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A slur on us Overlanders! A slur on us Overlanders!
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North Africa Topics specific to North Africa and the Sahara down to the 17th parallel (excludes Morocco)
Photo by Lois Pryce, schoolkids in Algeria

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Photo of Lois Pryce, UK
and schoolkids in Algeria



Trans Sahara Routes.

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  • 1 Post By Richard Washington

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  #1  
Old 8 Mar 2012
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A slur on us Overlanders!
I have just read a fascinating article in the British Museum Magazine - Winter 2001, entitled ‘History Erased’. It is about the erosion, both natural and mad induced, of Rock Art in Libya. It all made an interesting read until I reached the sentence:

‘This region was once protected by being remote and hostile - except to a few indigenous people. Today the region is accessible to ‘overlanders’ on powerful motorbikes and tourists in massive trucks and land cruisers, leaving litter in their wake.’

As an Overlander and owner of a big motorbike I was enraged at this suggestion and wrote to the British Museum expressing my views. I have not had a reply. Should you too feel compelled to take up arms the authors of the article were Dr. Jill Cook of The British Museum and David Coulson of the Trust for African Rock Art. A quick Google search digs them out!

I have a pdf of the article if anybody wants a look pm me.

‘Tidy’ Toby Savage.
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Old 8 Mar 2012
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Hi Toby,

I understand your outrage, but I wouldn't care too much about such generalizations.

While we always do leave traces on our travels in one or another way, some of us do it in a respectful manner, some of us don't, and all grades in between.

Cheers,
Raf
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Old 8 Mar 2012
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Thanks Raf. What I find ironic is that this is about Rock Art in Libya - a Country noted for it's exceptional control of litter. ;-)
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Old 8 Mar 2012
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Originally Posted by Toby View Post
Thanks Raf. What I find ironic is that this is about Rock Art in Libya - a Country noted for it's exceptional control of litter. ;-)
you are right there Toby , i was in Libya a couple of years ago and en route to Nalut and Ghudamis and 60 miles from anywhere there was a fridge and a pile of rubbish and it was about another 120 miles before we came across another village. ? . In other remote parts there was loads of rubbish dumped and obviously not dumped by the travelling community.

The rock art is an area on the south west on the border with Algeria, difficult and arduous to get to so just how many visitors go there ? They have had trouble with guides hired by unesco before
Or is this just a campaign to raise more funds for the heritage site ?
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Old 8 Mar 2012
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The last incident I recall where Libyan rock art was defaced involved a Libyan tour guide who was subsequently convicted.

As for overlanders being blamed, its a bit like accusing sailors of stealing the Elgin Marbles.
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Old 8 Mar 2012
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I always find subjects about conserving the past quite interesting. I seem to recall learning in my history class at school that etchings/paintings/hieroglyphics tend to get defaced over time. This is either done on purpose by succeeding generations, by accident or simply by the passage of time.

Take the Buddhas of Bamiyan for example, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. There was a huge outcry by UNESCO and I remember reading several articles on the likes of "look at what these rat bags have done".

But surely, this IS history in the making, as is the passage of 'overlanders' in North Africa. It is very hard to conserve parts of the planet when human beings are still in existence.
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