Still Bay talks – meeting the locals

During the excavations at Blombos Cave in February 2019, SapienCE researchers were invited by Hessequa Society of Archaeology to give a public lecture at Still Bay Town Hall. Christopher Henshilwood began the evening by introducing our ongoing work at Blombos Cave, after which doctoral candidates, post-docs and senior researchers gave summaries of their specialized areas of research. Lastly, Craig Foster elegantly tied all our research into a broader human perspective. We had anticipated an attendance of maybe 50 eager members of the archaeological society, but were very happily surprised to fill all 500 seats in the hall! For the SapienCE researchers involved, it was a wonderful experience to see the public’s interest in our work, and to understand the pride and sense of identity that Blombos Cave gives to the local community.