The enchanting story of Ha-Baroana Caves and the singing Liphiring river
Tsitsi Matope
The dry and golden maizefields of Ha-Matela village in Nazareth tell a story common throughout Lesotho — that of a community passionate about working on the land and producing its own food.
For many Lesotho households, farming is the only source of livelihood, yet changing weather conditions have brought untold hunger and misery to such families over recent years.
In Ha-Matela and surrounding areas, residents are aware of their food-insecurity and the dire need for an alternative means of survival.
Site manager Teboho Moloisane shows journalists some of the Baroana art.
However, despite the gloom, Ha-Matela residents could yet beat the heavy odds through a hidden treasure in their neighbourhood if only they could all be aware of its money-spinning potential.
This week, the Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC) organised a media tour of this treasure — the Ha-Baroana Caves — in an effort to expose the beautiful site and also highlight the tourism benefits local communities could derive from it.
According to the LTDC Public Relations Officer, Lineo Tlapana, the initiative came after the corporation realised the need to raise more awareness on how communities living around tourism sites and symbols could maximise the benefits from such natural resources.
Locals, Ms Tlapana added, are also seen as vehicles for the effective marketing of some of the country’s little-known tourist destinations, with the residents’ participation in the running of tourism facilities key to the centres’ sustainability and also the development of nearby communities.
“If we look at what we have here at the foothills of Machache, this is a rare gem, a hidden treasure, which many people do not know about.
“We are here because we would like the world to know about these caves and the experience they offer.
“It is also our wish to encourage local communities to participate in various activities that could make this area more vibrant and attractive to tourists.
“That way, they too can benefit and appreciate the importance of preserving sites such as the Ha-Baroana Caves,” Ms Tlapana said.
Yet as visitors explore the caves, which are located 20 minutes into a leisurely walk down a valley, they would not have a clue that below is the mighty Liphiring river.
This is because its surging journey and muted singing cannot be heard by those above — a conspiracy of nature which adds to the allure of this enchanting place.
As one walks beneath the steep, rocky descend, passing the thick, rolling grassland, and the large dwala — and crossing two bridges of the branching river — it is difficult to guess what more to expect except the humming river.
Somewhere upstream, Liphiring river uniquely branches in a Y shape, seemingly in a show of respect for mother nature’s amazing rock formations.
Many years of such respect and protecting the area since 1969, when it was declared a cultural heritage site, have helped maintain a balanced ecosystem in the area.
But what is more striking in this land below, are the rare indigenous plants that have since disappeared from the land above.
However, the journey becomes frightening after crossing the second and lengthy bridge, as the path takes you straight into a secluded forest at the foot of a mountain so high one cannot see where it ends.
The towering mountain’s shadow blends with similar shades created by the tall trees, making the place colder, reminiscent of Lesotho’s mountainous districts in the throes of blistering winter-weather.
On the ground, it is also no easy walk as the rocky path to the other mystery in the forest becomes harder to traverse.
With no warning, an amazing Godly art surprises, revealing itself in the form of a large domineering arch.
It looks like a large, fearsome animal with its mouth wide open.
At 70 metres wide and higher than some of the trees, this indeed, is the mother of the rest of the smaller caves also found around the same mountain.
This spectacular mother-cave overlooks the crystal-clear waters of Liphiring River, which boasts of keeping so many beautiful stones in its belly and being home to a variety of fish and other water species.
Frozen in some parts along its banks, the river comfortably flowed in the middle while some of its water was being pumped into a newly developed fishpond on the other side.
However, it was soon clear that the rare Ha-Baroana Caves are not like the many other caves dotted around Lesotho, but are also a protected heritage-site holding valuable history of the area dating 4 000 years ago.
The walls of the caves show off the Baroana (San) people’s rock art, which dares to speak fascinatingly about a people who once walked this land and made the caves their home.
The largest cave, which is the only one with a part fenced by the government, tells many stories.
This masterpiece cave must have been of great significance judging from its size, beauty and location adjacent the river.
With such an incredible natural tourism product, it is a surprise that the local communities should struggle for other means of survival apart from their fields, whose produce continues to dwindle with each passing harvest.
“We have no doubt that with a lot of exposure, these caves will definitely be the next big thing in Lesotho’s tourism sector.
“We would like to ensure this area becomes a hive of tourism activities and that is where the local communities come in,” Ms Tlapana said.
The Ha-Baroana Caves and Information Centre are situated about 42 kilometres from the capital Maseru and managed by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture.
The current Information Centre was established in 2004 and launched in 2008 with a new thrust to involve the local community in the management of the whole attraction.
Ms Tlapana said efforts to also lease the site to a private operator might further help improve its marketing and further infrastructure development.
According to the Site Manager, Teboho Moloisane, since the launch, there were no significant community-driven activities apart from the temporary employment of some villagers to renovate the thatched Information Centre.
Mr Moloisane further said with initiatives such as more involvement of the community, the number of visitors per week, which is currently an average of five, would increase.
“What we are missing are cultural activities, locally made crafts and home-stay services since we don’t offer accommodation and food.
“Home-stays would greatly enhance the visitors’ cultural experience,” Mr Moloisane said.
He said with liveliness, more tourists would come and that would create the demand for home-stay facilities. Currently, visitors stay at Molengoane Lodge situated about six-kilometres from the caves.
“At the moment, all we are doing is try and come up with other forms of entertainment such as the fishpond we have just established.
“This initiative will see visitors paying M50 to fish. We have lots of fish in the river.”
Apart from the fish, Mr Moloisane said what is also attractive about the site is its location in the middle of a warm community.
The scenic mountain-range, high altitude and fresh, crispy air also add more value to the tourism package, which he said is dominated by stories of the hunting and gathering activities that used to take place here many years ago.
Mr Moloisane is a compelling storyteller and believes his artistry in interpreting the San people’s rock-art has resulted in many visitors recommending the place to their friends.
An entrance fee of M20 into the protected area rewards visitors with the magnificent tale of the unique nomadic Baroana people, who lived in different parts of southern Africa many years ago.
To this day, Baroana have not lost their sharp, natural instinct to survive their harsh environments in countries such as Botswana and Namibia.
“The San people liked to tell stories of how they lived and co-existed with their environment.
“Unlike other tribes that also lived then, they understood the importance of recording events, which we now call newswriting.
‘‘They did it with a lot of wisdom and intelligence because they used material that preserved such recordings to be read by generations to come.
“They did not want to be forgotten,” Mr Moloisane said.
Spiritualism was a key factor in the San people’s way of life, who strongly believed in the after-life, Mr Moloisane said.
Rock-art of people leaping around a blazing fire, Mr Moloisane said, symbolised ceremonies that usually ended with the dancers going into a trance.
“They believed that when they were in a trance, they were able to communicate with their ancestors.
“These unusual in-trance sightings are also depicted in their art.”
Mr Moloisane further said Baroana were also hunters who, through their art, expressed their affinity with herbivores such as antelopes and elands found in the area many years ago.
“These animals were valuable to them because they were a source of food. Wild plants were also closely preserved because like us, Baroana did not have money to import fruits and vegetables from elsewhere.
“It was therefore, important that they conserved what they had to ensure survival.”
The rock-art at Ha-Baroana Caves also highlights other cultural ceremonies, which included rain-making rituals and the initiation of girls and boys.
