We clamber over large, round boulders and push our way through dense shrub. Finally, we reach our goal and are rewarded with a look into the ancient past: cave paintings.
We are now in Matobo Hills in the western part of Zimbabwe, not far south from Bulawayo. The area called Matobo Hills is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In addition to its alluring geography, it is renowned for its wealth of fascinating cave paintings – some of them at least 13,000 years old. Other evidence shows that people have been living in these hills, protected by boulders and caves, for about 500,000 years.
The rock paintings tell a story of human interaction with animals. The beautifully executed drawings show kudus, giraffes, impalas, zebras and other animals as well as human hunters. The artwork has been carried out over the space of many years, as can clearly be seen in the way the artistic style evolves.
In the few days that we spend in Matobo Hills, we visit several caves with paintings and other artefacts that show evidence of human habitation. There are apparently several thousand caves, small and large, with cave paintings – and more keep being discovered. What a legacy these ancient hunter-gatherers have left behind!
The rocks themselves are also a work of art, created by Mother Nature, the best artist of all.
