Kevin Scott Not many museums expect visitors to go on a 40-minute walk in the scorching semi-Kalahari sun to see their main exhibit in summer, temperatures can easily blast past 40. But this is exactly what a visit to the Wildebeest Kuil rock art site 15km outside of Kimberley demands. The expectation is justified, though. To truly experience the power of the site’s rock art engravings, say the experts, one needs to see them in their natural location. So if you still see a museum as a room filled with musty smelling stuffed animals inside display cases with “do not touch” signs, you’ll be delighted by the latest offering from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Wildebeest Kuil, launched in December, smashes all outdated perceptions. The site is a mixture of technology and ethnicity, forming an almost sacred experience. After the usual informative 20-minute film in the centre’s mini-theatre, one is psyched with a chomping-at-the-bit desire to run out and find some rock art. Before that, however, an MP3 player which will undoubtedly cause confusion among the technologically challenged needs to be strapped on for a recorded narration. The exhibition circuit takes the visitor past more than 400 engravings of eland, elephant and shamanistic-like creatures, some estimated to be as old as 2 000 years. Clearly Wildebeest Kuil doesn’t confine itself to a utilitarian record-keeping function. Its goal is to incorporate an intensive spiritual experience, which is why, says Ben Smith, director of the Rock Art Research Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, the location has been undisturbed, with not even the 120-year-old graffiti removed. “It’s as inclusive as possible,” says Smith, so the old graffiti can be “nearly as important as the art”. “We want people to experience the art,” he says. “This was the place San artists knew they were close to God,” and viewing the art within the context of the location is very important. The site is the first in a planned set to open around the country and, says Cheryl Carolus, head of South African Tourism, shows a South African intent to claim ownership of a rich rock-art heritage. “Rock art should become a South African icon,” she says. And in the true South African way, the centre will probably host loads of international tourists parading around the stark Kimberley landscape. With MP3 players in hand, of course.
Ends