18/08/2026
๐งฎ Science doesnโt only belong in classrooms, libraries and laboratories โ it belongs wherever people live, work and gather.
During National Science Month, Mastercard Foundation Scholars at AIMS South Africa brought mathematics to the Muizenberg Flea Market, one of Cape Townโs busiest weekend attractions.
Through interactive games, quizzes, posters and conversations, Biruk Eshetu, Abraham Awortwe, Justina Twum, Mokgethwa Makgatho, Bill Mbohgo, Daniel Boateng and Mannondรฉ Gbaguidi engaged local residents and tourists with the mathematics behind cybersecurity, electricity load shedding, African art, leadership and other everyday challenges.
Reflecting on the experience, Biruk Eshetu shared:
โMy science communication project successfully demonstrated that mathematics is closely connected to everyday life through African patterns and cultural designs... A key lesson learned was that many people are unaware of the mathematics that exists in their daily lives.โ
For Mokgethwa Makgatho, the experience changed how she communicates her research:
โThe project improved my confidence in speaking to people in public and helped me become more comfortable explaining my work to people who may not have a background in statistics or data science.โ
Abraham Awortwe also reflected on the challenge of communicating in a busy public space:
โI learned to deliver the core scientific and social message of my poster in a 1-minute elevator pitch before diving into the mathematical details... This experience has radically boosted my public speaking confidence and proved to me that the public is hungry for scientific and mathematical solutions โ we just have to meet them where they already gather.โ
The outreach formed part of the scholarsโ Science Communication Projects following their participation in the Africa Scientifique programme, delivered by the AIMS South Africa House of Science in partnership with African Gong.
By transforming an ordinary market day into a science engagement experience, the scholars showed that mathematics can be fun, practical, accessible and relevant to everyday life.