There is a determined narrative that mathematics and the arts are polar opposites. Curiosity about this argument became the spark that led me to the idea of ASSITEJ SA’s “art-rich schools.” Being connected to an organisation committed to spotlighting the transformative power of theatre and the performing arts in nurturing young people’s imagination only intensified that curiosity.
This month then, I am not interested in stating the obvious, that separating mathematics and the arts is absurd. Rather, I would like to share what a group of Grade 6 learners taught me while rehearsing a Forum Theatre script on rounding off in mathematics. The script centred on money and purchasing everyday items. Mid-rehearsal, someone suddenly shouted, “Snokonoko!” Curious, I asked what the word meant. I never received a verbal answer. Instead, the learners burst into a dance, followed by a spontaneous remix of a song:
1 + 1 is 2 – Snoko
2 + 2 is 4 – Snoko
Add, subtract – Akho smoko
Multiply, divide – Skhokho
5
10
100
1000
Ndinengqondo!
I stepped back and watched. In that moment, the learners were making rich connections between the script, the song, and the mathematics. Without formal instruction, they had already revised the four operations and gently introduced multiples of 5, 10, 100, and 1 000; key conceptual building blocks for mastering rounding off. Later, one learner explained that because the script was about the use of money, it inspired them to think of the Snokonoko dance challenge – snokonoko meaning money. I was struck by the depth of their thinking and their imaginative commitment to bringing the script to life.
What became clear was that through theatre practices, mathematics learning was reimagined as rehearsal rather than something abstract. In Forum Theatre, rehearsal is not about polishing a final performance; it is about exploring meaning through body, voice, space, rhythm, and interaction. Likewise, mathematical rehearsal allowed learners to try, err, revise, and re-enter ideas; physically, socially, and joyfully. Through movement and play, abstract concepts were no longer inert symbols on a page, but living ideas, collectively negotiated and embodied.
Mathematics became a script the learners could inhabit, improvise, and rewrite. Theatre, in turn, revealed new possibilities for how mathematical knowledge can be learned, practised, and experienced. So perhaps another step forward is a bold narrative shift – away from STEM and toward STEAM. After all, sinenqondo sonke – we can all think logically, emotionally and creatively! The separation of mathematics and the arts is outdated and limiting – denying many learners the opportunity to shine!
– Lalu Mokuku is the chairperson of ASSITEJ SA and Vice President of ASSITEJ International. She will be performing her recent play SERURUBELE at Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) in March.