Didima Gorge was once called the Valley of the Bushman, and strong evidence
has been found, suggesting that this area was the very last stronghold of
Bushman hunter gatherers in the Drakensberg. Over a thousand painted images are
located in hidden caves throughout the valley.
The San Art Interpretive Centre is located at Didima in the Cathedral Peak
Valley in South Africa, and was opened in 2003. The Didima San art interpretive
centre, provides visitors with fascinating and informative insights into the art
and culture of the Bushmen and includes various static displays and a number of
audio visual presentations. The centre is built on a Heritage site, and the
interior designed to resemble a cave, the natural setting of San Rock Art.
The centre includes a number of interpretative displays, and a San "cave", with
a fibre optic night sky, and a fiberglass moulded charcoal fire place, lit from
beneath giving the appearance of glowing coals, where visitors can listen to
Bushman folktales from the Drakensberg area. The highlight is a magnificently
built auditorium where visitors can view an audio visual presentation, which
introduces them into the imagery of the eland and its significance as a
religious and supernatural force. The main focus in the Auditorium is a
spectacular reproduction of the famous San art site located in the Didima Gorge
known as "Bothas Cave" .The Auditorium seats an audience of a hundred people for
the audio visual experience, and feature state of the art lighting and sound
systems, as well as a fog machine for added effect. The San Rock Art centre is
also wheelchair friendly.
There is a shop at the Didima camp, which sells various curios, souvenirs and
limited supplies, as well as a Restaurant which serves all meals, a social bar
and a specially allocated smoking Lounge with DSTV in the main Didima Lodge.
Didima camp also has a Wedding chapel and a Conference facility.
The centre hopes to assist the public in focusing attention not only on the
amount of rock art which was produced by the South Eastern San, but also the
quality and value of these ancient works. The protection of this mountain
habitat plays an extremely role in both biodiversity and cultural heritage. Time
and man are taking their toll on the paintings.