Category Archives: መጻሕፍት

This report is contributed by Dr. Solomon Abedom and Dr.Mulugeta Bereded and originally reported at https://sway.cloud.microsoft/J7b6ATKn5YFPlADH?ref=Link&loc=endofstory

The research group Inclusive Mathematics Education and Democracy (IMED) at the Department of Teacher Education (ILU), together with the Ethiopian community in Trøndelag, hosted a book launch event at the Kalvskinnet campus, NTNU Akrinn, on June 23, 2024.

Dr. Antenh Biru, a Senior Geotechnical Engineer at the Norwegian  Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and a graduate of the Department of Civil  and Environmental Engineering at NTNU, has authored six books in the  Amharic language, a language that is widely spoken and used at the  medium of instruction at primary and junior schools in Ethiopia. The  titles of his books are: “ሥነ ቁጥር ወ ሥነ-ሥፍራ ዘዩክሊድ” (on Numbers and  Euclidean Geometry); “የቅምሮች እና የቀስቶ ሥፍሮች ሥነ-ስሌት” (on Calculus of scalar  and vector-valued functions); “ኒውተናዊ ሥነ-እንቅስቃሴ” (on Newtonian motion);  “የፕላኔቶች ጉዞ እና የኒውተን የስበት ንድፈ ሐሳብ” (on Planetary motion and Newton’s  theory of gravity); “የብርሃን መንገድ” (on Electromagnetism, Vision, and the  Special theory of relativity with emphasis on the latter); and “ከእራስ  ባሻገር” (Beyond Self). An overview of Anteneh’s books, in Amharic can be  found at the following link: https://antenehbiru.com/2024/05/26/book-launch/.

The first five books were reviewed and presented by five scholars: Dr. Solomon Abedom Tesfamicael, an associate professor at ILU, NTNU, Ayanaw Fente Hagos an Assistant Professor in Mathematics at Motlow State Community College, USA and founder of Utopia Maths Academy; Dr. Yared Worku, a research scientist at SINTEF, Dr. Tesfaye Amare, a research scientist at SINTEF and Dr. Abel Assegid, Senior Research and Development Engineer at Siemens Energy. The event was attended by more than 40 people in person, who are mainly from the Ethiopian community residing in Trondheim, and 32 participants online via Zoom meetings from different universities in Ethiopia, Norway, and the USA. The book launch event was chaired by Dr. Mulugeta Bereded Zelelew, a senior hydrologist and water resources engineer at Multiconsult Norway.

Dr. Mulugeta expressed his deep appreciation for the work of Dr. Anteneh as follows: Dr. Anteneh has a keen interest in a variety of subjects, including language, history, physics, mathematics, and philosophy. He has dedicated a significant amount of time to writing these books.

The Ethiopian education system is greatly dependent on foreign languages, which creates an obvious barrier to understanding the essential principles, practical application, and the process of knowledge transfer in subjects like mathematics, physics, and philosophy. I hold a strong conviction that accessing the fundamental principles of mathematics, physics, philosophy, and other subjects in one’s own native language cultivates a deeper understanding of these disciplines. This will enable students, educators, and others to express themselves authentically, thereby fostering a sturdy educational foundation. Moreover, it enhances communication and comprehension among scholars and empowers individuals to grasp complex concepts, think critically, and engage in meaningful dialogues on these subjects. The publication of these six books signifies not only a remarkable milestone in Dr. Anteneh’s achievements but also stands as a notable and exemplary contribution to enriching students, educators, scholars, and others. This, I believe, is a rare occasion that warrants celebration and recognition.

Dr. Solomon Abedom Tesfamicael, a member of the research group at IMED,  ILU, presented his review of the book: “ሥነ ቁጥር ወ ሥነ ሥፍራ ዘዩክሊድ” (on  Numbers and Euclidean Geometry), emphasizing the importance of such pioneering work in translating and presenting mathematical concepts and procedures, including some of the original works of Euclid’s book, in the Amharic language.

