African Context for Mathematical Science Nov-Dec 2011, Livingstone, Zambia Gertjan van Stam Macha, Zambia [email protected]

To the eyes of the Western scholar relevance and inclusion of mathematical modeling is unquestioned. Its presence is pervasive and ubiquitous However, this is not the case in rural Africa. Apart from using calculators, not much mathematics seems to go on in rural areas of Africa. This address, postulating from a definition of scholarship of integration, of application, and of pedagogy, puts the case for the need of an African drive. It suggests further exploration of both theoretical and practical concepts in and around concepts of community and sustainability, incorporating context and culture, so it can start to play a role in reshaping the landscape of African societies. Challenges are deducted from long term participatory research experience in sensitization, introduction and operations of information and communications technologies in rural Zambia [1-3] in rural Macha, Zambia. Although quantitive aspects do play a role, a multitude of qualitative and interlinked factors feature prominently [4]. Constrains

in rural areas involve unique contextual and cultural ingredients. In an drive to sustainability, appropriate research must include sensitivity to such a mix of context and culture. Contextual ingredients include aspects like orality, traditional leadership trust structures and regulatory practice, human resource and agency, and practicalities like housing, roads, distances, electricity, business, and cost levels. Culture encapsulates history, sense of solidarity, relatio economics [5], a focus on human relations, and a sense of security. Such issues are fundamental, substantial, and materially different then those in contemporary western context from which mathematics has emerged. The address calls for further transdiciplinary research and evaluation which is sensitive to these rural challenges, and is required if all of Africa is to receive proper inclusion and relevance of mathematics in the wake of pervasive/ubiquitous connectedness.

[1] K. Matthee, G. Mweemba, A. Pais, G. Van Stam, and M. Rijken, “Bringing Internet connectivity to rural Zambia using a collaborative approach,” in International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, 2007, pp. 1-12. [2] D. Johnson, V. Pejovic, E. M. Belding, and G. Van Stam, “Traffic Characterization and Internet Usage in Rural Africa,” in Proceedings of WWW, March 2011, Hyderabad, India, 2011. [3] K. Shoemaker and G. Van Stam, “ePiano, a case of music education via internet in rural Zambia,” in Society On-Line, April 26-27th, 2010, Raleigh, NC, USA, 2010. [4] G. van Stam, Placemark. Macha: Gertjan van Stam, 2011. [5] K. Sheneberger and G. van Stam, “Relatio: An Examination of the Relational Dimension of Resource Allocation,” Economics and Finance Review, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 26 - 33, 2011.