The united nations education, scientific and cultural organisation unesco world heritage committee inscribed the site on its prestigious world heritage list during the 41 st session that took place in krakow, poland, from 2 to 12 july. The khomani are the last surviving indigenous san community in south africa and their living cultural landscape is an important aspect of national culture. The history of the san people in south africa is a very tr. Khomani cultural landscape south africa african world. The landscape includes landmarks of the history, migration, livelihoods. The concept of cultural landscapes can be found in the european tradition of landscape painting. Cultural, religious and linguistic communities, dr m guma, 3 khomani san doing a traditional dance at dusk. Khomani cultural landscape unesco world heritage centre. Concerning the concept of rural cultural landscape, it is defined similarly, but within a rural context. The fear is the heritage and language of the san will be lost and we are trying everything we can to preserve this and pass on the culture and traditions to the young khomani san children, he said. Hardly any south africans, have even heard of the khomani cultural landscape. Popular activities for tourists like nossob 4x4 eco trail, hakskeen pan mtb and many more. The san of southern africa have left a unique artistic tradition and archaeological record throughout the subcontinent. Khomanisan people developed a specific ethnobotanical knowledge, cultural practices and a worldview related to the geographical features of their desert environment.
Indigenous bushmen, their brand and baasskap in tourism. Khomani cultural landscape south african history online. Its official the khomani cultural landscape has been declared a world heritage site. The large expanse of sand contains evidence of human. Application for inscription of the khomani cultural landscape on. It is the only landscape to protect what remains of the oncenomadic san people whom unesco. Khomani cultural landscape now south africa has 9 unesco whs.
Pdf kgalagadi transfrontier park and its land claimants. Khomani cultural landscape declared a unesco world. Xaus lodge, which is owned and run by the community, or at a number of smaller rest camps. The guidelines for treatment of cultural landscapes define a cultural landscape as a geographic area including both cultural and natural resources, that is associated with a historic event, activity or person, or exhibiting any other cultural or aesthetic values. History of cultural landscape preservation, 19301949. From the 16th century onwards, many european artists painted landscapes in favor of people, diminishing the people in their paintings to figures subsumed within broader, regionally specific landscapes. Khomanisan history, migration, livelihoods, memory and resources. All the possible features of their tangible and intangible heritage that could be shown were recorded in stories, directly onto map sheets and on film. The khomani san community is found in south africa. According to mketeni, the khomani cultural landscape features sparse vegetation, occasional trees, and the dry. Cultural landscapes, heritage surveys and heritage. The area in the southern kalahari, bordered in the east by botswana and the west by namibia, is where you will find a small group of the khomani san a people who, until recently, were thought to have vanished did you know. Khomani cultural landscape declared a unesco world heritage.
Khomani cultural landscape now south africa has 9 unesco. The khomani desert san sas ninth world heritage site. It covers 959 100 hectares, forming part of the kgalagadi transfrontier park and including the whole kalahari gemsbok national park. Khomani cultural landscape in kgalagadi, northern cape.
Khomani cultural landscape inscripted as a world heritage. People assign values to those landscapes including those associated with. Their home is in the vast expanse of the kalahari desert. Khomani cultural landscape is located at the border with botswana and. We are passing on the cultures and traditions to the khomani san children. Khomani heartland tentative world heritage site consists of regions located to. The fear is that the heritage and language of the san will be lost and we are trying everything we can to preserve this. Some settled at the national park headquarters in twee rivieran and were employed by the park.
More vulnerable are the languages spoken by the khomani, which are being. Their distinct huntergatherer culture stretches back over 20 000 years, and their genetic origins reach back over one million years. Pdf contradictions of capitalism in the south african. Its an area in the southern kalahari, bordered in the east by botswana and the west by namibia, is where you will find a small group of the khomani san a people who, until recently, were thought to have vanished. Pdf kgalagadi transfrontier park is located in the northern cape province of south africa. It is a landscape that has changed little from a time long ago when humans were mainly hunter gatherers. Khomani cultural landscape has been declared a world heritage site by unesco, the declaration means south africa has a total of nine world heritage site destinations the. Landmarks of san history according to mketeni, the khomani cultural landscape features sparse vegetation, occasional trees, and the dry riverbeds of the nossob and auob rivers, as well as a. To add some more confusion, together with the bostwana gemsbok national parks, if forms the african kgalagadi transfrontier park. The khomani cultural landscape is open for anyone to visit. The purpose of the khomani cultural landscape is to maintain the khomani san history, migration, livelihoods, memory, geography and resources.
