[Maths-Education] New book: basketry&geometry in African culture (Tonga, Mozambique)

Paulus Gerdes maths-education@nottingham.ac.uk
Mon, 22 Dec 2003 11:47:32 +0300


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Dear Colleagues,

I have the pleasure to inform you that the Mozambican publishing house
'Mo=E7ambique Editora' (www.ME.co.mz) launched my book

"Sipatsi:Cestaria e Geometria na Cultura Tonga de Inhambane"

[Sipatsi: Basketry and Geometry in the Tonga culture of Inhambane]

(176 p.; with 32 pages in colour).  On seventy eight pages, a catalogue of
362 different plaited strip patterns is reproduced.
Copies of the book may be obtained directly from the publisher Mo=E7ambique
Editora
(www.ME.co.mz, rrocha@ME.co.mz, comercial@ME.co.mz)
or from Texto Editora (www.TE.pt, ppegado@textoeditora.pt) in Lisbon,
Portugal.
The price of the book is 14 Euros or 17.50 $ (USD).

The book explains how artisans produce beautiful hand bags, called sipatsi
in Gitonga, a language spoken in the Mozambican province of  Inhambane.
The activity of weaving  sipatsi is originally a female activity.
The book presents a catalogue of decorative strip patterns plaited into the
sipatsi, resulting from collecting sipatsi for more than twenty-five years.
It also includes suggestions for the mathematical-educational use of
sipatsi, varying from the study of composition and symmetries to the study
of progressions and pentagons.
The book concludes with the presentation of some new phenomena  in the
production of sipatsi, underlining the  geometric-artistic creativity of th=
e
basket weavers and the comparison of sipatsi-patterns with some woven strip
patterns from other cultures  (Northeast of Mozambique, Mexico and Brazil).

The book contains a preface by Alcido Nguenha, the Minister of Education of
Mozambique, and the following chapters:

1. A fabrica=E7=E3o dos sipatsi
[The production of sipatsi, by Gildo Bulafo]
2. Cat=E1logo de padr=F5es-de-fita nos sipatsi
[Catalogue of strip patterns on sipatsi]
3. Exemplos de explora=E7=E3o educacional e matem=E1tica dos sipatsi
[Examples of the educational and mathematical exploration of sipatsi]
4. Mais exemplos de explora=E7=E3o educacional e matem=E1tica
[More examples of educational and mathematical exploration]
5. Novos fen=F3menos
[New phenomena]
6. Padr=F5es-de-gipatsi noutros contextos culturais
[Gipatsi-patterns in other cultural contexts]
Anexo: Uma for=E7a de imagina=E7=E3o sem limite
[Appendix: A force of imagination without limit].

Best regards and seasonal greetings,

Paulus Gerdes


--
Dr. Paulus Gerdes
Professor of Mathematics
Ethnomathematics Research Centre
Visiting address: Rua Marconi 109 R/C, Maputo, Mozambique
Postal address: C.P. 915, Maputo, Mozambique
Tel. & Fax: +258-1-49 45 04
E-mail: pgerdes@virconn.com
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<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>New book: basketry&amp;geometry in African culture (Tonga, Mozambiqu=
e)</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR=3D"#FFFFFF">
<FONT SIZE=3D"5"><TT>Dear Colleagues,<BR>
<BR>
I have the pleasure to inform you that the Mozambican publishing house 'Mo=E7=
ambique Editora' (www.ME.co.mz) launched my book<BR>
<BR>
&quot;Sipatsi:Cestaria e Geometria na Cultura Tonga de Inhambane&quot;<BR>
<BR>
[Sipatsi: Basketry and Geometry in the Tonga culture of Inhambane]<BR>
<BR>
(176 p.; with 32 pages in colour). &nbsp;On seventy eight pages, a catalogu=
e of 362 different plaited strip patterns is reproduced. &nbsp;<BR>
Copies of the book may be obtained directly from the publisher Mo=E7ambique E=
ditora<BR>
(www.ME.co.mz, <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>rrocha@ME.co.mz</U></FONT>, <FONT C=
OLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>comercial@ME.co.mz</U></FONT>) <BR>
or from Texto Editora (www.TE.pt, ppegado@textoeditora.pt) in Lisbon, Portu=
gal.<BR>
The price of the book is 14 Euros or 17.50 $ (USD).<BR>
<BR>
</TT><FONT FACE=3D"Times">The book explains how artisans produce beautiful ha=
nd bags, called <I>sipatsi</I> in Gitonga, a language spoken in the Mozambic=
an province of &nbsp;Inhambane. &nbsp;<BR>
The activity of weaving &nbsp;<I>sipatsi</I> is originally a female activit=
y. &nbsp;<BR>
The book presents a catalogue of decorative strip patterns plaited into the=
 <I>sipatsi</I>, resulting from collecting sipatsi for more than twenty-five=
 years. &nbsp;It also includes suggestions for the mathematical-educational =
use of <I>sipatsi</I>, varying from the study of composition and symmetries =
to the study of progressions and pentagons. &nbsp;<BR>
The book concludes with the presentation of some new phenomena &nbsp;in the=
 production of <I>sipatsi</I>, underlining the &nbsp;geometric-artistic crea=
tivity of the basket weavers and the comparison of sipatsi-patterns with som=
e woven strip patterns from other cultures &nbsp;(Northeast of Mozambique, M=
exico and Brazil).<BR>
</FONT><TT><BR>
The book contains a preface by Alcido Nguenha, the Minister of Education of=
 Mozambique, and the following chapters:<BR>
<BR>
1. A fabrica=E7=E3o dos sipatsi<BR>
[The production of sipatsi, by Gildo Bulafo]<BR>
2. Cat=E1logo de padr=F5es-de-fita nos sipatsi<BR>
[Catalogue of strip patterns on sipatsi]<BR>
3. Exemplos de explora=E7=E3o educacional e matem=E1tica dos sipatsi<BR>
[Examples of the educational and mathematical exploration of sipatsi]<BR>
4. Mais exemplos de explora=E7=E3o educacional e matem=E1tica<BR>
[More examples of educational and mathematical exploration]<BR>
5. Novos fen=F3menos<BR>
[New phenomena]<BR>
6. Padr=F5es-de-gipatsi noutros contextos culturais<BR>
[Gipatsi-patterns in other cultural contexts]<BR>
Anexo: Uma for=E7a de imagina=E7=E3o sem limite<BR>
[Appendix: A force of imagination without limit].<BR>
<BR>
Best regards and seasonal greetings,<BR>
<BR>
Paulus Gerdes<BR>
<BR>
</TT></FONT><BR>
--<BR>
Dr. Paulus Gerdes<BR>
Professor of Mathematics<BR>
Ethnomathematics Research Centre<BR>
Visiting address: Rua Marconi 109 R/C, Maputo, Mozambique<BR>
Postal address: C.P. 915, Maputo, Mozambique<BR>
Tel. &amp; Fax: +258-1-49 45 04<BR>
E-mail: pgerdes@virconn.com
</BODY>
</HTML>

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