Ethiopia's famous fossils of Lucy, Selam to be displayed in 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 National Museum in Prague, the Czech capital, for a 60-day display beginning Aug. 25.
During a 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 Kassa 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, locally known in Ethiopia as "Dinknesh," is the fossilized skeleton of a female 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, the fossilized remains of a child who lived about 100,000 years before Lucy, was discovered in 2000. 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.
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