Heritage and sustainable development investigating the successes and failures of community run public rock art sites in Southern Africa

Abstract

The research explores community-run public rock art sites in southern Africa, with a focus on Nsangwini rock art site in Eswatini, to try to understand what is behind their success or failure. Southern African case studies are explored through a combination of literature review, interviews with stakeholders and fieldwork (in the case of Nsangwini Rock Art Shelter in Eswatini). Nsangwini is interesting for comparative purposes because it shows how a community-led initiative has helped in community upliftment. Extensive fieldwork was conducted at Nsangwini rock art site in 2018 and this revealed that the site is a success in that it attracts visitors, has remained open since its inauguration and generates an income that is useful to the community. The site is protected, managed and run by the local community and the money made from the tours to the site are ploughed back into community upliftment projects. The success of this site is an interesting contrast to other public rock sites in southern Africa, which have also had community involvement, but have not always run as successfully, in the case of South Africa some have even been periodically closed. By investigating the elements that contribute towards the sustainability of community-run sites, the study provides information towards understanding the premises required for the sustainable management and conservation of public rock art sites in southern Africa.