Khomani cultural landscape, otherwise known as the the. Its no surprise that bali makes the list as it is one of the best places on earth to kick back and take it all in. The living museum allows one to learn more about the history and culture, and for a foodie experience try out aunt koeras farm kitchen. It was within this dramatically changed political landscape that. The bushmen are the oldest inhabitants of southern africa, where they have lived for at least 20,000 years. Its value is significant and considered as a world heritage site. The red dunes of the khomani cultural landscape are strongly associated with this unique culture stretching from the stone age to the present. The san of southern africa have left a unique artistic tradition and.
The cultural landscape foundation connects people to places. Khomani san landscape spotlights south african heritage. Khomani san kalahari guiding experiences is a communitybased ecotourism enterprise on khomani san owned land within and next to the kgalagadi transfrontier park. Xam khomani heartland corresponds in fact to the kalahari gemsbok national park. History of cultural landscape preservation cultural. Khomani cultural landscape listed on world heritage list. The san are the best model we have for the huntergatherer lifestyle that saw so many generations through the stone age, and it is tempting to say that the history of the later stone age is the history of the san. Khomani cultural landscape was the only new south african destination declared a world heritage site in 2017 out of 25 new sites worldwide and is a milestone for the khomani san. Rare khomani san archive tells a story of fragility. The khomani cultural landscape our 9th world heritage.
The cultural landscape foundation, washington, district of columbia. National parks are often places where people have previously lived and workedthey have been formed by a combination of natural and human processes that embody an identifiable history of cultural. Contradictions of capitalism in the south african kalahari. It deals speci cally with the cultural politics of the successful 1999. Human rights violations in the khomani san community agreement over the management and. The bushmen are the remnants of africas oldest cultural group, genetically the closest surviving. The khomani cultural landscape has recently been inscribed as the 9 th of the countrys world heritage sites, and probably its most intriguing it is the only landscape to protect what remains of the oncenomadic san people whom unesco recognise as having. All landscapes contain cultural heritage and hence itis an aspectof all landscapes managed by the npws. Unesco has announced its amended list at the 41st session of the world heritage committee meeting in poland earlier this week. Minister of environmental affairs launches the khomani. This can only be done at a very broad level of generalization, but evidence does points to a san history. Khomani cultural landscape is a vast area on the south african side of the kgalagadi transfrontier park ktp, which is large enough to accommodate a reasonably complete representation of the landscape values, features and processes which convey the special way in which the people were linked with the land. The path from a history of land dispossession to being land owners has created. The khomani cultural landscape has changed little from its original form, the desert of the southern kalahari having remained protected as nature reserves.
The goals, objectives, and strategies explored below provide a pathway for the states preservation movement to work creatively and effectively to manifest this vision. The khomani cultural landscape has read the full article by here. History of cultural landscape preservation, 19601980. Khomani cultural landscape is located at the border with botswana and namibia in the northern part of the country, coinciding with the kalahari gemsbok national park kgnp. Apart from seeing the incredible beauty of the kalahari landscape, there are a variety of activities for visitors at khomani cultural landscape, including going on walks and trails with guides. Designated as a cultural landscape, the site includes landmarks of. Xaus lodge, tracking with tourists at witdraai and manual labour, make up other.
Khomani san kalahari cultural and nature guides, 2011. Khomanisan people developed a specific ethnobotanical knowledge, cultural practices and a worldview related to the geographical features of. During the 11th and 16th century, rural cultural landscapes, particularly in europe, were associated with painting. The khomani cultural landscape archives kimberley city info. Human rights violations in the khomani san community. The archive has made an invisible history visible and is preserving knowledge for future khomani san generations. Khomani san cultural landscape heritage site to learn about the heritage of the first people of the kalahari. Khomani cultural landscape, was inscribed on the world heritage list on 8 july. The recorded history of the bushmen, found in books, museum collections and even.
History of cultural landscape preservation, 19812000. With the official proclamation of the kalahari gemsbok national park in 1931, the majority of the khomani, as well as the mier people who lived in that area, were forced to move to other areas. Khomani desert san northern cape, south africa the san. Phase 1 report finalr2 stellenbosch heritage foundation. The khomani san live in the southern kalahari desert right up against the border with botswana and namibia, a small group of people in a. Activities such as tracking and hunting are offered by experienced san guides, as are cultural experiences to learn more about their history. Khomani cultural landscape inscripted as a world heritage site at its 41st session taking place in krakow, poland from 0212 july 2017, the united nations education, scientific and cultural organisation unesco world heritage committee has inscribed on its prestigious world heritage list, the khomani cultural landscape.
763 1053 879 177 1196 266 68 939 965 197 920 1225 851 1038 1026 1459 1022 137 84 1192 1436 1446 836 301 180 354 1009 319 322 901 1061 1390 91 359 492 437 824 860 132 1146 273 1305 126 478 228 1312 85 315