Geometry from Africa: Mathematical and Educational Explorations

Selected by Choice Magazine as one of the Outstanding Academic Books of 2000

The peoples of Africa south of the Sahara constitute a vibrant cultural mosaic, extremely rich in its diversity.  Among these peoples interest in creating and exploring forms and shapes has blossomed in diverse cultural and social contexts with such an intensity that with reason it may be said that "Africa Geometrizes."

Gerdes presents examples of geometrical ideas in the work of wood and ivory carvers, potters, painters, weavers, and mat and basket makers.  He analyzes geometrical ideas inherent in various crafts and explores possibilities for their educational use. Using as examples African ornaments and artifacts, he shows how students may be led to discover the Pythagorean Theorem and to find proofs of it. He also explores connections to Pappus' Theorem, similar right triangles, and Latin and magic squares as well as the geometrical ideas inherent in mat and basket weaving, house building, and wall decoration.

The author presents the geometry of a sand drawing tradition called sona in the Chokwe language (predominantly northeast Angola). The knowledge of sona has been passed from generation to generation via beautiful, often symmetric, designs made in the sand. Gerdes uncovers mathematical ideas in sona and presents examples of how they may be used in teaching mathematics. He underscores the mathematical potential of the sand drawing tradition by developing the geometry of a new type of design pattern, which he calls Lunda-designs.

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

MAA Online

"This work by Paulus Gerdes of the Univeridade Pedagogica in Mozambique is a masterpiece. Not only are the illustrations within the Gerdes book plentiful, they have been well chosen so as to draw the reader into the mathematics of the artifacts and geometric figures...there has not yet been a book in English which unites the Geometric patterns and thought of Africa with the related mathematics. There has also been nothing so useful for student investigations and research on Sub-Saharan African mathematics. The mathematics educator will be pleased. Furthermore, Gerdes' book leads the reader to understand that Africa is a "vibrant cultural mosaic." There are many different peoples with a great diversity in cultural and social mores, leading to many different expressions of mathematical design. This book challenges its readers to open their eyes to a large continent where hundreds of languages are spoken, where people are urban and rural, where there are many different countries with varied cultures, and where geometry lives in each groups everyday life. This book will likely be an eye-opener for many that think of Africa as a continent where everyone looks and lives alike and shares the same language."