Learn about your ancestors’ ingenuity
JOBURG – The Wonders of Rock Art exhibition has opened at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown, Johannesburg.
The public and schoolchildren alike have been called upon to learn about the genius ingenuity of their early ancestors from the humongous ancient rock art exhibition at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in downtown Johannesburg.
The call was made by the centre’s CEO Dr More Chakane in an interview with the editor of the North Eastern Tribune, Sipho Siso, at the official opening of the joint French and South African replica artefacts of the world-famous Lascaux Cave paintings worth more than R40 million and weighing close to 40 tonnes.
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The exhibition, the first one of its kind, depicts artefacts dating as far back as 17 000 years ago and are regarded as masterpieces because of their outstanding quality and sophistication. It opened on 17 May and will run until 1 October this year. The South African component of the exhibition will be known as The Dawn of Art.
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“We call upon both the public and schoolchildren to come to the centre and learn about the ingenuity that their fore-bearers possessed in being able to mix animal blood and other liquids to produce incredible ink that was used to inscribe these amazing rock paintings discovered in various caves in Africa, Europe and other parts of the world,” he said.
Sponsored by French banking group BNP Paribas and its South African subsidiary RCS, global oil and gas company Total South Africa, and Ballore Transport & Logistics South Africa, the exhibition is called The Wonders of Rock Art.
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Dr Chakane said they wanted to use it to encourage young scholars in this country to take up studies in archaeology and other related fields. “We want our children to take these studies in order to help portray our history in its rightful perspective.
“We currently have very few students in these fields of study and this is a worrying phenomenon as it means that our history will forever be told through the eyes of other people.”
