Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia’s famous hominid fossils, Lucy and Selam, have traveled to Central Europe to be showcased in an upcoming human origins-themed exhibition in the Czech Republic.
In a statement issued Friday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Tourism announced that the East African country’s world-renowned hominid fossils will be featured at the Czech Republic’s National Museum in the country’s capital, Prague. During their 60-day stay in the Central European country, starting from August 25, Lucy and Selam will be on display for visitors at the country’s national museum.
During a special ceremony at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on Friday, senior Ethiopian government officials, including the country’s Minister of Tourism Selamawit Kassa, bid farewell to the remains of Lucy and Selam.
The tourism minister said during the occasion that the upcoming exhibition in Prague “will showcase Ethiopia’s status as the land of origins and the true cradle of humankind to the world.”
“So far, we have been promoting Lucy to the world, and now Lucy will promote the new Ethiopia to the world,” the statement quoted Selamawit as saying.
She stressed that beyond its scientific significance, the upcoming exhibition in Prague “will play an important role in promoting the East African country’s rich history, natural and cultural heritages, as well as magnificent landscapes.”
Lucy, or “Dinknesh” as the remains are locally known in Ethiopia, is a fossilized bones of a female member of the species Australopithecus afarensis who lived approximately 3.2 million years ago. The remains were discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia’s Afar region. Experts argued that the discovery of Lucy shed new light on how humans evolved and changed over time.
Selam, fossilized remains of a child that lived some 150,000 years before Lucy, was discovered in 2000, belonging to the same family of human ancestors. The two hominid fossils represent key evidence in understanding Ethiopia’s importance as the land of origins, while also providing evidence about the early stages of human development.
(Photo from Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) shows senior Ethiopian government officials, including the country’s Minister of Tourism Selamawit Kassa, bid farewell to the remains of Ethiopia’s famous hominid fossils as they leave for Czech Republic’s capital)
