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TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011
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Grotto galleries show early Somali life
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galaxy of colorful animal and human sketches adorn the caves in the rocky hills of this arid wilderness in northern Somalia, home to Africa’s earliest known and most pristine rock art. But in a region ravaged by two decades of relentless civil unrest and lawlessness, the archeological site is at risk of destruction, looting and clandestine excavation. The 10 caves in Laas Geel, Somali for “camel watering hole”, outside Hargeisa, the capital of Somalia’s self-declared Somaliland state, show vivid depictions of a pastoralist history dating back some 5,000 years or more. The paintings were discovered in 2002 by a French archaeology team and have since been protected to bar looters after their value became apparent to locals who previously feared they were the work of evil spirits. “The people around here thought the caves had evil spirits and never used to come near. They offered sacrifices not to be harmed,” recounted Ali Said, an assistant archaeologist with the Somaliland government. The cave galleries provide a peek into the little known history of this part of the world, which in recent times has mostly been famous for bloody conflicts and instability. Paintings of decorated cows-some with radiant neck stripes-herders and wild animals point to the interglacial period when the now arid Horn of Africa region was lush and had plenty of wild animals, explained Sada Mire, a Somali-born British archaeologist working to preserve the rare heritage. Much of Somalia is now a vast badland and the parched Laas Geel region no longer draws heards of cattle coming to graze and water, while human settlement is sparse. “We know that the painters were pastoralists who lived in a much better climate than the present,” Mire said. “It is quite an important discovery as little is known about the history of this region and lots of archaeological heritage is being lost to destruction, looting and neglect,” she added.
This photo taken on March 31, 2011 shows a Somalian archaeolgist pointing to a primitive rock painting, one of a galaxy of colourful animal and human sketches to adorn the caves in the rocky hills of this arid wilderness in northern Somalia, in Laas Geel, home to Africa’s earliest known and most pristine rock art. —AFP The Laas Geel rock caves are located near a confluence of two now dry rivers, which lend credence to its name and the practice of herders taking to etching cave walls with animal and other depictions. While some of the Laas Geel cave paintings are stunningly vivid, others have faded off due to rock degradation and effects of weather. The caves house a constellation of brown, orange, white and red pre-historic sketches on the walls and ceiling. “The paintings are vanishing if urgent conservation measures are not taken. At the moment we are protecting and recording them. Weathering as well as human threat in terms of unplanned development are immediate treats,” Mire said. Mire now works with the government of Somaliland to train
locals to protect the artefacts as well as help authorities draft laws to preserve the region’s historical sites. A former British protectorate, Somaliland declared independence from the rest of Somalia when war erupted following the overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, but it is not recognized by the international community. The small region in northern Somalia also boasts other pre-historic sites, also with cave paintings and other early human life. In the northern Dhambalin region, rock caves also host colorful paintings of cattle and wild animals as well as dogs and a man on a horseback, which Mire said in a recent article is one of the earliest known depictions of a mount-
Paul Simon takes graying fans on world tour
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aul Simon strolled onstage at the Pantages Theatre, and the crowd rose. Standing-O without having played a note or said a word. Yes, this Hollywood crowdthough decidedly graying-was primed, and it was raucous and rolling all night. And for good reason. Simon delivered an alternately beautiful and boisterous show drenched in the world of music he’s become so associated with-but without forgetting that America is part of that world. Along with the African rhythms and island riddims were doses or dollops of blues, country, gospel, soul, New York coffeehouse, pure pop, even an Elvis cover. It was a heady brew. His graceful knack for rhythm, melody and lyrics that rare triple threat in rock-have made his catalog essential, but his concerts go far beyond mere recitals. More than a half-century of performing has made Simon a true master of the stage. It’s not that he relies on gimmicky antics, witty banter or showboating; rather, few are more expert in piecing together a set list. After opening Thursday’s show with a deep cut from his most popular album then a swampy-starting one from his brand-new record, Simon knew it was time to throw the pent-up crowd some meat. It took the form of his lone No 1 single, “50 Way to Leave Your Lover,” which the horns in his eight-piece band brassed up as much as the song’s jilted third party is brassed off. Win. He followed with the title cut from “So Beautiful or So What,” which debuted at a careerhigh No. 4 on
