Latest news with #Bushmen
News18
6 days ago
- News18
Hidden Histories: Travel To South Africa's Oldest And Most Sacred Places
South Africa is where archaeology meets spirituality, and where science and storytelling come together to reveal the origins of who we are. When people think of South Africa, they often picture safaris, vineyards, and iconic skylines. But beyond these familiar scenes tucked away in the folds of mountains and valleys, one not found in cities or national parks, but ancient story, one that began not hundreds, but millions of years ago… These are not grand monuments or architectural feats, they are quiet, enduring records of the world's earliest humans. For Indian travellers drawn to meaning, mystery, and mythology, South Africa is home to some of the most significant archaeological and rock art sites on Earth. These are places where the land still whispers the voices of early man etched into stone, painted on cavern walls, or fossilised in limestone. It is where archaeology meets spirituality, and where science and storytelling come together to reveal the origins of who we are. Let me walk you through the top iconic spots for history buffs. • A Portal to the First Humans The Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng) is not just a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's the very site where some of the earliest hominid fossils were discovered, dating back over 3 million years. Here, you can descend into the Sterkfontein Caves, where the famous fossil 'Mrs. Ples" was unearthed, and trace the evolutionary footsteps of humanity at the Maropeng Visitor Centre. For Indian travellers fascinated by museumology and forensic anthropology, this site offers a great opportunity to witness the same. • The San Legacy: Rock Art as Sacred Scripture The San or Bushmen are indigenous people in Southern Africa who are known for their ancient rock painting and carvings. Interestingly, their artwork depicts non-human beings, hunters, and half-human-half-animal hybrids. The half-human hybrids are believed to be medicine men or healers involved in a healing dance. Long before ink met paper, South Africa's indigenous San people told their history on stone, stories of survival, rituals, animal spirits, and shamanic journeys. In the Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape, their artworks remain vivid after thousands of years. Visit the Stadsaal Caves and Truitjieskraal, where ochre-red sandstone canvases are alive with antelope, hunters, and mystical beings. In uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park (KwaZulu-Natal), over 20,000 paintings across more than 500 sites make this one of the largest open-air art galleries in the world. Guided tours to places like the Kamberg Rock Art Centre or Giant's Castle Game Reserve take you into sacred spaces where trance rituals once bridged the human and spirit worlds. • Where Nature and Narrative Meet For those who enjoy pairing adventure with luxury, Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve offers curated hikes through over 130 rock art sites in a breathtaking landscape. Here, modern comfort meets ancient wisdom, allowing for immersive storytelling experiences under African skies. The Bushman (San) paintings inside Wonderwerk Cave near Kuruman depict animals, humans, and symbols in natural pigments. Likely under 1,000 years old, they reflect San spiritual and ritual practices, including shamanic beliefs. Found near the cave's entrance, these artworks add cultural depth to a site already known for evidence of early human activity dating back nearly 2 million years. Meanwhile, the Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre in the Northern Cape offers a quieter, educational journey into the engraved legacies of the KhoiSan people, one of the world's oldest continuous cultures. Interactive exhibits help decode the symbols and meanings behind these mysterious markings, offering insight into the deep spiritual lives of early communities. The rock art in Mapungubwe National Park and Makgabeng Farm Lodge offers a rich glimpse into South Africa's ancient cultural heritage. At Mapungubwe, San rock paintings depict animals, human figures, and spiritual symbols, reflecting early hunter-gatherer life. The Makgabeng Plateau features thousands of artworks from both San and Bantu-speaking communities. These paintings portray rituals, daily life, and evolving cultural narratives over centuries. Guided tours at Makgabeng Farm Lodge provide an immersive way to explore this layered history. For the spiritually curious, the culturally inclined, or even history buffs tracing the threads of humanity, South Africa's caves and rock art tell a story that is both intimate and universal. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Daily Maverick
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Between the cracks: Paul Weinberg's photographic journey through struggle and humanity in South Africa
For decades, the photographer has documented lives that are often overlooked, finding moments of humanity and resilience amid apartheid's shadows. His retrospective exhibition opens soon. Between the Cracks brings together nearly five decades of Paul Weinberg's photographic career. During this period, he has produced 21 books, either as a photographer or as both author and photographer. He has also contributed to important collective projects, exhibitions and publications. Weinberg was a founding member of Afrapix and South, two collective agencies that gained local and international recognition for their uncompromising role in documenting apartheid and the popular resistance against it. In his early career as a photojournalist, Weinberg worked on the 'front line' of history, capturing pivotal moments in South Africa's Struggle. However, as he notes, the concept of the 'front line' evolved throughout his career. 'Those of us who actively documented the unfolding events and the deeper fabric of our society in the '80s often referred to ourselves as the 'Taking Sides' generation. 'As I came to understand it, the 'front line' was not always just the obvious news story of the time. There were other ways to reflect what was going on — through metaphors and symbols of the human struggle.' Throughout his career, Weinberg has sought to go beyond the headlines, engaging in in-depth storytelling. His work has taken him on extensive journeys, from urban landscapes to remote rural settings and everything in between. Weinberg's projects explore a wide range of themes, including the lives of the San, issues of land, the fisherfolk of Kosi Bay and spirituality. At times, he has also turned the camera on himself, producing deeply personal projects such as Going Home (a collaboration with Santu Mofokeng that examined their respective hometowns), and Dear Edward, which traces his own family roots. Tamar Garb, in her foreword to Between the Cracks, writes: 'At the heart of Weinberg's project is the body and consciousness of the photographer, whose presence is everywhere felt. Not only does he wield the camera, but he also continuously questions his relationship to his subjects. 'This self-reflective journey as a research-led image-maker is particularly evident in his early work exploring the visual anthropology of southern Africa's first people. Deeply opposed to their exoticisation and commodification, Weinberg is committed to both the politics and poetics of their existence. For him, the dispossession of the 'Bushmen' is inseparable from their reification as objects of tourist curiosity or cinematic idealisation.' In his accompanying essay, Jacob Dlamini describes Between the Cracks as '…this marvellous retrospective of one of the most influential careers in modern photography. It helps us see how the shadow of apartheid fell across South Africa and the region. 'More than that, the photographs in this collection capture brilliantly what Deborah Posel called the 'racial common sense' — a defining feature of life under apartheid.' For Weinberg, Between the Cracks is grounded in the lives of ordinary people, often in the most difficult of times, under the constraints of racism and apartheid. Photography, for him, became both a form of resistance and a means of survival. As he writes: 'Photography became an integral part of how I saw the world; it gave me a passport to travel across the divides that were so prevalent at the time. I embarked on all sorts of journeys off the beaten track. 'But it was the people I was looking at — the way they reflected themselves, how I absorbed their reflections, how they danced with reality, how they found light in the darkness, and how they embraced each other, even at great risk.' DM Paul Weinberg: Between the Cracks, is a career retrospective exhibition opening at the Wits Art Museum (WAM, corner Jorissen and Bertha streets, Braamfontein, Johannesburg) on Tuesday, 13 May 2025 at 6pm. Weinberg will conduct a public walkabout of the exhibition on Saturday, 17 May at noon. The accompanying book will have its Johannesburg launch at Love Books (53 Rustenburg Road, Melville) on Wednesday, 14 May at 6pm. Paul Weinberg is represented by Peffers Fine Art.
