Volunteer (Tsodilo): Preservation and maintenance of historic heritage

Tsodilo heritage site

December 4 - December 16, 2012

Volunteer project: With one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world, Tsodilo has been called the ''Louvre of the Desert''. Over 4,500 paintings are preserved in an area of only 10 km2 of the Kalahari Desert. The archaeological record of the area gives a chronological account of human activities and environmental changes over at least 100,000 years. Local communities in this hostile environment respect Tsodilo as a place of worship frequented by ancestral spirits. Located in north-west Botswana near the Namibian Border in Okavango Sub-District, the Tsodilo Hills are a small area of massive quartzite rock formations that rise from ancient sand dunes to the east and a dry fossil lake bed to the west in the Kalahari Desert. The Hills have provided shelter and other resources to people for over 100,000 years. It now retains a remarkable record, in its archaeology, its rock art, and its continuing traditions, not only of this use but also of the development of human culture and of a symbiotic nature/human relationship over many thousands of years. The archaeological record of the site gives a chronological account of human activities and environmental changes over at least 100,000 years, although not continuously. Often large and imposing rock paintings exist in the shelters and caves, and although not accurately dated appear to span from the Stone Age right through to the 19th century. In addition, within the site sediments, there is considerable information pertaining to the paleo-environment. This combination provides an insight into early ways of human life, and how people interacted with their environment both through time and space. The local communities revere Tsodilo as a place of worship and as a home for ancestral spirits. Its water holes and hills are revered as a sacred cultural landscape, by the Hambukushu and San communities. Criterion (i): For many thousands of years the rocky outcrops of Tsodilo in the harsh landscape of the Kalahari Desert have been visited and settled by humans, who have left rich traces of their presence in the form of outstanding rock art. Criterion (ii): Tsodilo is a site that has witnessed visits and settlement by successive human communities for many millennia. Criterion (iii): The Tsodilo outcrops have immense symbolic and religious significance for the human communities who continue to survive in this hostile environment. Integrity (2011) The boundaries contain all the main sites. Three basic long-term facts have contributed to Tsodilo's outstanding state of preservation: its remoteness, its low population density, and the high degree of resistance to erosion of its quartzitic rock. The considerable archaeological evidence is generally well preserved. All excavations are controlled in accordance with the national legislation. Previous excavations have been properly backfilled and, in most instances, leaving intact deposits and strata as a resource for future research. The property attracts increasing visitor numbers, resulting in the need to manage the threat of increased litter. Despite these increased visits, there have been limited reports of vandalism and graffiti due to the compulsive guided tour regulations put in place.

The volunteers will assist in the maintenance of the footpaths, park fence, fire breaks and trails and helping in day to day maintenance of the park. The volunteers will participate as a team in the whole duration of the project. Volunteers shall be expected to work with the staff of the site in maintaining the cleanliness of the area. Volunteers can share and exchange different cultural forms during the project.