BLOGGER SKETCHES

MY ASTRONOMICAL EXPERIENCE

An Africanised Study of Astronomical Historyin the Northern Cape, South Africa, for Purposes of Secondary and Higher Education Programmesin Tourism Management
K J de Beer1 (author) and M J Hoffman2 (co-worker)
Central University of Technology, Private Bag X20539, Bloemfontein 9300, Free State e-mail: 1kbeer@cut.ac.za, 2hoffmanj.sci@mail.uovs.ac.za
Abstract. Dr M.J. Hoffman, Head of the Department Physics, University of the Free State (UFS), presented a paper at the Duineveld Secondary School in Upington, to enhance the idea of a natural observatory centre in the Northern Cape. Quite aptly, the National Institute for Higher Education: Northern Cape(NIHE) also invited a renowned African astronomer, Dr T Medupe, to address their graduation ceremony in 2005. However, Dr Albert Strydom, Programme Head of Tourism Management at the Central University for Technology, Free State (CUT), is very much aware of the delicate nature of this type of high scientific profile in Tourism Management. It is foreseen by Dr Kallie de Beer, Director of Distance Education, that Teaching and Learning in this field will predominantly be conducted via Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL). Subsequently, it is also important to understand the philosophy of ODeL within global and Africanized perspectives. Astronomy, in this case, offers excellent examples of Africanised science in practice to add scientific value to tourist packages in the Northern Cape. (www.saao.ac.za/assa/aahs).
Sommaire.
Introduction
The Northern Cape is the largest geographical province of South Africa. It is served by the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE), (University status) offering tertiary education in collaboration with the University of the Free State (UFS), Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), University of South Africa (UNISA), the Vaal Triangle University of Technology (VUT) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Due to the fact that the establishment phase has only been in Kimberley since 23 June 2003, it inter-alia envisages to offer a National Diploma in Tourism Management. Dr M.J. Hoffman, Head of the Department Physics, UFS, presented a proposal at the auditorium for tourism at the Duineveld Secondary School in Upington for the establishment and expansion of a natural observatory centre for the Northern Cape at SAAO or Sutherland or Augrabies. Hoffman is also an astronomer who regularly presents public lectures at the Boyden Observatory in Bloemfontein.
Quite aptly the NIHE invited an astronomer, Dr ThebeMedupe, to address their graduation ceremony in 2005. Dr Medupe emphasised the importance of this field of study in the Northern Cape as well. While Dr Albert Strydom, Programme Head of Tourism Management at the CUT, is aware of the delicate nature of this type of high scientific profile in Tourism Management. With the Scientific prerequisites of this generation, tourism falls in the category of international space research. For example the USA
Spacecraft, Discovery, could use the extra long landing strip in Upington as an emergency back-up.
While the NIHE and Higher Education Institutional (HEIS) partners will allso be offering contact lectures as well, it is foreseen that the predominant character of this HEIS will be that of a virtual university which is conducted by Open Learning and Distance e-Learning methodology (ODEL). Therefore it is also important to understand the philosophy of Open Learning (OL) within global and Africanised perspectives. Astronomy in this case offers excellent examples of Africanised science in practice when it is said that Native Africans learn by imitation. They observe their fathers and accomplished leaders during their apprenticeships. General principles were passed down from generation to generation15 The !Kung San, Southern Africa’s original people of the Kalahari Desert, resided all over from the Republic of Botswana, Namibia, the Northern and Western Cape and Free State provinces of the Republic of South Africa. They are typical of the hunter-gather mode of existence – in which modern people spent most of their time – and are compared with the most advanced space projects of the National American Space Administration (NASA). One of their former scientists, Carl Sagan (1997), describes their formidable forensic tracking skills as “science in action”. Modern space scientists do exactly the same when they try to analyse a crater on the Moon, Mercury or Triton by its degree of erosion. However, they do not perform their calculations on Maxwell’s equations only or do quantum mechanics from scratch. Instead, they figure out all the tracking protocols
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since the beginning of mankind according to “Nature’s rules”. Like the !Kung tracking protocols for example. How they scrutinised footprints of fast moving animals which display longed symmetry; their accuracy of inductive and deductive reasoning; the wind that blows away the footprints. These methods are identical to what planetary astronomers use in analysing craters, other things being equal, depth-to-diameter.
Tourism Management Courses
