Sona Geometry From Angola

"This volume provides readers with a glimpse into Paulus Gerdes's seminal work on the mathematics of an African tradition - 'sona' geometry, a drawing and narrative tradition from Angola with embedded mathematical ideas. The work represented in this book contributes significantly to efforts by other African mathematicians and mathematics educators to recuperate and valorize mathematical ideas and reasoning that reside in African material culture and cultural practices [...]. Moreover, Gerdes is a prolific contributor of work that reinforces a growing literature available in English of a dynamic research program in ethnomathematics. Uncoveirng the mathematical ideas embedded in a Cokwe cultural practice and providing access to the richness of these ideas are part of the concerns of ethnomathematics. As an ethnomathematician, Gerdes is not a neutral researcher but rather a public intellectual committed to finding ways not only to understand the mathematics of the Cokwe 'sona' tradition but also to raise important questions such as [...] when he observes that the profoundness of the mathematical ideas expressed in the 'sona' 'had started to build up.' With this, his reader is then prompted to ask questions: What happened to the building up of the 'sona' tradition and its mathematical ideas? Why was this development arrested? Answering these questions along with enjoying the beautiful presentation of the mathematics of the 'sona' tradition are the gifts that readers will receive from this wonderful volume"--Arthur B. Powell, p. [4] of cover.

For children from age 8 to 14. "Drawings from Angola" present an introduction to an African story telling tradition. The tales are illustrated with marvelous drawings made in the sand. The book conveys the stories of the stork and the leopard, the hunter and the dog, the rooster and the fox, and others. It explains how to execute the drawings. The reader is invited to draw tortoises, antelopes, lions, and other animals. The activities proposed throughout the book invite the reader to experiment and to explore the 'rhythm' and symmetry of the illustrations. Surprising results will be playfully obtained, such as in arithmetic, a way to calculate quickly the sum of a sequence of odd numbers. Children will live the beautiful mathematics of the Angolan sanddrawings. Answers to the activities are provided. The book can be used both in classrooms and at home.

This book draws on geometric ideas from cultural activities from Subsaharan Africa to develop mathematical reasoning.

The book "Lunda Geometry" explains how the mathematical concepts of mirror curves and Lunda-designs were discovered in the context of the author's research of 'sona', illustrations traditionally made in the sand by Cokwe storytellers from eastern Angola (a region called Lunda) and neighboring regions of Congo and Zambia. Examples of mirror curves from several cultures are presented. Lunda-designs are aesthetically attractive and display interesting symmetry properties. Examples of Lunda-patterns and Lunda-polyominoes are presented. Some generalizations of the concept of Lunda-design are discussed, like hexagonal Lunda-designs, Lunda-k-designs, Lunda-fractals, and circular Lunda-designs. Lunda-designs of Celtic knot designs are constructed.Several chapters were published in journals like 'Computers & Graphics' (Oxford), 'Visual Mathematics' (Belgrade), and 'Mathematics in School' (UK).

New edition of award winning book "Women and Geometry in Southern Africa: Suggestions for Further Research", published by the "Universidade Pedagógica" (Mozambique) in 1995. The original book contains chapters on geometrical ideas embedded in basket weaving, bead work, wall decoration, tattooing, and ceramics. The expanded edition includes a foreword by Sibusiso Moyo (Secretary of the African Mathematical Union Commission on Women in Mathematics in Africa, and Research Director of the Durban University of Technology, South Africa), afterwords by Ubiratan D'Ambrosio (Brazil) and Jens Hoyrup (Denmark), and the papers "Makwe colour inversion, symmetry and patterns" (Northeastern Mozambique) and "Symmetries on mats woven by Yombe women from the area along the Lower Congo." The book contains also a chapter written by Salimo Saide on the geometry of pottery decoration among Yao women (Nyassa Province, Mozambique). (2013, 276 pp.)

In the book "Otthava: Making Baskets and Doing Geometry in the Makhuwa Culture in the Northeast of Mozambique" I reflect on practices in the Makhuwa culture, which provide evidence of the geometric considerations operating in basket weaving, and are suitable and appropriate for mathematical and educational exploration. A proper scientific understanding of this knowledge, and the educational value of these manifestations may lead to a better appreciation of the Makhuwa culture. The practices I present in this book belong to the cultural sphere of 'otthava' - weaving, plaiting, interweaving, interlacing, braiding - that is, to basket- and mat- weaving. The topics which are analysed are the making of funnels, hats, fish traps, containers, trays, dance rattles, purses, decorated braids, baskets and handbags, knots and circular mats (292 pp.) Colour versions of the photographs in the book are published in a separate supplement.