The Faculty of Humanities will host the Cosmo Art International Conference from 30 November to 6 December 2025. Centred on Rock Art, the conference brings together leading researchers, scholars and heritage practitioners from Southern Africa and Europe in a week of engagement and knowledge sharing.
This conference marks the concluding event of the international collaboration programme Cosmo Art which has advanced new approaches to Rock Art Heritage Management in Southern Africa. Supported by the French National Research Agency, the programme has contributed significantly to SPU’s postgraduate training, academic mobility, joint research and the international exposure of our students, including travel to workshops in Namibia and France. Hosting this final gathering at SPU highlights the University’s growing role in regional and international heritage scholarship.
Over seven days the conference will feature six themed sessions that explore the recording of rock art sites, conservation strategies, community-based knowledge, interdisciplinary methodologies and contemporary debates in heritage practice. The programme also includes a keynote public lecture and a round table on the cosmopolitan approach to heritage.
The event strongly reflects the Faculty of Humanities niche strengths which include Heritage Studies, Archaeology, African and South African History, Indigenous Languages, African Languages, Creative Scholarship and community engaged research. It showcases SPU’s commitment to Africa centred knowledge production, the interpretation and safeguarding of cultural landscapes, and Humanities scholarship that is attentive to identity, memory, community and place.
Event details:
Date: 30 November to 6 December 2025
Venue: Heritage and Humanities Building, Central Campus, Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley
The University looks forward to welcoming participants to this important gathering of ideas, insight and shared heritage.
