experience
The art of human impulse The towering sandstone cliffs of the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve are dotted with rock art spanning millennia. Marks made by the hands and imaginations of the nomadic San peoples, Iron Age farmers, and Khoekhoen, or Khoi, pastoralists. Their existence is proof that creating is a universal impulse, deeply ingrained in all humans, despite even the thousands of years that separate us. It’s believed that these respective groups of people were each compelled to share symbolic representations of their environment in red ochre, water, egg white, and blood, using brushes made from sticks, feathers, and animal hair. There are 123 recorded examples of this ancient ritual of man recording his presence in nature dotted across the reserve, and at Pamushana, you can visit them with a guide who truly understands both their significance and their history. Seeing them here, deep in the wilderness, preserved in time, is a reminder that what we create endures.
Houses of stone The design of Pamushana and Malilangwe House honours the multifaceted cultural and natural heritage of the region, drawing inspiration from its biodiversity and geology, as well as from Great Zimbabwe itself. Adorned with artworks and surrounded by a seemingly endless wilderness, one gets a sense, by being here, of complete seclusion from the modern world – as if you’ve stepped into a more ancient one. And yet, there’s always something new to discover. Like nature, cultural expression evolves. In Shona, ‘Pamushana’ means ‘in the morning or afternoon light.’ And as new light continues to shine on the region, and new stories are crafted and shared, who knows what more there will be to see, learn, and experience here in the future.
Powered by FlippingBook