Fransie Coetzee, a journalist of Volksblad, a daily newspaper in the Free State and the Northern Cape, wrote an article on possibilities for amateurs in astronomy in the clear night skies of Upington in the Northern Cape.14 Although many a foreign visitor to the Northern Cape remarked on the dark night skies of this province, hardly any acknowledgement was given in national tourist brochures about this wonderful eco-tourism possibility. However, recent quality publications such as Products Of Southern Africa11 gives great prominence to the Southern Cross constellation in the Southern hemisphere. Sky Guide African South12 inter alia quotes Nobel prizewinner in physics, Steven Weinberg, that “ Astronomy … provides a unique bridge between the sciences and the public”. Subsequently to this fact, the official travel guide of the Northern Cape (2005)refers tourists to the Karoo Hoogland Tourism6 (URL: www.karoohoogland.co.za) for visting the SA Astronomical Observatory in Sutherland.
2.1 Tourism Management Courses at Duineveld High School; Upington Tourism management has been established since 1997 as a career course at this school due to the growing importance of this discipline in the Northern Cape, especially in national, provincial and cultural tourism. It includes Mathematics and Geographical tourism, time zones, international icons and outcomes in technology. It is the first school in South Africa to accommodate its own Tourism Centre with state of the art technology as well as an auditorium. Co-operative Education (experiential learning) forms part of the curriculum.
Hoffman of the Boyden Observatory and other colleagues of the (UFS) regularly make use of the Duineveld facilities. In the attached figures of Hoffman and Flanegan, they envisage a tourism and educational dream for the Northern Cape.4 Various star gazing tours are now starting to take off to explore the night skies of this province. For the romantics, they can have moonlight dinners on the salt pans!
2.2 National Institute for Higher Education: Northern Cape (NIHE) The NIHE is a totally new concept for higher education in South Africa. Due to the sparse population in the largest geographical province in South Africa, the Northern Cape, the Department of Education (DoE) established a National Institute for Higher Education in Kimberley instead of a fully fledged university. Instead, higher education institutions (HEIS) who historically offered tertiary education in the Northern Cape via first, second and third generation distance education methodologies, were requested to form the core of the NIHE. The following higher education institutions are possible “partners” within the NIHE:
• The University of the Free State (UFS); • Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) • Vaal Triangle University of Technology (VUT) • The University of the Western Cape (UWC); and • The University of South Africa (UNISA) The NIHE requested that Tourism Management should be accredited with one of the HEIS partners. Although there has not yet been a response to this request, the fact remains that NIHE is already advertising for prospective students in this field of study. Subsequently, the aim of this paper is not to propagate a Higher Diploma in Tourism Management, but to introduce only one prominent aspect, namely astronomy, as a possible field in such a modular curriculum, that could be offered by means of Open and Distance Education e-Learning (OdeL) methodology.
Open Distance E-Learning Methodology
Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL) will be the logical method to offer courses in Tourism Management the Northern Cape due to the great distances between towns and cities, especially from the main campuses of the, University of the Western Cape (UWC), UNISA in Tswane, the University of the Free State (UFS) the Central University of Technology: Free State (CUT) in Bloemfontein and the Vaal University of Technology(VUT) in the Vaal Triangle near Vereeniging. Modules specifically curriculated for tourist possibilities in casu Astronomy, can be downloaded or offered via internet and satellite linkages..
Other examples are already in existence. The University of Stellenbosch (US) already offers courses at Upington via satellite technology and could easily be expanded to widen access for other Higher Education partners. (Also refer to the satellite offerings of the Universities of Pretoria, Stellenbosch-and North West at the EDU-Park in Polokwane as far as the Limpopo Province via satellite.)
UNISA has several regional learning centres in the Northern Cape which are served by interactive video conferencing facilities from the main campuses in Florida, Johannesburg and in Tswane, Gauteng. Linkages between the UFS’s research in astronomy at the Boyden Observatory and the National Institute for Higher Education: Northern Cape (NIHE) are also possible for the distribution of services via the interactive video conferencing facilities of NIHE to the rest of the Northern Cape. NIHE is housed in the former Provincial Government buildings of the Northern Cape, from which the Premier had interactive video linkages with the respective sub-regions. These communication lines are compatable with that of UNISA, UWC and the CUT. The CUT is currently establishing its programmes on Web CT (6). Students and researchers in the Northern Cape can already download course material in several technological modules via the internet.
Outcomes
Co-operative Education or so called experiential learning in Tourism Management is a fait de accompli for CUT students. Students are placed by the Director: Co-operative Education at various travel agencies, guest houses and
