ADDIS ABABA – Lucy, the Oldest and Iconic Hominid Fossil that is set on nationwide tour has headed to Afar where she was uncovered at Hadar, Afar State in 1974, a place where numbers of human remnants were also discovered.
The journey entitled “Lucy for Peace and Love Journey” was commenced yesterday following a ceremony held at the House of People’s Representatives.
During the occasion, spokesperson of people’s representative Tagesse Chafo stressed that this project is intended to foster unity and further magnify Ethiopia’s position as cradle of mankind.
Culture and Tourism Minister Dr. Hirut Kassa also remarked that Ethiopia is the origin of mankind. As to her, the journey will herald the untold history of the country.
“Not only Lucy, but most archeological evidences prove that all parts of Ethiopia was home to mankind before six million years in contrast to other countries which make the country ‘land of origin” ,” Birhanie Asfaw, a paleontologist.
All Ethiopians should understand that all mankind is evolved from one origin and Ethiopia is the first home to the early beings, he said.
The project is co-organized by Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Peace and Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was playing on a tape recorder in 1974 as scientists celebrated the discovery in Ethiopia of a remarkably intact, ancient hominid skeleton. At 3.2 million years old, Australopithecus afarensis, as it became known scientifically, was the oldest hominin remains discovered at the time.
American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and his colleagues nicknamed their find “Lucy,” after the 1967 tune by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
The Ethiopian Herald February 22/2019
BY YESUF ENDRIS
