Dedza, Malawi … We had heard about them for years. In fact, from childhood we had heard about the little people of Africa. In the early years we heard them described as the “pygmies”. Later they became “the little people,” and more recently the famous African author Wilbur Smith exposed the world to the name “San People.”
After coming to Malawi we were told of a site near Dedza where a large number of caves contain drawings, some of them thought to be about 3,500 years old. The site is called Chongoni Rock Art, and has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is believed to contain the richest concentration of Rock Art in the central Africa region; 127 rock-painting locations have been identified.
On a recent trip to the country members of the Malawi Project made a trip to the Dedza region to locate these caves, and see the paintings for themselves. You can read more on our Malawi Travel Blog. Part 2 of the story can be found here.