Marking 50th anniversary of Lucy’s discovery offers great national significance

Addis Ababa, August 2, 2024 (FBC) – Marking the 50th Anniversary of the discovery of Lucy’s fossils in Ethiopia has more national significance in building the image of the country at global level and for promoting our tourism resources beyond its scientific value, Professor Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Director of Institute of Anthropology at Arizona State University said.

The human fossil of Lucy also known as “Dinkinesh” [in Amharic] was discovered in Ethiopia half a century ago in a place called Hadar in Afar region.

Programs organized for marking the 50th Anniversary of the discovery of Lucy have been conducted since January 2023 which was named the “Year of Lucy”.

A total of 34 scholars in the field participated on the 9th Conference of East African Paleologists and Paleontology studies recently conducted in Addis Ababa.

A photo exhibition was also organized at Adwa Memorial Museum on the sidelines of the conference while the participants also visited various historical sites in Addis Ababa.

Anthropologists from Arizona State University Institute of Anthropology, who conducted extensive researches in Ethiopia, were among participate of the conference.

Director of the Institute, Professor Yohannes, a renowned anthropologist, stated that marking the 50th anniversary of the Discovery of Lucy with various programs until November next year has a greater value for Ethiopia.

He added that the successful conference and photo exhibition that were organized in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the discovery of Lucy brought together more than 240 anthropologists drawn from 34 countries across the world.

Professor Yohannes also added that the participants of the conference expressed their utmost delight during their visits to the Adwa Memorial Museum and the National Museum in which they were able to observe the historical relics and heritages of the country.

The conference and the visits paid by the researchers has a national significance in building the image of the country at global level and for promoting our tourism resources beyond its scientific value, Professor Yohannes noted.

Abebaw Ayalew, Director of the Ethiopian Heritage Authority said the deliberations of the conference and programs conducted on sidelines have greater national value for the country adding that no country can be compared with Ethiopia in being the major sources of fossils of human species.

The visits of world class researchers including Professor Donald Johnson who discovered Lucy will have an irreplaceable value for the visibility and image building for the country, the Director added.

The scholars said what they saw was far more beyond their expectations and expressed happiness on the way Ethiopia has been able to organize the various venues on her own in a manner that was suitable for tourists and casual visitors.

The Director added that a new chapter has been ushered in Ethiopia’s tourism, stating new natural, historical and cultural heritages and tourist destinations are being widely developed in an integrated manner, ENA reported.

Apart from conducting researches on the country, these world class researchers, who can exert positive impacts on the sector will help in further promoting the tourism resources of the nation.

The remains of Lucy which is 3.2 million years old was discovered on November 24, 1974 in Afar Region at Hadar locality in Ethiopia.  This year, the Golden Jubilee of the discovery of Lucy is being marked in the country.