Andile Mji and the taste of numbers
Glanice Masilo
Kamogelo Matlawe
English
First paragraphs

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Andile Mji is an expert in mathematics.
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This is a story about the time when Andile was a boy, and how he learned to love numbers.
1
Andile was born in the city of Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape.
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He lived with his mother and father. They stayed in New Brighton.
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Nearby, there was a village named Tyeni. His granddad stayed there.
2
Andile loved to visit his granddad, who owned a cattle shed.
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Granddad would ask him, “How many males? How many females? How many cattle altogether?”
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Andile first learned how to count to 10 on his fingers. Then to 20, on his toes! He could also count in 5s.
3
In the early morning, the cock crowed. It was 5 o’clock when they woke up. They got ready to milk the cows.
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Later, they went to the nearby mountain to graze the cows.
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They read the time by the sun in the sky.
4
During the day, his granddad would call him at 12 o’clock to come and eat. The sun was high in the middle of the sky.
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He knew it was time to go home when the sun set.
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He would count the cows to check that all had returned.
5
When Andile started school, his father bought him a watch.
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He used his watch to count in 2s, 3s, and 4s.
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His watch had numbers from 1 to 12.
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Andile could read the arrows on the watch to tell the hour, half past the hour, and the minutes.
6
Andile could count numbers in his mind. He could count forward and backward in his head.
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He could count and name the days of the week and the months of the year, in their order.
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When the cows gave birth, Andile would multiply and count the young ones.
7
On Fridays, he would pack his bag to visit granddad. He stayed there Saturday and Sunday.
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On Monday, he would go home and back to school.
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When school closed, he visited granddad.
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When Andile first went to school, they counted with stones and sticks.
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He used his fingers to write on the ground. He practiced adding numbers in the dust.
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The classroom was under the tree. When it rained, they could not go to school.
9
When the boy from Brighton grew up, he went to university to study mathematics. He studied for many years.
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Today, Andile Mji works in a field of mathematics called statistics.
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He can still tell time like in the past, using the sun.
10
Today, Andile is Professor Mji. He uses his fingers to type on a computer.
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He uses numbers and graphs to tell stories. He uses mathematics to solve problems.
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He uses statistics to answer questions like, ‘What is the average age of children at this school?’
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Professor Mji works with computers and numbers.
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He says, “Computers are very useful, but sometimes they crash! My knowledge stays with me in my head until the end.
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In mathematics, nothing changes. The numbers stay the same.”
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Professor Mji has a message for you:
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“To know mathematics, you must practice working with numbers.
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Mathematics is knowing ‘how to’. Mathematics is methods.
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You must learn to think with numbers. Then, you will be a hero!”
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——Questions


  1. How did Andile first learn about numbers and counting?
  2. Is it necessary to know how to do maths without a computer or calculator? Explain your answer.
  3. Count to 12 in multiples of 2, then 3 and then 4. Then, count backwards!
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——Books in this series


  • Andile Mji
  • Asnath Mahapa
  • Bongani Mayosi
  • Charlotte Maxeke
  • Mmantsane Moche Diale
  • Mulalo Doyoyo
  • Tebello Nyokong
  • Tshilidzi Marwala
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——


This story was created and written in Setswana, as part of the Zenex Ulwazi Lwethu reading materials project in 2020.
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Attribution CC BY
Your attribution should include the following:
Title: Andile Mji and the taste of numbers
Author/s: Glanice Masilo
Translator/s: Glanice Masilo
Illustrator/s: Kamogelo Matlawe
Assurer/s: Refilwe Ramagoshi, African Storybook
Language: English

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CC BY includes the following elements:
 BY   – Credit must be given to the creator