was founded in 2014 and started with motifs of rock art in Tanzania, where the oldest traces of humankind can be found.
Regional, social projects are supported with the funds from the proceeds, e.g. training young adults, a communal residence for single women who take care of orphans.
Ritz Rock ART home textiles are something unique and very special; they not only connect us to people in other parts of the world but also with our own ancient roots as species capable of artistic expression.
A lamp, for example, which illuminates the “Kondoa Dancers” brings a thousand-year form of expression into our present day lives and our living areas, enabling a journey through time and space.
in Münster, Germany
our shop products are handmade using the time-consuming Silkscreen process. Various materials are used, for example different fabrics such as cotton, nettle cloth, canvas or silk.
We are always on the lookout for new ideas for high-quality product variations and are looking forward to your order. Because our products are handmade, every piece is unique.
Münster, Germany
Dr. Gudula Ritz is the founder of Ritz Rock ART.
She was always interested in Pre- and Early History, from an evolutionary-historical point of view and out of philosophical inquisitiveness. She studied Psychology, Social/Cultural Anthropology and Education Science in Münster and later wrote her doctoral thesis in Personality Research at the University of Osnabrück.
She is interested in philosophy, in particular the overlapping of natural sciences and the humanities, for example, neurobiology and literature (from which the idea for the joint book with Alfons Huckebrink on autobiographical awareness and writing originated), or, as in the case of Ritz Rock ART, for evolutionary biology issues related to psychology and anthropology of art.
Dr. Gudula Ritz has been interested in prehistoric art, especially in connection with textile crafts, for 20 years, but the intention to start up a business and substantiating the idea in Ritz Rock ART was created during a stay in Africa in August 2014, together with her former partner and current husband Alfons Huckebrink who actively supports the work of RRA.
Since her early youth, she has been a passionate photographer, and she photographed locally the petroglyphs for RRA that were later processed as motifs.
Münster, Germany
Alfons Huckebrink studied German and Social Sciences in Münster and Bochum.
He is an author, literary critic and runs writing workshops.
He writes poetry, novels, non-fiction as well as literary criticism and edits/publishes anthologies. Together with his partner Gudula Ritz he wrote the book „Autor des eigenen Lebens werden. Anleitung zur Selbstentwicklung.“ It was published by Kohlhammer Verlag (publishers) in 2012.
He enjoys travelling and advises Ritz Rock ART since its inception.
Over and above his professional expertise, as a photographic artist he is responsible for various photographs of the rock paintings and works on behalf of RRA.
Stuttgart, Germany
Luana Ankerne is an extremely well-trained and talented 31 year-old textile designer, who dissolves the original photographs of the petroglyphs made by RRA on-site, so that they have an intrinsic artistic value.
She thus provides the templates for the various textile prints exclusively for RRA and from the original photo files.
After graduating from art school, she studied fashion design in Aachen .
She has many years’ experience in computer-aided design (CAD) and has a passion for colours and textures as well as their creative design.
In addition, she has worked with renowned fashion manufacturers as a fashion designer and has gained experience in various German cities as well as in the Philippines, where, amongst other things, she got to know the contemporary industrial textile production.
She currently studies economics and works as a freelance designer in Stuttgart.
Tanzania
Agaton Ndaga was born and grew up in Mwanza, Tanzania. He works as a guide for the rock paintings around Kondoa and studied Wildlife and Tourism at a college near the Ngorongoro Crater.
Agaton lives in Arusha and manages Rock Art Safaris, City Tous in Arusha, and private safaris and game drives in the national parks of Tanzania. He organizes the transfer vom Kilimanscharo Airport (ca. 50 km) andrecommends original hotels in Arusha and Kondoa.
TAI Tours & Adventure
agatonndaga(at)gmail.com
+255 712257086
Husna Matuta, from the Iringa ethnic group as you can tell by her clothes (photo with Dr. Gudula Ritz), was our local guide in Kole in 2020 and the only woman organising rock art safaris. She owns a small camping site in Kole and has a competent driver and vehicle.
Asante Tours & Safaris matutahusna(at)gmail.com
