Addis Ababa: All humans can trace their roots back to Ethiopia, and the slogan ‘Ethiopia Land of Origin” is appropriate, American Paleoanthropologist Professor Donald Johanson said.

Professor Donald Johanson, who discovered Lucy remains, told ENA that he was thrilled to be part of the 50th anniversary of Lucy’s skeletal remains discovery celebrated under the theme ‘Half a Century of a Remarkable Finding’ in Addis Ababa.

‘I am so happy and so thrilled and so honored to have been invited to give the keynote at this conference, and to be with my colleagues, to have an opportunity to talk about Lucy and how important she has been for our understanding of human evolution and how the spotlight really is on Ethiopia. It has a record of fossils from 6 million years ago up to the present. So it is a very important country and helps us understand who we are, where we came from and our place in the natural world,’ he stated.

Ethiopia is one of those countries that is so diverse, Professor Johanson stated, and noted
‘It has so many things to see. You never run out of places to go or places that will absolutely thrill you to spend time here in Ethiopia.’

Speaking of the recently inaugurated Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, the paleoanthropologist emphasized that a historical museum like Adwa Victory Memorial is very important for every Ethiopian to know more about their own ancestry and their own history.

Furthermore, he pointed out ‘I think people from all over Africa would come and see this and learn more and more about what Ethiopia is, how they struggled, how they survived, and how .they are really are.. they are the only country that has not been colonized. And this is an important lesson for countries all over Africa.’

‘I think that every person who visits Ethiopia as a tourist should come to this museum before they do anything else. It’s one of the most beautiful, most informative places in terms of museums, not only in Ethiopia or in Africa, but in the world.’

Recalling that there were no huge number of scholars
in paleoanthropology during his first visit, Professor Johanson said today there are young Ethiopian scholars who are doing cutting edge research and making fantastic discoveries.

‘I encourage the Ethiopian youth, to get involved in this study of origins, because it’s so important for you to learn more about Ethiopia and teach the world about the importance of this wonderful country,’ he urged.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency