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Current interpretations Every year Songo is visited by hundreds of tourists. In most cases visitors only stay for a short time in the village, visiting the rock art site and making a brief tour through the village. Tourists generally arrive at the tourist camp, which offers accommodation, refreshments and local souvenirs. They are taken by guides (local people and/or outsiders) to Kondi Pegue, following a route through the village that usually allows a view of the mosques and the toguna, as well as of picturesque granaries and areas where the men weave long strips of cotton cloth. Upon reaching the north-western extremity of the village and after a short climb, the large polychrome painting of the shelter of the Grand Signe becomes visible. The painting is often said to represent a crocodile, an animal that has now become rare in the region. Close by, in the shelter of the wandyermas, the tourists are shown these musical instruments, with an explanation of their function in the circumcision ritual. A large rocky platform above this shelter offers magnificent views over the village and the surrounding landscape. After a short walk to the north, Kondi Pegue with its multitude of colourful paintings comes into view. After reaching the site tour guides, often local farmers, provide information on local history, the proceedings of the circumcision ritual and explanations of the significance which some of the paintings have for them. Generally, these explanations focus on a restricted number of 'spectacular' motifs, which are thought to be of interest to the tourists. Among them are a large 'snake', a small 'pale fox', five 'spirits', 'masks' and some disks. Depending on the duration of the visit and the guide's knowledge, different motifs at the rock wall may be selected for description and interpretation. However, by no means all of the paintings can be explained by local guides. When interviewed in February 2000, the local farmer and guide Soumaila Yanogué was able to identify all in all 40% of the paintings at Kondi Pegue. Yanogué referred to the other 60% as "unknown". According to these interpretations the known motifs at the site can be classified by several themes. Within these themes motifs depicting the same subject matter are often markedly varied in shape, as can be seen, for example, in different versions of the 'kanaga-masks'. The themes mirror current interpretations of the rock art at Kondi Pegue by the men of Songo. External guides may offer somewhat different explanations, linking the rock art of Songo stronger to the Sanga region with its animistic beliefs and traditional institutions, which were described by Griaule and his collaborators since the 1930s. The explanations provided by external tour guides are often contested by the locals of Songo, who stress the local specificity of the site and its paintings, and the importance of local knowledge in the interpretation of the imagery. Interpretation and re-interpretation by the different users of the site thus appear to be a characteristic feature of the rock art at Songo. | |
