Session 3 – Chigwende – Conservation of prehistoric rock art of Zimbabwe скачать в хорошем качестве

Session 3 – Chigwende – Conservation of prehistoric rock art of Zimbabwe

The COSMO-ART Conference on Rock Art Rock Art Site Management in Southern Africa: Towards a Cosmopolitan Approach 30 Nov. – 5 Dec. 2025, Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley, South Africa Session 3 – 1 December 2025 Welcome Takunda Chigwende (University of the Witwatersrand) – Conservation of prehistoric rock art of Zimbabwe: a diagnostic analysis of the damage at Makumbe cave Southern Africa is endowed with magnificent rock art sites with several on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These include Twyfelfontein, Namibia and Tsodilo Hills, Botswana. Many others are part of UNESCO World Heritage Landscapes such as Matobo (Zimbabwe), Dedza (Malawi), and Mapungubwe (South Africa) etc. Most of these sites are susceptible to accumulation of dust, smoke and other pollutants. Locals use many for various purposes, including as meeting venues for open-air church groupings. Although there are other threats to rock art in the region, dust and soot are the most damaging thus, conservators have to be prepared to remedy these. At the moment, however, there has been very little research on how to treat rock art sites affected by dust and/soot. This has resulted in no action being taken and many images being ‘lost’ behind layers of dust and soot. In Zimbabwe, sites including Nswatugi and Pomongwe have been adversely affected by dust. Due to smoke and accumulation of soot on the walls, Makumbe Cave gives us a glimpse of the kind of damage that sites can suffer when exposed to fire. Based on these observations, the study embarked on scientific research to find cleaning agents for the two threats dust and soot and diagnosis on the other threats on the site. Working with the Chemistry Department at the University of Zimbabwe, we used Makumbe as a sample for testing the effectiveness of the cleaning agents. Although the research is at its germination stage, the results are encouraging towards the conservation of rock art. This paper presents preliminary results and discusses the potential applications of the research findings in the context of rock art. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this talk are those of the speakers and are based on their scientific research. They do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the conference organisers.