The International Science Initiative, Assumpta Science Centre Ofekata-Owerri (ASCO) founded and promoted by the Vatican former Pontifical Council for Culture (now called Dicastery for Culture & Education (DCE), has recently flagged-off its debut Itinerant & Interactive Maths Exposition in Africa. The Expo is for young people, students, teachers, adults and the general public.
The Travelling Mathematics Expo was flagged-off at Ofekata Orodo, in Mbaitoli Local Government Area (L.G.A) of Imo state, Nigeria, which hosts the permanent site of the main branch of the ASCO Science Center Initiative. The Initiative fosters collaboration with Africa in informal and hands-on science learning activities for the dialogue between science and religious faith and sustainable development.
ASCO was founded in 2005–2006 under the patronage of the above named Dicastery, then Pontifical Council for Culture. It’s run primarily by the nonprofit association: Association for “Assumpta Science Center Ofekata – Owerri” (ASCO), registered in Italy, Nigeria and Switzerland.
Our current Pope Leo XIV, himself a mathematician and ex-science teacher, had, during his recent apostolic visit to Africa (Algeria), observed the importance in Africa of such educational centers like ASCO’s, alongside centers of prayer. Pope Leo XIV reasoned that this is such that human beings may “develop the intellectual capacity that God has given us, to discover how great creation is, the greatness of what God has left us in all of creation and above all in the human person!” (Remarks, Visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers, April 13, 2026).
Earlier in the first months of his Pontificate, June, 2025, Pope Leo had invited us to endeavour, to share the ‘wonders and joy’ from the study of science, which, citing St. Augustine, he described as ‘seeds’ that “God has spread in the harmony of the universe,” and a form of prayer.
This is precisely what is done in the ASCO International Initiative, sharing these wonders and joy of science at the grassroots level, through informal, interactive and hands-on learning in science with young people and entire populations in the Third World, such as Africa. And thus promote the development of a culture of science and technology open to dialogue between science and faith.
The 2026 Maths Expo was sponsored with generous financial contribution from the ‘Societé de la Chapelle Italienne’ (‘SCI–Ginevra’), through the Swiss ASCO Unit (ASCO Schweiz) and St. Antons Pfarrei, Basel. The later have always committed generous efforts and resources towards sustaining the ASCO Initiative, equipping its facilities including the successful implementation now, of the 2026 ASCO Interactive Maths Expo.
The Expo was curated mainly by Prof.ssa Antonietta MIRA, Professor of Statistics at the University of Italian Switzerland (Università della Svizzera Italiana) Lugano, Switzerland & Insubria University, Italy. Other experts and Professors in Mathematics also contributed hands-on exhibits and demonstrations for the Expo.
It promotes mathematics learning through hands-on learning, enabling children, students, teachers and the general public to explore mathematical ideas by interacting directly with exhibits rather than simply observing them.
Visitors move through a series of interactive stations featuring topics such as the Fibonacci sequence in nature, probability and games, Pascal’s Triangle, the Golden Ratio, the Möbius strip, geometrical constructions, the abacus, indigenous number systems and other mathematical concepts. In this way, the Maths Expo presents exhibitions which introduce pupils, teachers and all interested participants to basic Mathematical concepts by experiments, games, hands-on demonstrations, hand-outs and explanatory documentations.
Guided by trained teachers and science animators, students, young people and participants in general are encouraged to investigate, experiment and discover mathematics in an engaging and enjoyable way.
They are brought into Mathematics through a particular gate, such that ‘by using the hands and the eyes – by throwing dices, counting and guessing, cutting and gluing… Step by step, by observing and thinking on the outcome of these, you enter Mathematics… And you become aware how inspiring, fascinating and interesting Mathematics is,’ said Prof. Brodmann, a curator of one of the Expo’s exhibits.
The Travelling, Interactive Maths Expo, is usually realized with the collaboration of several private and governmental institutions working together: It has gone to various places in Switzerland, Italy and even in India, etc.
It’s current debut in Africa however, is thanks to the ASCO Initiative of the Catholic Church, underscoring what Pope Leo XIV highlighted in his equally debutant encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas* (MH, (2026)). Namely, the importance of encouraging the contribution of Catholic educational institutions which ensure inclusive access to quality education for all, including basic education and higher studies for children and young people of every background. (MH., no.144). This was publicly acknowledged during the Expo.
On viewing the photos of the Expo Flag-off, the Papal Nuncio in Nigeria, Archbishop Michael F. Crotty while congratulating ASCO and assuring us his prayers and blessing, noted that: ‘The students look very eager to learn.’ With my prayers and blessings, +Michael F. Crotty, Apostolic Nuncio
The first phase of the programme which held from Wednesday 10th June to Wednesday 15th July 2026, brought together people from all works of life, teachers and students from different schools across the state who converged for a six-week duration at the main branch of ASCO at Ofekata – Orodo in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria.
A striking phenomenon that was lived at the Maths Expo Flag-off event was how the principal authorities who addressed the event struck in unison the note of ‘obedience to rules’, as requirement for prowess in mathematics.
The Executive Secretary of Imo State SEMB opened the theme urging students ‘to take mathematics very serious…“Make sure you practice it every day. Obey your teachers and be obedient to the core. “Let every young student accept mathematics.”
Then ASCO Schweiz (Swiss ASCO) President, Prof. Markus Brodmann, who is emeritus Professor of Mathematics of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, echoed her in his address stating:
“Mathematicians are the Poets among Scientists”… It may be, that some of you are encouraged by the present MATHS EXPO to learn more about this particular and mind-shaping poetry which leaves such a lot of space to imagination, intuition and creativity. And – at the same time – has to observe a very strict Grammar.’
Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Chief Trainer for the ASCO 2026 Maths EXPO Prof. M. Ogoamaka, who also was Lecturer in Mathematics & Statistics to the current Imo State SEMB ES and some her colleagues during their time as students at the Imo State University Owerri (IMSU), corroborated this with his explanation on the etymology of the word mathematics. Prof. Ogoamaka explained that from the roots in the ancient Greek language, μάθημα (máthēma), it means ‘what one must learn’, or ‘what is to be learnt’; “that which is learnt,” hence also “study” and “science”.
God, Ogoamaka said, who alone created the world, created it with intelligence, order and harmony. Mathematics puts this in relief. Nature is not from chance, but created by God with intelligence and order.
Prof. Antonietta Mira, main Curator of the Maths Expo Exhibits, returned to the theme in her address, saying:
‘Mathematics helps us to reason clearly, but it also teaches us humility. It teaches us that we can be wrong, that we can revise our ideas, that we can learn from evidence, and that beauty can emerge from order, structure, and logic…
Let me close by returning to the beautiful image Markus quoted: mathematicians are the poets among scientists. I would add that every child who discovers a pattern, every student who solves a problem, every teacher who awakens curiosity, is also taking part in this poetry. I wish the ASCO 2026 Maths Expo great success. May it travel far, touch many minds, and open many hearts to the beauty of mathematics.’
According to Prof. Antonio Paolozzi, of the School of Aerospace Engineering & Member of the ASCO (Italy) Scientific Committee who gave commendation greeting during the flag-off, it’s delightfully providential that the 2026 Interactive & Itinerant Maths Expo whose first phase of six weeks was still on-going at its Science Centre in Ofekata–Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, come at the same time with the achievements of the Nigerian students who won gold medals in Mathematics at the International STEM Olympiad Grand Final that took place in Rome.