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the Billboard 200 last week. The riffy song had more punch than the punchy studio version, its background flute not soothing its irritated narrator. It was one of five songs from the new record, whose themes touch on spirituality and uncertainty, mortality and anxiety, difficulty and tenacity. All were well played and well received, though he opted not to play its catchy and witty lead single, “The Afterlife.” Simon had little time for talk during the perfectly paced show, but he offered one nugget before covering Jimmy Cliff’s “Vietnam.” “This is the song that made me want to go down to Jamaica and record ‘Mother and Child Reunion,”“ he said. He followed it with that breakthrough solo hit from 1972, to the crowd’s delight. But his juxtaposition of the two songs stirred thoughts that maybe their pairing was more than just the Jamaica connection. “Reunion” was always a dichotomy-with its jolly, carefree music played over such sullen lyrics as “I can’t for the life of me remember a sadder day” and “this strange and mournful day.” Was this a subtle poke at war? Maybe imagining an awful reunion of mother and battle casualty? Even if so, Simon offered no time to dwell on it, as the zydeco-soaked “That Was Your Mother” followed. Its fast tempo and wild-times story riled up the room, bringing many to their feet. And Jamey Haddad’s washboard antics drew a roar. Then ... quickly quiet again. As barely a beat passed, the group dropped into the loping groove of “Hearts and Bones.” With the previous song having told of a chance meeting in Louisiana that led to some red wine and easy lovin’, this one studied the complex “arc of a love affair.” And it segued immediately into “Mystery Train,” a shuffling blues that laments how the train “took my baby away from me again.” It, in turn, went country as it morphed into the instrumental “Wheels.” Just a typically atypical example of Paul Simon set-list mambo. Ending the set with “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” was a case of giving the people what they want: a chance to get up and dance. Again, the old pro’s concert acumen kicked in; he knows how to leave them standing. When he returned, with everyone still on their feet, Simon was alone onstage with an acoustic guitar. As he hit the familiar opening chords of “The Sound of Silence”-one of only two he played from the Simon & Garfunkel canon-there was a collective, very audible reaction from the patrons, and they quickly sat. It kicked off a six-song encore that capped a nearly 2 1/2-hour show. Not bad for someone turning 70 this year. Come back anytime, Paul.— AP
ed huntsman. Somaliland has been spared much of the violence that has flayed the south and central Somalia regions and authorities are looking to capitalize on the relative stability and the recently discovered historical treasures to woo tourists. “People now appreciate these (rock) paintings and they hope they will attract tourism which will benefit them,” Said noted, pointing to a cluster small drawings of wild animals in one of the caves. “The government is encouraging those who can to build hotels and resorts around here (Laas Geel) to host tourists,” he added.— AFP
Metallica dusts off classics for desert metal fest
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he appeal of heavy metal has always lain in its traditions, which are all self-reflexively hokey enough to almost be cliches: the black shirts, the songs about death, the wheeldillee-deedillee guitar solos. Call the first-ever US edition of The Big 4 (the Metallica-headlined daylong metal fest previously held only overseas) a return to tradition, then, as generations of fans descended on the desert to pay homage to the masters of metal, mostly with a beer in one hand and devil horns thrown with the other. That’s not meant to be condescending but rather admiring: this was a cult event on the grandest scale, as over 60,000 estimated attendees with an extremely noticeable allfor-one mindset gathered for similarly structured music all on one stage. (Compare that to the previous weekend’s Coachella festival in the same location, with roughly 15,000 more people, all running in majorly disparate directions.) Even within the genre, the lineup didn’t diversify: openers Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth are all admirable, decadeslong carriers of the shreddy, loud/fast/aggressive metal flag-no cheesy pop, silly nu-metal or any raprock hybrid stuff allowed. Given the focused lineup, it’s no surprise the bands delivered, each more crowd-pleasing than the next. Ageless Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian wailed his way through “Among the Living,” with bemulleted singer Joey Belladonna bringing a half mic-stand into the audience to allow the crowd to scream along. Megadeth’s front-
man Dave Mustaine is still snarky and speedy; “Wake Up Dead” was blistering and precise. Of the openers, Slayer were the headbangiest of them all, faceblasting their way through “Dead Skin Mask” and “Raining Blood” before closing with the anthemic “Angel of Death.” But the night unquestionably belonged to the headliners, who delivered a career-spanning, possibly career-defining set that clarified why they’ve been able to maintain their relevance for so long: simply, it’s diversity, stupid. Emerging onto their two-story stage to an Ennio Morricone spaghetti-western theme, the band plunged into the early ‘80s with “Creeping Death,” guitarist/singer James Hetfield employing the crowd into rally-cry “hey-hey-heys.” But unlike some of the openers, it wasn’t all how-fast-canwe-play-this-riff ; guitarist Kirk Hammett still plays with ambition and delicacy even when he’s searching for upper-register peaks, giving his playing a fluidity lacking in many of his contemporaries. It doesn’t hurt that the songs are legitimate classics at this point, and the band barreled through nearly all of its best-known
rockers, from the more recent “Fuel” (accompanied, of course, by plumes of fire and ear-shattering fireworks) back to 1988’s “One,” before closing out the set proper with “Enter Sandman,” by far the biggest singalong of the day. The encore began with an allbands-on-deck encore cover of Diamond Head’s obscure-to-non-metalheads stomper “Am I Evil,” historic because it saw notorious rivals Hetfield and Mustaine both hugging and sharing a stage together. But even that shouldn’t be considered all that surprising: as metalheads surely realize by now, when someone understands your traditions, you’ve got to embrace them, rather than push them away. — AP
Legendary American singer, songwriter, poet, artist and actor, Bob Dylan performs from his repertoire of over 400 songs and 50 albums during the 22nd annual Bluesfest music festival near Byron Bay yesterday. Australia’s largest celebration of blues and roots music runs from April 21 until April 26 and includes Elvis Costello, Grace Jones, The Cat Empire, ZZ Top, and Leon Russell in the line-up. —AFP