What is African Rock Art?
African Rock Art are African Rock painting and engravings believed to be humankind’s earliest artistic and cultural expressions.
Nelson Mandela President, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, philanthropist and President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 once rightly said:
“Africa’s rock art is the common heritage of all Africans, but it is more than that. It is the common heritage of humanity.”
This summarises the importance of African Rock Art not just in accounting for the African arts, culture and history and patrimony but also of the world history and where the human species have come from and their legacy.
African Rock Art is a testimony of that and much more as is being discovered under the rocks as it were of countries as varied, so far, as Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Somaliland, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwé.
The amazing work of The Trust For African Rock Art (TARA)
Africa’s rock art tradition is believed to date back over 50,000 years and is found throughout the continent. TARA (Trust for African Rock Art) is a Nairobi-based, non-governmental organisation and the only one in the world committed to documenting and safeguarding the culturally-rich African rock art heritage of paintings and engravings, to making this information widely accessible and, to the extent possible, safeguarding those sites most threatened by humans and nature.
TARA, based in Nairobi, documents & safeguards Africa’s ancient rock paintings & engravings, .
TARA works closely with communities where rock art is found and with national/international heritage bodies including the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, with support and recognition from the Ford Foundation, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the National Geographic Society, among others. TARA’s contributions have been widely acclaimed in scientific and popular media including National Geographic, Time, Natural History, People, and the London Times.
Their website is a huge reference for this article and a strong recommendation for further reading and discovery of the wide significance of this art, the amount and beauty of it at: