20–27 Mar 2026
Wild View Resorts
Africa/Gaborone timezone

Singing the Skies of Africa: The Making of the Go Africa Astronomers’ Anthem

27 Mar 2026, 15:45
15m
Wild View Resorts

Wild View Resorts

Plot 80 President Avenue, Kasane, Botswana
In-person - Talk 9 Innovative Outreach & Citizen Science Education, Development & Outreach

Speaker

Stephen Sottie (Rhodes University & SARAO & INAF)

Description

The “Go Africa, Astronomers’ Anthem” was created to celebrate Africa’s growing achievements in astronomy and to inspire the next generation of scientists across the continent. Commissioned as the first-ever official anthem for an International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly and performed at the historic XXXII Assembly, the first held on African soil, the piece blends multiple African languages, musical traditions, and cultural motifs to embody a message of unity and scientific pride. Produced in collaboration with LSE Records, the anthem combines multilingual lyricism, world-pop rhythms, and dynamic vocal arrangements to promote public engagement and support STEM outreach. This paper examines the anthem’s conceptualization, composition, and production process, and evaluates its effectiveness as an innovative, culturally grounded model for science communication in Africa.

Stream Education, Development and Outreach

Primary authors

Mr Albert Forson (University of Mauritius) Dr Charles Takalana (IAU Office of Astronomy) Ms Duduzile Kubheka (Stellenbosch University) Dr Emmanuel Proven-Adzri (Ghana Space Science and technology Institute) Ms Jemimah Kwakuyi (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) Dr Kevin Govender (IAU Office of Astronomy) Dr Naomi Asabre Frimpong (IAU Office of Astronomy) Dr Ramasamy Venugopal (IAU Office of Astronomy) Mr Shadrach Okyere (LSE School and Records) Stephen Sottie (Rhodes University & SARAO & INAF) Ms Victoria Samboco (Rhodes University)

Presentation materials

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