Dr. Solomon used the four perspectives that Barwell, R.  (2014) used to describe  Mathematics and language: The linguistic perspective, the Discursive perspective on mathematical cognition, the  Socio-Political Perspective,  and the Discourse of mathematics education research.  From a linguistic perspective, Dr. Anteneh’s work presents the narrative style of written mathematics (in broad STEM fields) in the context of  Amharic-speaking communities in a way that the text is related to the intended audience (Pimm & Sinclair, 2009). From a discursive perspective in mathematical cognition, providing learners with mathematical concepts in their own language offers the opportunity for children’s cognitive development, as Vygotsky’s theory asserts that language mediates between the individual and society.  According to Sfrad A. (2001) and commognitive theory, “learning is  grounded in the assumption that thinking can be usefully conceptualized  as one’s communication with oneself.” Being able to engage in mathematical thinking in a mother tongue, in this case in the Amharic language, can help millions of children gain deeper knowledge and understanding of facts and further develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities in a demanding world.  From these vantage points, Dr. Anteneh has contributed extraordinary work for students,  teachers, educators, and other stakeholders who have a deeper interest in engaging in doing mathematics.

The other four presenters were Assistant Professor Ayanaw, who reviewed the book “የቅምሮች እና የቀስቶ ሥፍሮች ሥነ-ስሌት” (on Calculus of scalar and vector-valued functions). Dr. Yared Worku reviewed the book “ኒውተናዊ ሥነ-እንቅስቃሴ” (on Newtonian motion). The fourth book, “የፕላኔቶች ጉዞ እና የኒውተን የስበት ንድፈ ሐሳብ”   (on Planetary motion and Newton’s theory of gravity), was reviewed by   Dr. Tesfaye  Amare.  The last book, “የብርሃን መንገድ”   (on Electromagnetism, Vision, and the  Special theory of relativity with emphasis on the latter), was reviewed by Dr. Abel Assegid.

Assistant Professor Ayanaw mentioned that Dr. Anteneh’s work is a remarkable achievement. He emphasized that presenting the fundamental principles of mathematics in the Amharic language with such depth had never been done before.  In addition, he added the following comments: “Thanks so much for allowing me to review this highly advanced mathematics book in Amharic. I have always wished for such a book for our country. This is a great start and initiative that I hope everyone will learn from, inspiring them to start writing in their own fields.  One recommendation for Dr. Anteneh: In the future, instead of writing from scratch using multiple resources, I highly recommend selecting the most popular reference math or physics book and translating it into  Amharic to reach more readers with less effort and resources. Also, if he could form a team of experts at his level, they could collaboratively produce more books together.  I look forward to working with your team and Dr Anteneh.”

Amazed by the work, Dr. Yared mentioned his challenges in understanding the fundamental principles of mathematics and physics during his undergraduate studies in Ethiopia, and Dr.  Anteneh’s work is one of the works that will help many to understand the fundamental principles of mathematics and physics in the native language of Amharic. Dr. Tesfaye highlighted that the fundamental principles of planetary motion and Newton’s theory of gravity are deeply analyzed and presented in the book. He also commented that symbols and nomenclatures used in the book are synchronized with well-accepted symbols and nomenclatures within the subject. This makes it easier to follow the detailed descriptions in the book and cross-reference the topics in books written in other languages. Dr. Abel said the book explains the fundamental principles of Electromagnetism, Vision, and the  Special theory of relativity in detail in the Amharic language, which had never been done before. He also commented that adding a glossary of nomenclatures and symbols used in the book helps to understand the contents of the book.

In addition, other than his recent books, Dr. Anteneh Biru authored diversified books and articles (https://antenehbiru.com/). Dr. Anteneh also published his late father’s novel MSc thesis titled “Path Integrals in Quantum and Statistical Mechanics” in 2011. His father, Biru Tsegaye, completed his Master’s Degree from Addis Ababa University and later became a lecturer at AAU.  Biru was admitted to Cincinnati University for a PhD, but suddenly felt ill and sadly passed away in 1997 at the young age of 31, while in preparation to travel to the US. This and his other distinguished contributions in Geotechnical Engineering were presented by Dr. Samson  Abate at the closing of the book launch venue.

The  Ethiopian community in Trøndelag presented a flower and a certificate to Dr. Anteneh Biru in recognition of his extraordinary efforts to provide learning opportunities in mathematics and physics for students,  as well as for his active engagement with children in Trondheim.

Participants of the Book Launch event.

I grew up in the countryside until the age of 13 and, for the most part, had a fortunate childhood. I was blessed with a grandmother who nurtured me with an abundance of love, and I was surrounded by genuinely caring relatives and neighbors. My memories are filled with beautiful landscapes, shepherds, cattle, farmers’ activities, and children’s free play. These early, enchanting experiences may have given me a somewhat idyllic view of life.

