Rock art to bring tourists flocking in Turkana

Art in Kapesse depicting giraffes walking left to right in Turkana. [PHOTOS: COURTESY/ AFRICANROCKART.ORG]

LODWAR: Turkana is a world centre for the study of the origins of man. Just recently, prehistoric skeletons near Lake Turkana, suggesting a conflict between two hunter-gather communities, were discovered.

In fact, Kenya is associated with the phrase ‘Cradle of Mankind’ as a result of the fossils discovered in this region.

Whilst the extraordinary treasures and richness of these foundations are well known to everybody, not many are aware of the rock art in Turkana’s caves and space, which give added colour to the gem of Turkana’s archaeological finds.

But now, the Italian government in conjunction with National Museums of Kenya will document and detail the age-old rock art tradition within this area in a way that may change the way people look at Turkana. 

CULTURAL TOURISM

“We are excited about the prospects of this project that will see better preservation and a detailed account of the rich rock art culture in Turkana region,” explained the Director of the Italian Cultural institute in Nairobi, Francesca Chiesa at the launch.

The lead researcher on the project archaeologist Savino Di Lernia, together with his Kenyan counterpart Emmanuel Ndiema, has already gone to the site and made preliminary observations that are promising.

“Lake Turkana area is a haven of nature and culture and other than the extraordinary archaeological value in places like Koobi Fora, it will be good to enhance this with a keener attention to the rock art there,” said Prof Lernia who has taught African archaeology and ethno-archaeology at the School of Specialization, University of Rome since 2006.

According to Dr Ndiema, this programme has high potential of making Lake Turkana the epicentre of cultural tourism in Kenya.

Turkana County has a rich rock art heritage consisting mainly of rock engravings dating back over 2000 years.

According to Magical Kenya, most of the rock engravings in the area consist of geometric designs although some animal paintings, such as elephants and giraffes, can also be found.

Most believe the rock engravings were made by Twa hunter-gatherers, because similar images have been found from the areas they inhabited in East Uganda and parts of Lake Victoria basin. The main rock art sites in Turkana County include Namoratunga and Kang’itit located near Lokori town.

On the Marsabit side of Lake Turkana, there are three main rock art sites. Surima located between Loiyangalani and South Horr, Marti located between Loiyangalani and Mt Kulal, and Afgaba located along the north eastern edge of the Chalbi desert.

A close look reveals that the art here consists of ancient images and symbols that tell us more about the history of the region.

The hunter-gatherer Ndorobo people who were forest-dwelling people closely related to the Pygmies of eastern Congo, have been credited with creating the rock art.

Archaeologists have concluded that as little as a thousand years ago large areas of this now arid landscape were still forested, which explains why the art depicts wild animals who do not live in the habitat any longer.

BELIEF SYSTEMS

The most common being giraffes, that held special significance for the Pygmies.

Also known as the Batwa, the Pygmies also used geometric symbols in their art such as circles and spirals, which related to their ancient belief systems and mythologies.

Another site of interest is Lokori, further south along the Kerio River, where important burial sites are recorded.

“We are very happy with the warm and cordial working relationship between Italy and the Kenyan government and we proudly associate with this project that conforms to our archaeological, anthropological and ethnological mission,” said the Italian Ambassador to Kenya Mauro Massoni when he launched the project at the Italian Cultural Centre in Nairobi last weekend.

Also on the team are journalist Vincennzo Nucci and an expert on the Turkana Region, Lorenzo Rizzini.

Rock art is a delicate, non-renewable resource and must be carefully preserved.

According to the team, the fieldwork will consist of accurate recording and monitoring of the sites using up-to-date digital technologies to be carried out during three technical missions over a period of 12 months.

“In summary, there is an extraordinary opportunity to increase our knowledge of the recent archaeology of Lake Turkana and promote its cultural tourist potential,” said Lernia who doubles as an honorary research fellow at the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies of the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.