[South Africa] Scifest Africa turns 20
Scifest Africa, South Africa’s National Science Festival, celebrates its 20th anniversary event in Grahamstown from March 2-8.
The Grahamstown Foundation established the science festival in 1996 to promote public awareness and the understanding and appreciation of science, technology and innovation in the country.
Scifest Africa is the largest science festival in Africa, offering a festival programme of more than 75 exhibitions and 650 interactive events. Last year 58 000 visitors from Southern Africa attended, with 300 presenters from South Africa and 12 other countries.
The theme for the 2016 festival “A matter of time” was selected in celebration of the 20th anniversary event and will explore the creation, measurement, depiction, experience and end of time.
From archaeological discoveries by National Geographic emerging explorer Dr Sarah Parcak to the Bloodhound supersonic car’s attempt at breaking the world land speed record, the festival has many intriguing surprises.
Nasa returns to the festival this year, and visitors can travel back in time with chief technologist Jim Adams to learn about space technologies — developed over the last 40 years — that benefit life on Earth, participate in a workshop with visual strategist Dan Goods to see how he turns Nasa’s scientific data into art, tackle space technology challenges with fellows from the US National Institute of Aeronautics using littleBits kits, or travel to the future with Jim Adams by examining the technologies being developed by Nasa to send people to Mars in the 2030s.
Scifest Africa, which is sponsored by the department of science and technology, will ensure the return of firm favourites of the last 20 years, including Australia’s MadLab, France’s Planète Sciences, Germany’s Die Physikanten, and the UK’s Science Made Simple.
The festival caters for everyone from age five to 105, with its Science Picnic in the Park, Mathematics Sleepover, Science Café, Laser Show, Speed Date a Scientist (or even a Nasa astronaut) and Star Party.