I was a curious child who easily engaged with the elderly, asking questions and listening intently, my imagination fully immersed in their stories—and they took me seriously. Once I learned to read, I eagerly devoured Kebede Michael’s “Tarik ena Misale” and Tekletsadik Mekuria’s history books, driven by intrinsic motivation. I could recite most of Kebede Michael’s poems, which resemble Aesop’s fables in their moral depth. I loved the way he crafted short stories and the profound messages they conveyed, and I still read them today.

I often sat by one of the elders—my grandmother’s uncle, Kebebew Wagaye (he was often called by the shorter version Kbu Wagaye)—who could recount the history of Ethiopia from memory. Despite having no formal education, he was a fascinating man, wise and endowed with a formidable memory. His stories captivated me and deepened my appreciation for our rich heritage.

As I matured, I developed a deep interest in history, physics, mathematics, and philosophy, enjoying reading and reflecting on various topics in these fields. That my father was a physicist might have inspired my interest in physics – I didn’t grow up with him, but I might have subconsciously felt closer to him by pursuing physics.  

About nine years ago, several incidents inspired me to start writing about the special theory of relativity in Amharic. I have also been long fascinated by the nature of language, thought, epistemology, and related aspects of human nature. The works I began then and continued whenever possible have now come to fruition. At the end of last year, I published my first book, intentionally limited to 40 pages, titled “Beyond Self” (ከእራስ ባሻገር). This book explores the concepts of self, thought, and related aspects of human nature—a project I informally called “a thesis at 40 years of age” (although it came a bit latter than originally intended) and an initiative I hope others will undertake. You may call it “Thesis -40”

A couple of months later, I published much of the work I produced intermittently over the last 9 years in five more books: “ሥነ ቁጥር ወ ሥነ ሥፍራ ዘዩክሊድ” on Numbers and Euclidean Geometry, “የቅምሮች እና የቀስቶ ሥፍሮች ሥነ-ስሌት” On the Calculus of Scalar and Vector-valued Functions, “ኒውተናዊ ሥነ እንቅስቃሴ” on Newtonian motion, “የፕላኔቶች ጉዞ እና የኒውተን የስበት ንድፈ ሐሳብ” On Planetary motion and Newton’s theory of gravity, and “የብርሃን መንገድ” on Electromagnetism, Vision, and the Special Theory of Relativity, with an emphasis on the latter. Below are the links to these books:

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AAnteneh+Biru+Tsegaye&s=relevancerank&text=Anteneh+Biru+Tsegaye&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

These books are released with the hope of inspiring the Ethiopian youth to engage in scientific investigation in their own language and encouraging scholars to write their research findings and scientific discourses in Amharic which will make them relevant to society.

Initially, I intended to publish everything in a single book, but I found it challenging to maintain a smooth flow and come up with a fitting, descriptive title. So, I decided to split the content into multiple books. However, these books are interdependent. Words defined in the first book are used freely in the subsequent books without redefinition. This might inconvenience readers who pick up one book randomly without reading the others. Future editions will include a glossary of important words and terms, allowing readers to choose any book independently. For now, I recommend starting with “ሥነ ቁጥር ወ ሥነ-ሥፍራ ዘዩክሊድ,” where several important terms in mathematics are formally defined.

My primary goal is not commercial. This is a modest attempt to engage the Ethiopian youth and scholars from various disciplines in this cause. The goal is the initiation of hearts into the cause. I envision scholars holding meaningful dialogues about scientific and technological affairs in their native language, students and educators in higher education using supplementary references in Amharic, and the establishment of scientific journals that communicate in Amharic. The books should be read with this purpose in mind.

I acknowledge the challenges readers may encounter. There will be new words, borrowed from Geez or adapted from the Amharic vocabulary, that might initially be unfamiliar. Despite my best efforts, there may be typographical errors that may disrupt the reading flow – I have found a few myself. However, I hope the dedicated reader will persevere, adjust, and continue. Remember, every word was once unfamiliar – just a sound – until we learned its meaning or defined one for it. This is a natural process. By the end of the reading, I trust the engaged reader will master the content and consider ways to enhance it, contributing to the initiative so that the Amharic language is enriched with the necessary vocabulary for modern science and technology.

Remember: The ultimate goal isn’t the books I’ve written, but you, the reader, inspired to write works that are meaningful to society. You are the one who will pen new discoveries in your own language.

OBS! Please find the brief overview of the books and some notes in Amharic in the following pdf file.