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government parastatals in jobs as tour operators or guides to complete their “practicals”. The ideal is also to equip those students who are placed in the Northern Cape with skilfull knowledge of the South African Large Telescope (SALT) in Sutherland, as well as the history of the San people who used scientific ways and means to predict the weather conditions from the stars and the moon the night before their hunting expeditions. They should also know about the Upington Airport, which can be used by the Discovery pendel spacecraft for a back-up landing strip in case of foul weather conditions in the United States. Students in Tourism Management have to be literate in astronomy, especially in the Northern Cape. Also with regards to the planning of the world’s largest radio telescope, The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) (www.ska.ac.za) as well as the existence of another seven observatories in their province. Bushmen paintings also reflect the oldest astronomical recordings in Southern Africa while indigenous SeTswana astronomical nomenclature are as important to study. Their scientific knowledge may therefore be essential for students in Tourism Management in the Northern Cape. Tourist guides who organise tours for amateur astronomers will also have to be aware of international political literacy regarding SALT, for example, that the 91 mirrors are of Russian origin and that South Africa and Russia have signed a scientific agreement for co-operation for space research and possible launching sites at the Overberg testing range.14
DiagramsobtainedfromB.Arch.Finalyearproject:Marie-LouiseFlanaganUniversityoftheFreeStateFig. 1. An illustration of a possible Nature Observatory Centre for the Northern Cape. Such a centre can serve as a landmark for a tourism industry that takes advantage of the cosmic landscape and very dark sky of the Northern Cape. Diagram obtained from B.Arch. Final year project: Marie-Louise Flanagan University of the Free State. For SALT to become a tourist attraction of note, it needs to be accessible to the tourism market. Case studies world- wide indicate that successful tourism in an extensive area, like the Northern Cape, are much more dependant on the principles of packaging, clustering of tourism products to create a diverse offering and the development of theme-specific tourism routes.17 Therefore, SALT may only be included in packages, tour itineraries, routes, tourism clusters and brochures if it is really accessible to tourists. This accessibility must, of course, take place within acceptable parameters of noise (radio) pollution, light pollution and air pollution.16 According to media reports, the Karoo Hoogland municipality area expects 30 000 tourist to Sutherland due the publicity SALT is generating.14 The highway from Cape Town to Gauteng via Kimberley is renovated inter alia for star-
gazing opportunities.14 Although it all sounds like moonshine and roses, this province is one of the poorest among the rest
– 8 --in South Africa. The infrastructure is far from first world conditions and the majority of the people are not at all very wealthy. Subsequently, there exists tension among the inhabitants how best money should be spent to benefit the poorest of the poorest.14 Africanisation
ODeL methodology is closely linked to space technology to instruct and train students via satellite and the internet. In this case it would be used for Tourism Management, however, curricula have to be customised to provide for Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) which are part of the UFS Programme of Africa Studies (cf. Indilinga, 2005). In this case it would deal with the pre- and post colonial knowledge about the scientific uses of intelligence of astronomy. The study of Astronomy can encourage as much assimilation of traditional knowledge into the modern systems as possible, and on the other hand, to provide a language and grammar for indigenous people through which they can access modernity. This will assure scientific integrity of the Tourism enterprise in the Northern Cape. In this sense, SALT and space technology in the Northern Cape will provide a sense of pride in their past engender respect for indigenous-peoples, “ but also to enable people in indigenous mind-sets to make a better transition into the world of Science, Engineering and Technology” (SET).9
Ethno-astronomy also becomes very important for the SeTwana peoples of the Northern Cape due to the quotations of French missionaries about the SeTwana’s beliefs about the origin of mankind at Ntsuantsatsi in the Eastern Free State. Although the Free State is an adjacent province to the Northern Cape, the pre-colonial SeTwana people were not divided by artificial borders. They are still one nation right across the Kalahari into the Republic of Botswana. Dr Jurita Holbrook of the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology at the University of Arizona, warns against the over simplification of endogenous knowledge of Africans. SeTswana nomenclature for the study of astronomy tells it own history in Southern Africa.7
Subsequently entrepreneurs already see the gap to africanise their products, for example the Stellekaya, a wine cellar in Stellenbosch who sponsored the wine for the AAHS symposium in Cape Town. They literally formed their name with a combination of stars and the informal housing settlements, namely, “stella” that is “home of the stars” and iKaya (read house).8 Tourism is exactly stimulated by this kind of endogenous art of the trade.
Biblical Perspectives on Astronomy
It would be farcical to refer to the historical uses of astronomy in the Northern Cape without referring to the predominant Biblical perspectives of the core population. Missionaries like Moffat, brought Christianity to the Northern Cape before the Dutch-speaking Voortrekkers during their trek from the Cape Colony into the hinterland of Southern Africa in 1838. Moffat’s daughter was married to the notorious discoverer, Sir David Livingston, who was the first white man to claim the name of the Victoria Water Falls for Great Britain. However, Biblical history is intrinsically
