South Africa and Brunei 2024

The final international trip for the Kitchen Chemist in 2024 was to South Africa and Brunei at the end of July/beginning of August. Both legs of the trip were very busy and fulfilling in different ways.

On my first day in Johannesburg, a Sunday, I was whisked off to the Alexandra township to work with tutors at the Sakhimfundo Foundation, and was treated to lunch at Mike’s Food-n-Car-Wash for a traditional meal (liver, pap and chimichanga) eaten with traditional utensils (fingers). The next few days were spent at the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) filming excerpts from the Kitchen Chemistry show.

After that it was on a plane to East London – not back to the UK, but the city in the Eastern Cape. There I was able to work with the Department of Education in Mhzomle, Mthatha and Makhanda (formerly known as Grahamstown). The link with the Department of Education was facilitated by my friends at the charity Ripples for Change in the hope that this work will cause a tiny ripple that effects change in the long run. The workshops were intended to get the participants thinking and grow their confidence in carrying out practical activities. Logistics meant that there was little chemistry, so many of the demonstrations were based on physics or maths.

Saturday was spent catching up with friends and doing a bit of baking along the way! Sunday I was off again, this time to Durban to join up with the Umjikelezo We-Science crew. On Monday our first stop was Ntee School in Bulwer, where one of the gazebos nearly blew away. That was the only stop on the trip where the Natural Science Museum was able to join us so, slightly depleted, the remainder – The Centre for Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education (CASME), the Science and Technology Education Centre (STEC) from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Unizulu Science Centre and Kitchen Chemistry, of course – headed to the Umzimkulu River Lodge near Underberg. The next few days were spent doing our pop-up science festivals in a variety of schools in the area, including a school for children with special educational needs.

After the Umjikelezo tour it was off to Port Elizabeth and Makhanda again for the weekend. I caught up with friends there and on the Monday took the opportunity to give a Science Communication workshop at Rhodes University.

The night was spent in Port Elizabeth in order to be able to take an early flight back to Johannesburg, and then on to Brunei via Singapore. In Brunei I had another whirlwind of talks, shows, workshops and meetings all as part of the remains of a British Council grant as part of the Going Global Partnerships. Not only did I meet the new British High Commissioner but gave the “Elementary!” lecture in the Pro-Chancellor’s Arts Centre, worked with early career researchers at the Universiti of Brunei Darussalam (UBD) through the auspices of the Office of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor and with the MTeach students of the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE). On other days, Seria Energy Lab had Kitchen Chemistry shows as part of their Full STEAM Ahead Holiday programme. If that wasn’t enough I had a meeting with the Science Team from SHBIE about a potential research project and to help in planning the inaugural Brunei Science Festival.

The route back home was via Johannesburg, and involved nearly a whole day in transit, which I used to catch up with more friends, get some biltong from a specialist shop and visit the Rietvlei Nature Reserve just outside Pretoria.