Famous footprints – a photo essay – Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves

The Cradle of Humankind is rich with the history of humankind. A visit to this World Heritage Site will take you on a journey that goes back millions of years.

Maropeng, the official visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind, has marked this great journey of humankind by honouring individuals who have contributed to humanity.

Situated outside the Tumulus building is a walkway displaying the concrete footprint casts of presidents and Nobel laureates. This walkway is a symbolic installation, representing what the Cradle of Humankind stands for: a journey of discovery into who we are.

The following famous footprints are on the walkway:

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki

Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan. Annan, together with the UN, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for “their work for a better organised and more peaceful world”

Current South African President Jacob Zuma

Former president of the Czech Republic Záclav Klaus

South African biologist Sidney Bremer, who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Professor Peter Agre, an American physician, professor and molecular biologist, who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The latest addition to this exclusive club is Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. This social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his “role as a unifying leader figure in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa”.

So, the next time you visit Maropeng, why not take a journey along this special walkway and view the footprints of these notable men?