BY YOHANES JEMANEH
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, a song which was released in 1967 by the famous English rock band The Beatles was an inspiration to an American Paleoanthropologist Donald Johansson to name his discovery “Lucy”.
It was in 1974 that Lucy, a 3.2 million-year old human ancestor was discovered by Johansson in Hadar, Ethiopia. It has been said that Johansson had given the name Lucy to the fossil he found after he meditated with this classy song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
In the same token, Lucy recently arrived at the United Nations Education Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) to be displayed permanently configured with its replica. According to Johansson, Lucy reminds human being about its deep connection to the natural world.
“Like all life on earth, we have been crafted by the forces of nature. Without question, Africa is the cradle of humanity, the homeland for all mankind. So in a way, we are all Africans. And no matter where we live, regardless of our appearance or behavior, we are united by that past.”
Johansson said this on the event held on 25 June 2021 in which the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT) has handed over the replica of Lucy to the UNESCO to be displayed at the Headquarter of the organization. Accordingly, UNESCO Director General has received the replica from the hands of Ethiopian Ambassador to France.
The demonstration of the replica at the UNESCO headquarters will showcase the fact that Africa especially Ethiopia is the cradle of mankind and land of origins, according to MoCT. It was learned that the Replica of Lucy is among three archaeological pieces that will become part of UNESCO’s collections together with Toumaï of Chad and Sangiran of Indonesia.
Paleontologist Berhane Asfaw (PhD) who co-discovered Homo sapiens idaltu, once expressed his pride to see such discovery of human ancestor [Lucy] especially from Ethiopia. All the findings confirmed that Ethiopia is the first place where mankind walked on foot. “I believed that our country is the Garden of Aden since all human ancestors and animals of ancient types are found here.”
Former US president Barack Obama who had a brief look in to the Lucy in 2015 when he was in Ethiopia for state visit is second to Berhane. He believed that Ethiopia is the root of Genesis. “I just met Lucy, oldest ancestor of mankind. As the Ethiopian great Laureate Poet [Tsegaye Gebremedhin] wrote, ‘here is the land where the first harmony in the rainbow was born. Here is the root of the Genesis of life. The human family was first planted in Ethiopia.’ And all the people of the world are part of the same human family,” Obama said after visiting Lucy.
Lucy is scientifically called Australopithecus Afarensis as it was found in Afar, Ethiopia. It has become emblematic and icon of the origin of mankind of African descent. According to the UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, the fossil is an international heritage so that it has got its place at the UNESCO. It is a perceived humanity in its variety, multiplicity, duration.
Lucy also simplified stories narrated about human ancestry. It is essential to make the world understand about the interrelation of mankind. Lucy is the point of origin of all humans across the globe. Consequently, people from the four corners need to develop sense of belongingness and cooperate each other regardless of race, color, sex, age and so on, she added.
Therefore UNESCO is interested to build cooperation by avoiding conflict and hatred among the people of the world. That is why the organization collects such international heritages that help to develop a common ground among peoples. And it is in this sense that UNESCO welcomed the replica of Lucy, as to Azoulay.
“The fossil is the outcome of an international expedition. It is an international research that made us progress. And today the scientists around the world are making dialogue beyond politics, beyond borders, like artists, like musicians, researchers,” she said.
She also mentioned the essence of the song that inspired the discoverer to name the mother of mankind Lucy. She stated the song lyrics bears a message of existence and beauty across the globe.
“In a fragmented world where we see temptations to fall back that endanger our humanity, it was important to state that this fight can only be won together and of course we can’t win it together than in a multilateral framework,” according to Ethiopian Ambassador to France Henok Tefera. He also expressed his pleasure for handing over the replica of Lucy which is the “symbol of our common humanity” to be displayed at UNESCO.
Lucy, locally known as Dinknesh, which literally means splendor is an impressive human ancestor in the eyes of scientists and the people of the world. Several people across the world had a say overwhelmed by this fossil. And now they have got the chance to visit the replica of their ‘grandmother’ at the Headquarter of world heritage center. They can also visit the original fossil at its origin country, Ethiopia. This can help them to see the land of origins and know their ancestors. This will be also an important opportunity to Ethiopia to be promoted and secure forex.
The mother of mankind is now at the world heritage center represented by her replica. And the essence of the origin of her name Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds seems to be changed as Lucy in the UNESCO configured with replica.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD JULY 16/2021
