What we do and why
LIVING LANDSCAPE
PROJECT
Project Objectives
What we do
Krakadouw Trust
Trustees
Contact
JOB
CREATION PROGRAMME
Training
Guiding
People Involved
Contact
TEACHING PROGRAMME
What we offer
Accommodation
Instructors
How to participate
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Events
Archive
CRAFT SHOP &
ROCK ART TRAIL
Crafts
Rock Art Trail
Accommodation
Bookings
Landscape-oriented education
The Living Landscape concept is based on the belief that the creation of a landscape-oriented educational curriculum will lead to better articulated and more effective community involvement in the sustainable development for the region. Empowerment means granting people self respect through the processes of education, confidence building, and trust. Thus, education through active engagement in past and future landscape change is a valuable tool in the empowerment process.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor of UCT, Cheryl de la Rey (right) and UCT's research development officer, Margaret Ward (centre) with Eldridge de la Rey (left) during a visit to Clanwilliam to get a first-hand appraisal of the Living Landscape Project.
This project, therefore, provides an opportunity to relate history to futurity via empowerment, education and the building of training schemes for landscape interpretation and environmental evaluation.
Value added tourism through long-term land use
These tools are vital for long term land use and natural resource management in South Africa as a whole. They also provide a basis for extending the value added by tourism to the poor rural areas where meaningful interpretative capacities are currently underdeveloped. Over the next few years we plan to build a series of structures in chosen localities in the landscape that will act as learning places, resource centres and research opportunities for rural, previously disadvantaged, people.
Involving the community in heritage planning
Underlying this initiative is the intention to celebrate the achievements of pre-colonial people, to recognise the survival of pre-colonial landscape names, to involve communities actively in heritage planning, and to make use of local knowledge and local cosmologies in place of colonially imposed versions. This attempt to reclaim the past has been recognised and endorsed by a wide spectrum of the local community in the form of enthusiastic participation in events organised by the Living Landscape Project and the receipt of an award from the Clanwilliam Chamber of Commerce for developing new business for the town.
Heritage and archaeology as strong pilars of the regional economy
The intention is to build archaeology and heritage as a strong pillar of the regional Cederberg economy with specific links to job creation. Training has included instruction in computer skills, heritage, crafts, life skills, first aid, entrepreneurship, book-keeping, guiding, expression and customer care, catering and nature conservation. The job creation programme is administered through the Krakadouw Trust, established with funds from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and run from the property adjacent to the UCT Living Landscape Centre at 16 Park Street.
Empowerment means granting people self respect through the processes of education, confidence building, and trust
Education through active engagement in past and future landscape change is a valuable tool in the empowerment process.
Community participation in the Living Landscape events encourage community involvement in the broader development issues of the region.
Minister Valli Mousa at the UCT Living Landscape Centre on Heritage Day.
Elephants appear in many rock shelters along the Olifants River Valley and adjacent mountains.