IRN RAHMSA Workshop “Presenting rock art sites”, 27 Nov.-03 Dec. 2024
November 27 – December 03, 2024
Musée National de la Préhistoire, Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac (France)
The International Research Network “Rock Art Heritage Management in Southern Africa” (IRN RAHMSA, 2023-2027), funded by the CNRS and various cofunders, brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds (anthropology, archaeology, geosciences, heritage studies, human geography), from Botswana, France, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, all sharing a common interest in rock art. The mission of the IRN RAHMSA is to contribute to the dissemination of up-to-date techniques and methodologies in rock art studies, in connection with the results of the COSMO-ART research project. This programme aims to better fulfill requirements of sustainability by reconciling various perceptions of rock art heritage and development policies. To achieve this, one of RAHMSA’s main actions is the organisation of five training workshops, one each year and in each partner country, which include sessions of training and skill building, roundtables for scientific debates, as well as conferences directed at the general public.
The aim of the second workshop was to share experiences of presenting sites and to assess the diversity of perceptions, uses and practices between graduate and post-doctoral students, museum staff and heritage practitioners, primarily from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The workshop included visits to rock art sites and museums, conferences by invited speakers (and public sessions) and group work. Each working group (of 4-5 people) was asked to reflect on one of the following themes, drawing on their own experiences, the workshop visits and the conferences:
During the final session, the working groups presented the fruits of their reflections and all participants engaged in a general discussion to put their own experiences into perspective and reflect on the issues at stake.