Siyakha Mguni - South Africa National Coat-of-arms/rock Art

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YOUR COMPliMENTARY IN-fLIGHT MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2002

The rock art on South Africa'snew coat of arms fosters a sense of dignity and nationhood, 'evoking our distant past, our living

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I n our future'

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present and

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IverSlfy by Siyaklw Mguni

H

ave you ever dreamed of discoveling treasure? It is

'backward', is about progres and fosterin g good values of the for-

easier than you think. Clambering along the slopes

gotten past in order to face the present and future challenges. It may

of the uKhahlamba-Draken berg (and other moun-

be asked. what is the thread that links our past, present and future in

tainous pam of South Africa), one often stumbles

this symbol? At the herut of the coat of arms is a mirror image of a

upon smaU overhangs and, sometimes, large shelters that are awash

human figure. In its poise and manner, this fi gure is rypical of the

with ancient treasme.

rock art made by Southern African's original people, the San. Thi

I recall, a few years ago, tearing through undergrowth and, while

figure is a reproduction of a San rock painting. It celebrates and fos-

peering at a wall below a cliff, seeing a gleaming band of pigment:

ters a heritage that unites all South Africans in common humanity.

red and white. The wall was adorned with exquisite paintings of

Hence the new national motto written in /Xam, a South African San

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.

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

In recognition of the special value of San rock rut, on the sixth

by the recent fLI1ds from Bloombos Cave in the southern Cape, com-

anniversary of the new South Africa, 27 April , President Thabo

plex decorations on ochre dated to 77 000 yeru's ago, South Aflica

Mbeki unveiled the nation's new coat of rums with rock art in it

may also be the place where rut began. A the cradle of humankind

centre. His words could not have been more fitting and poignant

and the buthplace of culture, South Africa i rapidly becoming the

when he said of this national symbol, 'It serves to evoke our distant

world's No I cultW'al tourism destination.

past, our living present and our future ... It represents the permanent

No wonder, then, that Mr ValE Moosa, our minister of Tourism

yet evolving identity of the South African people ... I ask you ... to

and Environmental Affairs, afforded a special place for rock art in

embrace this coat of rums as your own, to own it as a common pos-

his national address where he described it as 'a helitage of global

session, representing aspirations of a winning nation.'

significance'. To understruld this rut we must investigate indigenous

These words and the occasion marked President Mbeki 's vision

beliefs, customs, aspulltions and lifestyles. The Linton Stone (in the

for the reclamation of our distant past. This new symbol is a desire

Iziko SOUdl Africrul Museum, Cape Town), from which the figure in

to trek back in time into prehistory; but that trekking, far from being

the coat of arms was derived, is deeply symbolic and expresses ideas

102 SAWUBONA 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 individu 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 heritage 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 glories. 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 history in this country before 1652. It bears testcunent to countless millennia of This is a represenlalian

of a rock

poinling found in Ihe S0er sheller in

W alk ing in th e uK hahl a mba- Drake nsbe rg a nd th e Cede rberg

Bushmans Kloof, in Ihe Cedorberg

Mountai ns, one cannot but be overawed by the presence of this prehistoric

Maunlains of Ihe Weslern Cope. The

treasure trove that our SCUl forebecu's left for us - a testimony of the great

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

cultural achievement before the colonial period.

When enlering a Irance, medicine people ore believed 10 loke power from animals and Iransform inlo Ihem.

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

Rock

organisations, two major rock- art sites were opened for eco-tourism, each

Paintings of South Africa by Slephen

with world-class visitor fac ilities. The first of these is Game Pass Shelter

These ponels ore excerpls from

Townley BasseH. See poge 24 for

in Kamberg Nature Reserve (uKhahlcunba-Drakensberg: tel (033) 263-

a ~II review of Ihis book.

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 reconcil 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.

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• Siyakha Mguni is from the Rock Art Research Institute.

[email protected] 104 SA WUBONA September 2002