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05 June 2018 Photo Supplied
Digging up truth South Africa was way different to what you thought
Archaeological excavations in the Wonderwerk Cave, north of Kuruman in the Northern Cape.

Research fellow Dr Lloyd Rossouw from the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently published an article in the Nature Ecology and Evolution journal with Dr Michaela Ecker from the University of Toronto as lead author, and Dr James Brink, research fellow at the UFS Centre for Environmental Management. The findings described in “The palaeoecological context of the Oldowan-Acheulean in southern Africa” provides the first extensive paleoenvironmental sequence for the interior of southern Africa by applying a combination of methods for environmental reconstruction at Wonderwerk Cave, which have yielded multiple evidence of early human occupation dating back almost two million years ago.

Where water once was
The Wonderwerk Cave is found north of the Kuruman hills (situated in Northern Cape) a 140m long tube with a low ceiling. The surroundings are harsh. Semi-arid conditions allow for the survival of only hardy bushes, trees, and grasses. But during the Early Pleistocene, stepping out of the Wonderwerk Cave you would have been greeted by a completely different site, the researchers found. Using carbon and oxygen stable isotope analysis on the teeth of herbivores (Dr Ecker), fossil faunal abundance (Dr Brink), as well as the analysis of microscopic plant silica remains (phytoliths) excavated from fossil soils inside the cave (Dr Rossouw), the results show that ancient environments in the central interior of southern Africa were significantly wetter and housed a plant community unlike any other in the modern African savanna. 

What difference does it make?
While East African research shows increasing aridity and the spread of summer-rainfall grasslands more than a million years ago, the results from this study indicate an interesting twist. During the same period, shifts in rainfall seasonality allowed for alternating summer and winter-rainfall grass occurrences coupled with prolonged wetlands, that remained major components of Early Pleistocene (more or less the period between one and two million years ago) environments in the central interior of southern Africa. That means our human ancestors were also living and evolving in environments other than the generally accepted open, arid grassland model.

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UV Voices Kamerkoor by die KKNK
2005-03-10

Membra Jesu nostri – Buxtehude (1637 – 1707)
 

Membra Jesu nostri patientis sanctissima (Die allerheilige liggaam van die lydende Jesus aan die kruis) deur Buxtehude het die Kruisiging van Jesus as tema.

Die uurlange werk word in Latyn gesing en handel in elk van die sewe dele oor ‘n deel van Jesus se liggaam aan die kruis: voete, knië, hande, die sy, bolyf, hart en gesig. Voices Inc – Kovsie kamerkoor word bygestaan deur die Odeion Strykkwartet met Francois Henkins, Abrie de Wet, John Wille en Michaela Haller. Die kontrabas word deur Alba Henkins-Molller bespeel en Jan Beukes is die orrelis.

Die woorde in Latyn wat buitengewoon was vir ‘n werk deur Buxtehude, is geneem uit die Latynse Bybel (Vulgate) en van die Rhytmica Oratio Sancti Bernadi, ‘n strofiese gedig deur St Bernard van Claivaux (c1090 – 1153).

Die wyse waarop Jesus se pyn aan die kruis uitgebeeld word asook die gebed en uitroep van versoening tussen God en die mensdom was deel van die Piëtiste se oortuigings van die tyd.

Die werk is saamgestel uit sewe afsonderlike dele wat telkens deur ‘n instrumentale sonate aangekondig word. Die koor lui die vokale bydrae in en sluit elke deel ook af. Die res van die werk bestaan uit verskillende groeperings van solo’s en trio’. Interessante vokale kombinasies kan gehoor word, bv. twee soprane en bas asook sopraan, alt en tenoor.

Hierdie opwindende aanbieding van Membra Jesu nostri, ‘n juweel uit die Baroktydperk, word aangebied deur ‘n groep energieke studente van Kovsies. Die jeugdige klank van die soliste – almal studente aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat - dra by tot die egtheid van die Barok-klank. Die koor staan onder leiding van Leona Geldenhuys, dosent in Koorleiding aan die UV.

Optreedatums in die Moederkerk op Oudtshoorn. is:

 

  • Vrydag 25 Maart om 19:00
  • Saterdag 26 Maart om 13:00
  • Sondag 27 Maart om 19:00
  • Maandag 28 Maart om 16:00
  • Dinsdag 29 Maart om 10:00

Toegang is R50,00

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