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The rock art on
by Siyaklw Mguni
H
ave you ever dreamed of discoveling treasure? It is
easier than you think. Clambering along the slopes
of the uKhahlamba-Draken berg (and other moun-
tainous pam of South Africa), one often stumbles
upon smaU overhangs and, sometimes, large shelters that are awash
with ancient treasme.
I recall, a few years ago, tearing through undergrowth and, while
peering at a wall below a cliff, seeing a gleaming band of pigment:
red and white. The wall was adorned with exquisite paintings of
eland and a multitude other animals and people, othing can be
more absorbing and thrilling than discovering an ancient 'gaUery' of
San rock rut. This art is one of South Africa's greate t treasures.
In recognition of the special value of San rock rut, on the sixth
anniversary of the new South Africa, 27 April , President Thabo
Mbeki unveiled the nation's new coat of rums with rock art in it
centre. His words could not have been more fitting and poignant
when he said of this national symbol, 'It serves to evoke our distant
past, our living present and our future ... It represents the permanent
yet evolving identity of the South African people ... I ask you ... to
embrace this coat of rums as your own, to own it as a common pos-
session, representing aspirations of a winning nation.'
These words and the occasion marked President Mbeki 's vision
for the reclamation of our distant past. This new symbol is a desire
to trek back in time into prehistory; but that trekking, far from being
102 SAWUBONA September 2002
South Africa'snew
coat of arms fosters
a sense of dignity
and nationhood,
'evoking our distant
past, our living
I n our future'
• • present and
•
IverSlfy
'backward', is about progres and fosterin g good values of the for-
gotten past in order to face the present and future challenges. It may
be asked. what is the thread that links our past, present and future in
this symbol? At the herut of the coat of arms is a mirror image of a
human figure. In its poise and manner, this fi gure is rypical of the
rock art made by Southern African's original people, the San. Thi
figure is a reproduction of a San rock painting. It celebrates and fos-
ters a heritage that unites all South Africans in common humanity.
Hence the new national motto written in /Xam, a South African San
language that is now extinct, Ike e: Ixarra like ('Uniry in Diversity'
or 'people who are different join together').
South African rock rut rallks ruTIong the world's oldest. Judging
by the recent fLI1ds from Bloombos Cave in the southern Cape, com-
plex decorations on ochre dated to 77 000 yeru's ago, South Aflica
may also be the place where rut began. A the cradle of humankind
and the buthplace of culture, South Africa i rapidly becoming the
world's No I cultW'al tourism destination.
No wonder, then, that Mr ValE Moosa, our minister of Tourism
and Environmental Affairs, afforded a special place for rock art in
his national address where he described it as 'a helitage of global
significance'. To understruld this rut we must investigate indigenous
beliefs, customs, aspulltions and lifestyles. The Linton Stone (in the
Iziko SOUdl Africrul Museum, Cape Town), from which the figure in
the coat of arms was derived, is deeply symbolic and expresses ideas

This is a represenlalian of a rock
poinling found in Ihe S0er sheller in
Bushmans Kloof, in Ihe Cedorberg
Maunlains of Ihe Weslern Cope. The
figures ore elongaled and canlorled
10 represenllhe sensory experiences
of Ihe Ironce pe~ormance, which is
a cenlrol rilual of Ihe Son religion.
side elevation When enlering a Irance, medicine
people ore believed 10 loke power
from animals and Iransform inlo Ihem.
These ponels ore excerpls from Rock
Paintings of South Africa by Slephen
Townley BasseH. See poge 24 for
a ~II review of Ihis book.
104 SA WUBONA September 2002
that are rooted in San religion. San rock art is a profoundl y spiritual art
filled with complex symbols and metaphors as inspiring as anything one
might see in one of the great stained-g lass windows of a European
cathedral.
Eleven months after the launch of the national coat of arms, Dr Ben
Ngu bane, Minister of Arts, C ulture, Science and Technology, un ve iled
South Africa's most sensational rock-art discovery since the early 20th
century. Called Stonm Shelter, the site boasts well over 200 stunning indi-
vidu al pa intin gs. This un ve iling hi g h lighted the Nati ona l Science,
Engi neering and Technology Week celebrations. Wearing a rock-art tie,
Dr Ngubane stressed his commitment to bridge the gap between art and
science. Rock-art research prov ides that bridge.
Rock art is thus at the forefront of the nation's new identity. This her-
itage sw-vives to this day in the rocky recesses and outcrops across the
country and, as one of the most vivid and enduring works of prehistoric
cul ture, it tells of South Africa' s unbroken past, its predicaments and glo-
ries. Undoubtedly, it can restore the integrity of indigenous hi story and
promote a conunon sense of nationhood. Rock cut opens a vista onto the
past that goes beyond the notorious apartheid idea that there was no histo-
ry in this country before 1652. It bears testcunent to countless millennia of
cultural achievement before the colonial period.
W alk ing in th e uK hahl a mba- Drake nsbe rg a nd th e Cede rberg
Mountai ns, one cannot but be overawed by the presence of this prehistoric
treasure trove that our SCUl forebecu's left for us - a testimony of the great
val ues of the past in which we all can take pride. Rock art fosters a sense
of who we are culd where we come fro m. Ms Pumula Madiba, head of
SAHRA - the depcutment responsible for our national heritage estate -
adv ises us, culd rightly so, to look beyond the commercial side of heritage.
It is the identi ty and dignity that flow from it that is all important.
But she also celebrates the economic benefits that rock-art heritage can
bring to many South Afri cculs. Last year, with a R6-million government
initiati ve and the involvement of Rock Art Resecu'ch Institute and other
organisations, two major rock- art sites were opened for eco-tourism, each
with world-class visitor fac ilities. The first of these is Game Pass Shelter
in Kamberg Nature Reserve (uKhahlcunba-Drakensberg: tel (033) 263-
7251 ). The second is Wildebeest Kuil , whi ch is 15 minutes outside
Kimberley (Northern Cape: tel (053) 833-7069). The development of
these two sites has created more than 70 jobs for unemployed people
within local rural communities. Poverty alleviation and job-creation goals
are therefore being realised through rock-art tourism.
Everyone is welcome to these sites to experience dle beauty of the San
rock art aJld to learn fro m these treasures. In the developing new South
Africa, rock art 'cements the future. It's one of the big sites of the recon-
cil iation of South Africa'. These were the words of Ms Chery l Carolus,
head of Satour, w he n she laun ched the Wilde beest Ku il Ce ntre in
December 200 I. The nation is working together to bring rock art to the
attention of everyone, a precedent has been set culd more wi ll fo llow. .i
• Siyakha Mguni is from the Rock Art Research Institute.
siyakham@gmail.com