Page 40 - 2020 SoMJ Vol 73 No 2_Neat

Rock Paintings – Chikwawa Environs 31

Rock Paintings – Chikwawa Environs, June 2020

Kathy Paul

Whilst scrolling down my screen in search of a match to a succulent I had
found at Kapichira Falls, I happened across some photos of what looked like San
Bushman-type rock paintings bearing the label: Majete 2016. Having read that
San paintings have not so far been found in Malawi, this find made them
potentially very important and equally exciting.
I traced the photos back to the company Duma Overlanders. Looking
through their spectacular collection of photos I recognized a fellow ex-teacher
from Phoenix School in Blantyre, where I work. That immediately made an
approach easier and I contacted her in Tanzania about the pictures. Fortuitously,
her partner had taken the photos.
I enquired both within the greater Chikwawa district, among members of
the Society of Malawi, the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi
(WESM) and everyone else I thought might have an idea regarding their location
or even their existence. No one knew about them and all were surprised to hear
of them. These rock paintings are very different to the Abatwa and Chewa
paintings to be seen at Chongoni, Dedza and other recorded sites in Malawi.
Permission was obtained to use the photos and information gained and
where to obtain the GPS co-ordinates. The General Manager of Majete Wildlife
Reserve, African Parks, kindly agreed to lead a small group to try and locate the
paintings.
On a Saturday morning bright and early, five high clearance four-wheel
drive vehicles set off. The road was challenging, and it took two hours to arrive
at the location. Fortunately, the rocks and the overhang were only a stone’s throw
from the track and so the paintings were easily found.
The Malawi Department of Monuments and Museums has been fully
informed of the paintings, of their location, and has been shown photographs.
They are sending a team to confirm authenticity and to ensure appropriate
conservation measures are put in place. An update will be published in a future
SoMJ when excavations and site analyses have been completed.
The following four photographs of the rock paintings are reproduced by
kind permission of Duma Overlanders.