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linked to the introduction of the European culture into Africa. The SeTswane Bible was the very first Bible to be translated in an African language and which was printed at the Moffat Missionary Station in Kuruman, Northern Cape.
Without downscaling the San peoples’ indigenous knowledge of astronomy, academic researchers should most definitely take Biblical facts on the module matter into consideration when analysing the true history of the Northern Cape. Some ancient astronomers of the Southern hemisphere even linked the crucifixion of Jesus Christ with the Crux Australis, “cross of the South”.11. Surely the European descendants who were pioneers of the Northern Cape also used their navigation skills according to this constellations’ inclination from the perpendicular or otherwise planted their vegetables according to the phases of the moon. There is a time and a season for everything done under the sun (Eccl. 3). God originally made the sun, moon, and stars to regulate times and seasons on the eternal Earth.2 (Dake,2001).
Conclusion
SALT will most definitely not only operate in isolation to other academic and industrial sciences. Otherwise it will lose its outcomes. Such a big space technology research project cannot be done without taking into consideration the real life situation on planet earth. Peoples of the Northern Cape ( SeTswana and ! Xhoi San) who were also deprived by the former political dispensations, namely colonialism as well as the Apartheid era. This should be taken into account by the development of space technology in their heimat. Researchers have to take notice of their endigenous cultures as well as their modern development, without discriminating against their own perspectives on space Science Engineering and Technology (SET).
Knowledge can also not be hidden from the media, who uses the very same products of space technology to communicate via the internet and other means of communication technology (Read DS Television and Cell Phone Technology) and who create daily news reports. Subsequently, the people of the Northern Cape must be included along with modern science, by the HEI’s. Only then will equipped Tourism managers be able to put the links together, namely that SALT is one of the prime large telescopes in the world, to complete the network of higher Scientific, Engineering and Technological (SET) research for better living conditions on earth. Not only in terms of globalisation, but specifically to benefit the peoples of the Northern Cape at large.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the International Radio Telescope for the 21st century which could be built in the Northern Cape -if the international bid is awarded to South Africa- will crown this province the astronomical tourist mecca of the world.
References
1. Coetzee,F.,2000. Sterre kyk in Upington (Afrikaans title) Volkblad; www.samedia.ac.za. 2. Dake, J., 2001. God’s Plan for Man. Third printing. Dake Publishing, Inc. Georgia. United States of America, 51. 3. De Beer, K.J., 2004. Open and Distance e-Learning. Unpublished draft for the Unit for Academic Development. Central University of Technology, Free State. Bloemfontein. 4 Hoffman, M.J., and Flanagan, M., 2005. A Tourism and Educational Dream: A Natural Observatory Centre for the Northern Cape (at SAAO, Sutherland?:Augrabies?,…). University of the Free State. Bloemfontein.
5. Holbrook, J.C., 2005. The Cultural Austronomy of Africa – Recent Activities. African Astronomical History Symposium. Cape Town. November 8 & 9, 2005. 6. Karoo Hoogland Tourism, 2005.www.karoohoogland.co.za and www.saao.ac.za/assa/aahs 7. Leeuw, L., 2005. SeTswana astronomical nomenclature. African Astronomical History Symposium, November 8–9, 2005. Cape Town. 8. Lello, D and Lello, J.,2005. Stellekaya. Stellenbosch. 9. Nel,P., 2005. Indilinga. University of the Free State. Bloemfontein. 10. Northern Cape Tourism. 2005. Northern Cape Tourism Authority. Kimberley, 35. 11. Products of Southern Africa, 2005. A Visual Guide-Your link to doing business in Southern Africa.Sixth International Edition-Global Distribution Incorporating Investment, services Projects and Tourism. Department of Trade and Industry. Tswane. 12. Sky Guide Africa South, 2005. Astronomical Handbook for Southern Africa. Observatory. Cape Town. 13. South African Astronomical Observatory, 2005. www.saao.ac.za or www.salt.ac.za. 14. SA Media,2005. University of the Free State, Volksblad press clippings. www.samedia.ac.za. 15. Sagan, C.,1997. The Demon Haunted World. Science as a candle in the dark. Random House. United States of America, 315-325. 16. Strydom, A., 2005. Interview with the authors. University of Technology, Free State. Bloemfontein. 17. World Tourism Organisation, 1994. National and regional tourism planning. Routledge. AFRICAN SKIES/CIEUX AFRICAINS, No. 11, June 2007

ASTRONOMICAL EXPERIENCE AT CAPE TOWN OBSERVATORY

African Astronomical History Symposium

Cape Town, 2005, November
8-9 http://www.saao.ac.za/

With a view to the possible winning of the bit to construct the Square Kilometre Array, the largest radio telescope of the world in the Northern Cape, astronomers, researchers tourist guides, businessmen and many other possible stock holders are waiting anxiously for the final decision, namely,if it is going to be erected elsewhere, or in South Africa. A colleague, Chris Nel, who spent some of his childhood near the possible site, and I am planning to do a preliminary research for a possible module in astronomy for tourism management students. We hope to publish
some photo's quite soon.

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