“Africa is not the dark continent. It is, in fact, the bright continent,” said Prof Mike Bruton, aquatic ecologist and author, at iThemba LABS on Tuesday evening.
“It is a very innovative place and has been for thousands of years,” he said.
Bruton had written two books, namely Awesome South African Inventions and What a Great Idea! about South African inventions. He is also in the process of writing a book on inventions by the entire continent of Africa.
Here, in the lab auditorium, dozens of scientists and science lovers gathered to celebrate National Science Week 2018.
This week, South African science enthusiasts celebrated National Science Week 2018. PHOTO: Grethe Bestbier
“The differentiating factor between a mediocre scientist and a great scientists is the extent to which they express creativity and innovation in their work. Many believe that creativity only belongs in the arts, but in fact it has a great role in science and technology.”
According to Bruton, there are a number of factors that cause South Africans to be very creative people: a strong spirit of entrepreneurship, geographic advantages such as a high biodiversity, oceans around coast and rich indigenous knowledge, as well as strong living ethics.
Prof Willem Van Otterlo, chemistry lecturer at Stellenbosch University (SU) who holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry, agrees.
“A fantastic aspect is that performing natural product inspired research in South Africa means that I get to appreciate the tremendous biodiversity within our country at the tip of the African continent,” he says.
A great number of inventions also find its origin in South Africa. The most famous perhaps, is the CATScanner, recently voted the 51st greatest invention of all time. According to Bruton it is inventions like this, and many more, that should be celebrated during National Science Week.
However, not all scientists and scientists in training are as positive and enthusiastic about the state of science and technology in South Africa. According to Moscos Avgenikos, a Masters student in Organic Chemistry at US, funding and equipment is a big problem.
Scientists and others interested in science listen to Prof Mike Bruton during National Science Week 2018 at iThemba LABS. PHOTO: Grethe Bestbier
“If you look at, for example, Germany and the United States, something that they have and we don’t, is the ability to do our research efficiently, without worry. People are having to focus on other ways of meeting their ends rather than focusing on their research.
This lack of financial support is directly tied to equipment problems, says Avgenikos. There is a whole lot of manual labour that has to be done in South Africa, which is automated in many overseas countries.
Another problem, according to Van Otterlo, is current issues in the school education system.
“The current catastrophic conditions affecting the wider nation’s pre-school, primary and secondary education is having major on the preparedness of students that enter the university system. This is particularly evident in terms of linguistics and mathematics, both important in the field of science.”