History of Kolo
Kolo is a small village located along the highway from Arusha to Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania. It takes approximately 3 hours by 4×4 (224 km) to reach Kolo from Arusha, and another 3 hours (180 km) from Kolo to Dodoma. The district of Kondoa, particularly around the village of Kolo, is home to one of the most impressive collections of ancient rock art in Africa. There are roughly 1,500 rock painting sites, primarily found in granite and gneiss rockshelters. The majority of these sites feature rock paintings, with only two exceptions — rock engraving sites located to the west of Kondoa at Usandawe. Common motifs in these paintings include animals, human figures, and various geometric designs.
These rock art sites not only contain paintings but also a rich archaeological record spanning from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) to the Iron Age (Masao 1979; Kessy 2005). Notably, some rockshelters, such as the Mongomi wa Kolo shelter and its surrounding area, are also linked to living heritage. The Warangi and Waasi people have used this site and its landscape for traditional ritual ceremonies (Leakey 1983; Chalcraff 2005; Bwasiri 2011).
Mary Leakey began documenting these rock paintings in the 1950s, and her research concluded that the Kondoa rock art was the second most extensive collection of its kind in Africa, after the Tassili N’Ajjer in Algeria. Today, a small museum in Kolo, located at the only junction in the village, displays a collection of stone tools, artifacts, and images of the rock paintings.
It is likely that the images were initially created by hunter-gatherer Bushmanoid tribes, who have a long history of rock art. Some Sandawe clans even claim their ancestors were responsible for the paintings. However, given the diversity in style and age of the collection, it is possible that later Bantu-speaking peoples contributed to the artwork as well. Estimates suggest that many of the paintings are between 200 and 4,000 years old. Research conducted by Mary Leakey in the 1960s identified nine distinct styles, which may correspond to different eras and artists. Some of the paintings are rendered in black and white, while others use varying shades of orange- and brown-tinted ochres. Many of the older images have faded or been painted over by successive generations.
The images themselves are fascinating and varied. Some are simple, while others depict dynamic scenes, such as two masked men abducting a woman, while two other men try to hold her back. There are also depictions of local animals, such as giraffes, as well as hunting scenes with antelope fleeing. Other images show people playing musical instruments and some that hint at abstract expressionism.
The paintings are spread out across the region, with some easily accessible via a short walk across fields, while others require a rocky climb. The most interesting and well-preserved paintings are typically the hardest to reach, but this also protects them from the vandalism, graffiti, and weathering that have affected many other sites.
