certificate. By that time he was so much involved in preparing for the 2005 presidential election, that he had no time to spare on issues about IVST.

I remained an interested person in IVST but I did not learn more from him. I do not know who was entrusted by him to continue where he left. Someone should surely take up the challenge. It must not be left to rote. We all need it.

I still cherish the words he told MAT/CHAHITA in 1991: “We wish to request MAT and particularly mathematics tutors to educate the public on the potential of IVST, to revolutionise out development process by harnessing the enterprise of S and T.”