Defacing African heritage sites:

This is not new, but I was doing some online research on African cave paintings and the populating of the green Sahara when I came across this article, I had known that Henri Lhote's team had manufactured some art work in order to embarrass him, but what I saw of other tourist was so shocking, ordinary random tourist, not involve in any wars civil or terrorist with an agenda such as purifying Islam like local idiots done to historical sites in Mali, they paid money traveled across the desert not easily accessible to anyone but the hardest of travelers, just to be mean spirited and destroy records that goes back thousands of years, honestly I wished the locals would have disappeared these relatively rich assholes in the deserts never to be seen again, also local idiots and United Nations Officials are also involved.

Vandalised Rock Art Sites In Acacus

We have reported last year in our news page that a "deranged" Libyan ventured into the sacred territories of Awiss and embarked on his mission to vandalise some of the priceless prehistoric paintings of the World Heritage site of Acacus. Using spray cans he painted over a number of cave drawings and paintings. Now we have decided to devote a dedicated gallery to these vandalised paintings, and to other acts of barbarism committed by some European tourists and even by some United Nation officials, believe or not. The task of protecting these world heritage sites seems impossible; as it were! The news began to leak last April (2009) regarding the defacement of some of the prehistoric rock art sites of Awiss, in Acacus, south-west Libya. It is difficult to enumerate the number of damaged pictures, but some reports say at least six or seven cave paintings were covered with paint, some of which were badly damaged. Other sources, like Libyan Oea, state that at least 120 paintings and drawings in total vandalised across seven sites in Acacus including Awiss, Tin Lalen, Tin Shshikh, Tin Newen, and Tihideen (www.oealibya.com/oea-sections/tourism/15751------30----). The vandal was arrested and have been imprisoned since. Reportedly he was previously working as a tourist guide for the Italian-owned tourism company Dar Sahara, which owns Dar Ghadames hotel and Dar Awiss campsite nearby. Apparently it was said that he was acting in revenge for being sacked by the company. Taking a closer look at the damage he inflicted one is easily inclined to suspect "moral motives"
www.temehu.com...
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Tin Lalen: a vandalised fertility scene, heavily covered with graffiti, long before the vandal covered it in black. The earlier graffiti shows some Tifinagh letters and also some recent Arabic words

About 3 year ago or so ago, we had this Chinese kid stamping his name the in walls of an Egyptian temple,

Ancient Egypt Temple Vandalized by Chinese Tourist Graffiti

www.chinasmack.com...
Some of the destruction came from the hands of thieves which oddly enough I understand , their motive made some kinda sense.

The pyramid field of Meroe was not damaged by erosion but by a greedy Italian named Giuseppe Ferlini who was looking for gold.

www.behance.net...
Artist mock-up of what they would have looked liked in their hayday, one thing though the area would have been green at the time.


Cecil Rhodes destroyed much of Great Zimbabwe, although largely abandoned by the local Shona for centuries it was left undisturbed except for some rites carried out there by priest , all the soap stone birds atop the walls were taken down and is now in the hands of the descendants that took it.

Lost cities #9: racism and ruins – the plundering of Great Zimbabwe

www.theguardian.com...
Again like Ferlini I get it, greed coupled by racism in this case was the cause,but at-least it made some sense and even a kind of closure .
There are off course more vandalism being done to historical sites around the world reference ISIS and the Taliban, but as horrible as it is I can see an agenda , what I can't get destruction without one.
Wars took a toll on many African historical sites from the 19th century until today , most African nation even the more wealthier ones do not want to spend needed funds for restoration when infrastructure need building ,these sites are in danger of disappearing for ever.

It is shocking and an absolute shame that anyone would deface these historical rock art sites! Is there any way they could be cleaned up without ruining the original art?

originally posted by: Night Star
It is shocking and an absolute shame that anyone would deface these historical rock art sites!

Is there any way they could be cleaned up without ruining the original art?

I don't know knight Star, maybe the ones that are carved rather than painted, but I guess restoration will be tough either way.

a reply to: Spider879


That is very sad. I don't know why people would do such a thing. It just gets me so angry. We're talking thousands of years that these sites were untouched and then Wham!

Somebody needs to get dragged out back and educated.

originally posted by: Night Star
a reply to: Spider879


That is very sad. I don't know why people would do such a thing. It just gets me so angry. We're talking thousands of years that these sites were untouched and then Wham!

Yes but it's the seemingly lack of any reason as to why that gets me, give me something to make sense out of nonsense.

Douche bags always ruin everything, for everyone else.

a reply to: Spider879

I deplore the vandalism quite as much as you do, but this is nothing new nor is it really about racism. There is Ancient Roman graffiti on the Pyramids and the monuments of Greece are (or were) covered with the scratchings and daubs of pilgrims and tourists from all over Europe. Mark Twain complained about it in The Innocents Abroad.

paint isn't bad. you can get paint thinner and rub it off (of etchings..obviously not paintings) Its the people who either paint over painted things, or scratch things in that need a good ass beating and "internet fame" on what a a-hole that person is..let them get some hate mail for a few decades.

That sucks. They need to start fencing off historical sites for this very reason.

Sadly it happens. Some people with no sense. Plus, of course groups who are bent on expunging the past, like Timbuktu being destroyed by Islamicists, or Palmyra in Syria, or a thousand and one other places.

Vandalism of Stonehenge in England - like painting the stones by travellers - was a reason why they were fenced off. No no one can touch them.

a reply to: paraphi

I agree kind of like a display in a window,many are enamored by the beauty,while others stare at it,wonder how much they could get if they stole it,sadly human nature,and it's the all about me attitude these days,who cares what someone else did it's my time now,and of course our own government has things destroyed,people ridiculed because they don't go along with what the government wants us to know,to keep your job have to mislead

a reply to: Spider879

Maybe it's the only way total, scummy, ignorant trash knows how to make their mark in the world. "Disgusting" pales in light of these pathetic POS's. The same goes doubly for the lowly, inborn isis doing even worse with total destruction of priceless pieces of world heritage. (isis, in this case, does not deserve to be made notable with capitals since it denotes something special or even greatly respected...which they NEVER will be.)

a reply to: Spider879

Immaturity and stupidity--just one part of being human, I guess.

The irony of these types of threads is that many of the 'historical sites' that we revere are the results of exactly that: Ancient graffiti.

But don't get me wrong--I agree about this type of behavior being absolutely asinine, but at the same time, they're just doing what has been going on for millennia.

Simple, exterminate anything between Cape Town and the Mediterranean Sea. Hit 'RESET' and start all over....

a reply to: Spider879

As an Anthropologist, this kind of lunacy makes me nauseous. I honestly don't know what I find more appalling, ignorant and narrow minded tourists with zero respect for the journey of our ancestors or more blatant and purposeful destruction like what occurred back in 2000 when the Taliban dynamited the 1700 year old Buddha of Bamiyan statues or recent examples of ISIS/ISIL/IS destroying ancient sites across Iraq and Syria.

It's just revolting that these monuments have managed to stand, in some instances, for 1000's of years and people can't see the forest for the trees and just appreciate the relevant and importance of these sites and monuments. It's little consolation that we have the technology to at least make visual records of some of these places prior to their destruction.

I used to be much more hopeful that we could move beyond such petty tendencies as a race. I'm less hopeful as the days and months go on because things just seem to escalate further and further.

a reply to: Plotus

Grotesque and pathetic.

I agree that some people are a waste of space, though. Your post has convinced me of this.

Napoleon blasted the Sphinx after what he saw inside the Great Pyramid.

Would love to know what that was.