7 March 2006
Director of Ceremonies, Gcina Mhlope,
Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand, Professor Loyiso Nongxa,
Honourable Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor,
Honourable Deputy Ministers,
Premier of Gauteng, Mbhazima Shilowa,
Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Amos Masondo,
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Director of the Rock Art Research Institute, Dr Benjamin Smith,
Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Archaeology, David-Lewis Williams,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
Thank you very much for inviting me to this important occasion, the official opening of the Origins Centre.
The opening this Centre is timely, following soon after the inauguration of the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) and the Cradle of Humankind Maropeng Visitor's Centre. These are very important Centres because they practically help to link the evolution of humanity to the creative genius of our ancestors as represented by this Centre and to the origins of our universe as seen from the glittering array of mirrors of SALT.
Indeed, we are very happy that we host these important Centres because through them we now have the opportunity to reflect on our past, to celebrate the diversity of our present and to look forward to the future discovery of awesome wonders in the universe of infinite time and space.
In his poem, Time, Gibran Khalil Gibran, writes about Time. He says:
And he answered:
You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.
Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness,
And knows that yesterday is but today's dream.
And that that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space."
The Origins Centre exhibition is part of a repository of the measureless and immeasurable. It is part of a stream upon whose bank we sit and watch the flowing of human evolution, imagination and creativity.
It is a vindication and a triumph for visionary scientists, some of whom are with us this evening, who have demonstrated unequivocally that the home of modern human endeavour and creative expression has ancient origins in Africa.
Through their dedication they have inspired a growing number of young scientists to push the boundaries of evolutionary human biology and geography beyond our wildest imagination.
Indeed, we salute all of you who have captured within this time capsule, the Origins Centre, the measureless and the immeasurable. The Centre is a tribute to all of you - the archaeologists, representatives of indigenous communities, architects, the landscape gardeners, the filmmakers, designers, conservators, educators, renowned artists and museum specialists and staff.
Together, on a modest budget, you have created a unique and stunning museum in Africa for the people of the world. It is an outstanding example of a successful public-private partnership when our social partners, including indigenous communities, academics and business join hands with government in an equitable partnership.
Whether we are on the catwalk at SALT in Sutherland, marvelling at the perpetual scattering and re-grouping of stardust in space or whether we open a cabinet to unravel one of earth's mysteries here at the Origins Centre, we cannot but contemplate our place in the universe, even as we continue to pray for the realisation of today's dreams and hopes for each and every one of us.
Our centuries-old subjugation cast a veil of ignorance over many of our eyes so that we only saw and heard what we were forced to see and hear. For many years, the prevailing view echoed those of Frances, the daughter of Bishop Colenso, who noted in her 19th century diary, as follows:
"These caves are full of coloured drawings by the Bushman, hideous representations of eland hunts, cattle raids, or fights. Each one is more ugly than its neighbour."
Because of our own ignorance, at times we fail to conceptualise the sophistication expressed through our gallery of rock paintings, hence the view that "each one (of the drawings) is more ugly than its neighbour".
This is clearly because of an a-historical approach and the failure to see the dynamic relationship between the past and the present. After all, as the motto of the Origin Centre says, "We are who we are because of who we were"!
Tonight, we stand together united in our diversity in this Age of Hope. The Origins Centre is a tangible and creative endeavour to illuminate our minds and take us on a journey through the origins of time from these exquisite landscaped mountain and desert gardens in the courtyards to the eloquent voices of the San people.
Geoff Blendell of the Rock Art Research Institute tells a story of a San man called Lindiso. In the early 20th century Lindiso set out from his home among amaMpondomise. He walked several kilometres through thick bush, up the Inxu River until he came to a remote and secluded rock shelter. Here he painted a rock art image or two, adding to the already existing images at the site.
It is believed his was one of the last rock paintings ever made in South Africa. Lindiso's painting brought to an end the world's oldest unbroken art tradition - the San rock painting and engraving. Before him, Lindiso's father had painted and before him, his father and before him his ancestors had painted on Africa's rocks for 27 000 years.
Indeed, the tradition may be much older; the recent discovery of incised ochre pieces from the Blombos Cave on the southern shores of South Africa, strongly suggests that art and symbolic thought began here in Africa. At 77 000 years in age, these ochre pieces are the world's oldest best-known human made images.
The evidence from Blombos and other places shows that Africa was not only the place where humans first originated but that it was here that the very things that give us our humanity - art, symbolism, language, complex technology - first developed. Clearly, Africa is the home of humans and humanity.
Because of all these, our ancestors have blessed us with among others, the 250 000 rock art sites that experts estimate are to be found south of the Zambezi River. The art is believed to be unsurpassed by any other rock art tradition in the world in its intellectual sophistication, detailed subject matter and complex techniques of rendering.
As we know, by the time Lindiso made his last painting, the San and Khoi people had nearly been exterminated and most of those who remained had amalgamated with their Nguni and Sotho neighbours and most of their languages were close to extinction. All these led to the end of the vibrant tradition of San rock art.
The aim of the Origins Centre is surely one of shifting our consciousness and perspective on the customs and traditions of our ancestors. We have to change perceptions about our traditions, which suffered as our people were conquered and the hunter-gatherers became the hunted, and the potters and ironsmiths became the labourers and mineworkers.
The natural abode of indigenous peoples was treated, as 'No Man's Land', freely available for conquest. Tonight, we know from the DNA/RNA strands illustrated in the Origins exhibition that the blood of the San and the Khoi courses through the veins of the diverse peoples of South Africa.
It is fitting therefore that the San !Xam language, !KE E: IXARRA IIKE, resonates in our country's Coat of Arms as a greeting and an embrace reflecting diverse peoples coming together as one, vibrant, united multicultural nation.
Our nation is moving forward into an era during which the interwoven, seamless histories of its peoples will be paramount in the formation of our national identity. Clearly, we are, as a people, looking to the past to make sense of our identity in the present.
I congratulate everyone whose collective human effort ensured that this magnificent gift to the nation and the world came to fruition. I am delighted officially to open the new Origins Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Thank you.