In the footsteps of giants: SA's new dinosaur centre to open
The Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre in the Free State will officially open next week. The interactive visitor centre, which is in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, hosts exhibitions about the paleontological, scientific and cultural significance of the area.
The centre will particularly highlight the dinosaur relics found in the area, including the discovery of the world's oldest dinosaur embryos. SANParks, which manages the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, hopes the new facility will boost visitor numbers.
Tourism Minister Patricia De Lille and Dion George, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, will officially open the attraction next week on 22 June.
The Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre is a joint development by the Departments of Tourism and Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. R120 million in funding came from the European Union through an application submitted by National Treasure.
The Department of Tourism believes that the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre will boost tourism in the Free State and thereby create more jobs in the sector. Part of the project included the training of a new cohort of local guides.
Minister De Lille welcomed the milestone launch in a statement, calling on tourists to visit the facility:
'Whether your joy is sparked by science, nature, culture, or connection, the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre is an experience that brings it all together in a way that is locally rooted and globally inspiring.'
Palaeontology is often considered a Western science, but the new dinosaur interpretation centre also honours the contributions of local communities. For hundreds of years, BaSotho people in the Golden Gate came across fossils and footprints of long-gone creatures.
Therefore, the BaSotho felt these relics could only belong to a mythical beast, whom they called 'Kgodumodomo', and the creature features in BaSotho mythology. The new tourist centre's name, therefore, pays tribute to the local community.
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