Wits University Launch world first Marapo Stones & Bones Casting Project

Marapo Stones & Bones Casting Project

The first of a kind fossil casting project in the world has been launched at Sterkfontein Caves in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (COHWHS) on Friday, 26 July 2013.

The Marapo Stones & Bones Casting Project – a joint initiative of the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits University and the COHWHS – is an exciting project that is teaching members of communities living in the Cradle how to cast fossil replicas. This project is aimed at protecting, preserving and promoting the palaeo-heritage of South Africa.

For the first time, the public will also have the opportunity to own fossil replicas of some of the greatest discoveries made in South Africa, such as that of Australopithecus sediba.

Prof. Lee Berger, Reader in Human Evolution and the Public Understanding of Science in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits University, told 16 graduates at the launch of Marapo that what they have achieved is quite extraordinary.

“This is not typical in the world of palaeo-sciences. There is a tradition of casting fossils, but it is mostly between scientists. I have shown your work to my colleagues around the world and they are quite impressed. We will be putting a cast of Aus. sediba in every museum in the world. Your casts will be on display in the Smithsonian which has 11 million visitors a year!” Berger said.

There are large impoverished communities with a limited skills base living in the COHWHS – which has produced over one third of the world’s hominin fossils. The Marapo Project was established to unlock the treasure trove of opportunities this area has to offer by sharing knowledge and skills that support economic, social and scientific development in these communities.

Unemployed youth from the area were given the opportunity to build a skills base around the heritage present in the COHWHS through an intensive six months fossil casting training programme. The project has a dedicated casting lab and members are trained as casting technicians giving them specialized and valuable skills.  In addition the training included the history behind the fossils, the heritage of the area, fossil and bone identification, art classes, business and sales training, communication skills and life skills.

“A core principle of the programme is social and scientific development, leading to job creation for the local communities in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Apart from teaching useful skills to individuals that could help them to support their families economically, the project also increases their understanding of the heritage of the area and the importance of its protection,” says Dr Bonita de Klerk, Operations Manager for the Malapa Project at the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits.

Gauteng is extremely proud of the Marapo Project,” said Dawn Robertson, CEO of Gauteng Tourism Authority. “It is contributing to the development of the economy and the communities in the greater Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, whilst developing the science of palaeoanthropology in Africa. At the same time it promotes the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage as one of the world’s foremost fossil hominid-bearing sites.

Fifteen of the trainees have been selected and will continue with the Marapo Project, which will be run at the Sterkfontein Caves. The participants named the retail outlet ‘Marapo’ – meaning ‘bones’ - through which the public can now buy the fossil replicas.  Historically only scientists in the field or museums had access to such fascinating artefacts. Currently only the fossils that were discovered in and around the area are being moulded and cast, but the team plans to have more added to the current stock items within the near future.

Marapo also opens its doors for business to the public on Friday.

ABOUT THE PARTNERS:

Wits University has a long association with the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in terms of scientific discoveries and research. The primary focus of this longstanding and successful relationship has been to work towards the mutually beneficial goal of promoting and conserving the scientific and heritage values of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, whilst remaining cognisant of government’s mandate to create on-going benefits in the areas of job creation, skills development, SMME support and so forth.

The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site consists of the fossil hominid sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and the Environs (commonly known as the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site) which were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site Management Authority has been charged with the mandate to manage the area in accordance with the World Heritage Convention, the Operational Guidelines and the World Heritage Convention Act, 1999.

One of the key obligations placed on World Heritage Site managers is for the communities living in, and associated with, to benefit from it. The Marapo Project is attempting to achieve this goal by developing projects resulting in improvements to the lives of the communities and improvements to the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site.

The end objective is job creation within the Cradle of Humankind which will transform the economy of the World Heritage Site and will lead to its protection, preservation and promotion.