Johannesburg | Saturday
THE New York based Ringing Rocks Foundation donated R3,5-million to digitise the University of the Witwatersrand’s extensive rock art archives, the university announced this week.
The university’s Rock Art Research Institute (Rari) has the largest archives of rock art materials housed anywhere in the world.
”The donation will fund the establishment of a world class digitisation laboratory,” said RARI director Dr Ben Smith. ”The digitisation of the archives is expected to take three years and the institute will employ extra staff to run the lab,” said Smith adding, ”Once digitised, the collections will be made available on line to researchers and rock art lovers throughout the world.”
It will provide a huge educational resource and will increase awareness on the importance and value of Southern African rock art.
The sale of digitised imagery from the collections will provide a major and sustainable source of income for Rari’s work in preserving rock art.
Rari was established in 2000 with funding from the University’s Research Office and the National Research Foundation. Rock art research began at Wits in 1978 under the directorship of Prof David Lewis-Williams. – Sapa