Africa Antiqua

Archaeological and Cultural Tours

About Ourselves

Specialists

Sian Hall

 

Sian Hall is an MA candidate at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. This thesis explores early man's relationship to the dog. She has conducted research into various fields of African prehistory and culture including:

  • The finger paintings of bantu-speaking peoples of Central and northern southern Africa
  • Shellfishers of the West Cape Coast
  • The history, ritual and walled cities of the Venda petty royalty
  • The ritual and spatial structure of early colonial mission stations of the Eastern Cape
  • The indigenous dogs of southern Africa

Sian is the owner of Rhodesian Ridgeback hounds which she breeds and shows under the name of Tambuku Kennels. Her book Dogs of Africa (2003, Alpine) is a difinitive study of the Africa's native breeds and is based upon 10 years of research.

As a freelance writer Sian is the author of numerous articles in popular magazines and newspapers and is a co-author of the book Beyond Belief:  Murders and Mysteries of Southern Africa (Struik). Her most recent book Haunted is in press and will be published by the end of 2006.

 

Frans Prins

 

Frans is a trained anthropologist and archaeologist.  He received his MA (Archaeology) from the University of Stellenbosch and is presently a PhD candidate on social anthropology at Rhodes University.

 

Frans has been employed as a research associate and lecturer in Archaeology at the Universities of Transkei and Stellenbosch (1988-1991).  From 1991 – 2001 he was appointed head of the department of Historical Anthropology at the Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg.  During 2001-2002 Frans assisted an international NGO (Working group for Indigenous Minorities) with the conceptualization of a San or Bushman museum near Cape Town, during this period he consulted extensively with various San groupings.  Frans is presently employed as the Cultural Resource Specialist for the Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Project – a bilateral conservation project funded through the World Bank.  This project involves facilitation with various stakeholders in order to produce a cultural heritage conservation and development strategy for the adjacent parts of Lesotho and South Africa.

 

Frans’s research interests include African Iron Age, paleoecology, rock art research, San ethnography, traditional healers in South Africa, and heritage conservation.  He has published widely on these topics in both popular and academic publications.   He is frequently approached by video and film productions in order to assist with research and conceptualization for programmes on African culture. Frans  has wide experience in the fields of museum and interpretive centre display and made a significant contribution to the conceptual planning of displays at the Natal Museum, Golden Horse Casino, Didima Rock Art Centre and !Khwa tu San Heritage centre.  Frans is also the co-manager of “African Antiqua” a specialist tour company who conducts archaeological and cultural tours world-wide.

Scotty Stewart