Hidden Karoo, by Patricia Kramer and Alain Proust

Hidden Karoo, by Patricia Kramer and Alain Proust. Penguin Random House South Africa, Lifestyle. Cape Town, South Africa 2021. ISBN 9781432310042 / ISBN 978-1-43-231004-2

Hidden Karoo, by Patricia Kramer and Alain Proust, introduces to a big sky country; a land of vast plains punctuated by flat-topped mountains, conical hills and secluded valleys, a land of scrubby bushes and hardy trees, where pioneers carved roads out of rock to set down roots in an unforgiving environment.

Alain Proust  

Introduction

[...] Some have deep roots in the region, but others have fled the hustle and bustle of the cities in search of a gentler way of life. Bringing their diverse skills to bear, these newer residents are revitalizing villages, towns and farms by supporting existing businesses or establishing new ones. In addition to the wool industry a large game lodge sector as well as traditional farm stays, guest cottages, and boutique hotels help to support a growing tourism industry that is driven by the Karoos untamed natural beauty dependable climate and increasingly varied tourist attractions, which offer everything from big-five safaris and bird-watching to historic buildings, sites of geological and palaeontological interest, challenging hikes, off-road trails, food and drink, and arts festivals. Less visible, but equally important to the region's economy are the hi-tech industries that are optimizing the Karoo's 'hidden' natural resources: sun, wind, and clear skies. Wind and solar farms are being developed, while the scientific potential of Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and MeerKAT radio telescope outside Carnarvon, and the Observatory at Sutherland, depend on the remoteness of the area, clarity of the skies and an atmosphere free from 'network noise' and light pollution. The Karoo is very thinly peopled, with just a few towns comprising the majority of the inhabitants. Typically farms extend over several thousand hectares in order that the relatively arid land can support livestock. The rich diversity of South Africa's population is to be found here, from the descendants of the original Khoekhoen and San (Bushmen), and those whose ancestors migrated inland from eastern coasts of southern Africa or crossed mighty rivers, mountains and open grasslands as they moved southwards, to those whose origins lie in Europe and the spice islands of the East. This volume is not intended as a social history of the Karoo, nor as a commentary on colonialism, imperialism, apartheid and the post-1994 democratic era with all their pain, indignities and, more recently, hope. However, a thumbnail history of the broad region may help situate readers and provide some context. The word 'Karoo' derives from the Khoekhoe word karus, which means dry barren or thirsty land. Millions of years ago, the Karoo basin was a vast inland sea, and the land is particularly rich in geological features that record the countless millennia and provide fossil remains of the earliest fauna and flora. The latter makes it a major palaeontological repository The region was inhabited in pre-colonial times by the Khoekhoen (referred to by the colonists as Hottentots, now a perjorative term), who were semi-nomadic sheep and cattle herders, and the San who were hunter-gatherers. When Jan van Riebeeck arrived at the Cape in 1652, his orders were to establish a garrison that would provide both a safe anchorage and supplies of fresh food and water for the trading vessels of the Dutch East India Company (VOC or Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie). However, it wasn't long before the initial small settlement on the shores of Table Bay expanded into the arable lands beyond the Cape Peninsula and the Dutch garrison became a colony The Napoleonic Wars in Europe (1803-1815), which ended Dutch control over the Cape Colony resulted in the arrival of more administrators, soldiers and settlers. But, a century earlier, increasing numbers of Dutch colonists began to fan out into the interior in search of new land to farm. [...]

This is an excerpt from Hidden Karoo, by Patricia Kramer and Alain Proust.

Title: Hidden Karoo
Author: Patricia Kramer
Photographer: Alain Proust
Genre: photo book
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Lifestyle
Cape Town, South Africa 2021
ISBN 9781432310042 / ISBN 978-1-43-231004-2
Hardcover, 26 x 27 cm, 304 pages, throughout colour photographs, 1 map