Scifest Africa 2018
The Kitchen Chemist was once again busy at Scifest Africa this year. Although the theme was Innovation 4.0 there was little change to the shows and workshops that the Kitchen Chemist was involved in. Nor was there much time to see the delights of the rest of the Festival.
Prior to the Festival I was engaged once again by Johnson Matthey in Germiston to do shows in schools. They had arranged for three audiences a day to see the show. On the second of my two days the pupils were bussed in from the local area, which was great as it meant I didn’t have to wash everything up and pack it away to move venues.
Once that was done it was straight on the plane to Port Elizabeth and onward to Grahamstown for Scifest Africa 2018.
Scifest was busy again for me this year. As usual I was called upon to perform science shows and put on workshops. The shows were Kitchen Chemistry: Seconds, and in one workshop we made slime, and in the other, spectroscopes using a DVD and a simple cardboard box.
“Conversations with …” has become a regular event on the Scifest calendar. The event takes place in a local restaurant and ticket-holders are treated to a three course set menu. Between courses one of the scientists at the Festival is interviewed by a former radio presenter. This year the Kitchen Chemist was one of the three interviewees. I was also a “red-herring” in the murder mystery which dealt with pollution, mining and allergies. There were also busking spots at the “Star Party” and the “Science Picnic” in the botanical gardens. There was more busking to be done in Church Square where I managed to entangle a couple of passers-by in scientific endeavour.
The Kitchen Chemist was also one of the acts at the Opening Ceremony in front of all assembled dignitaries including the Minister of Science and Technology. It was lucky, in a way, that the keynote speaker had been delayed as that allowed more Kitchen Chemistry to be performed, to fill in time!
In amongst all this Kitchen Chemistry: Seconds was also performed as part of the iRhini Festival. I found my warm-up presenter was no less than Jim Adams, who has only recently retired as Deputy Chief Technologist at NASA.
Jim Adams at the iRhini Festival 2018
I have not yet seen the final round-up, but I had the impression that there were lots of people at the Festival this year.
Once the Festival was over, and the celebrations done I headed off to Kirkwood to continue outreach there, with spectroscope workshops and Kitchen Chemistry: Seconds at Moses Mabida School, Hoerskool Kirkwood and St Colmcille’s Public School.
Kitchen Chemistry at Hoerskool Kirkwood
After three days in Kirkwood it was time to fly back to Johannesburg, for my journey onward to Mozambique, but that is the subject of my next post.
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