By Tizita Kebede, The Daily Monitor

ADDIS ABABA – The National Museum of Ethiopia, in collaboration with the University Museum of Tokyo, Japan (UMUT) showcased on Wednesday a “Special millennium exhibit” under the theme ‘Human Evolution Time Line in Ethiopia’.

Created by the University of Tokyo University Museum and the National Museum of Ethiopia to exhibit Ethiopia’s unique contribution to the understanding of human evolution, the Millennium Exhibit was opened at the National Museum lobby venue with the aim to introduce the entire timeline of Ethiopia’s world famous fossils a number of which were unveiled to the public for the first time.

Ethiopia is the only country in the world which possesses 12 categories of the 14 key species of fossil remains spanning the entire timeline of human evolution. This particular exhibition reveals the more recent discoveries that extend the country’s fossil record even further back in time than Lucy’s and Selam’s such as the 10 million-year-old “Chororapithecus” which made international headlines being the latest discovery, according to information dispatched Wednesday.

It was distinctly stressed that “there is no exhibit in any museum in the world that has the entire timeline of Ethiopia’s rich and newly discovered fossils now on display.” It was added that some of the exhibited fossils were found between the late 1960s and late 70s, however, a key educational lineup like this one has so far never been displayed in such a comprehensive setting inclusive of 1990s discoveries by the Middle Awash, Konso, Gona, and Dikika research projects.

Speaking at the opening, Mamitu Yilma, Manager at the National Museum, said the exhibit was conceived as an Academic Exchange program signed between the Ethiopian and Japanese museums in 2005. She thanked Dr. Gen Suwa, the co-establisher from the University of Tokyo side, to have availed himself as well as his fellow associates “who were instrumental in realizing this special millennium exhibit from its concept inception up to its installation.” Dr. Suwa on his part announced that Ethiopia’s unique prehistoric fossil discoveries did not end at the 6th stage of human timeline which was when Lucy was found. Now the 12th stage is also uncovered in the same country. He told The Daily Monitor that the venture was a rewarding experience that himself along with Ethiopian paleontologists Dr. Birhanu Asfaw and Dr. Yonas Beyene have set up designing last September.

Among the speakers Seyoum Bereded from the National Millennium Celebrations Secretariat remarked that the exhibition of Ethiopia’s unique antique fossils helps a great deal in curbing the appalling image that is given to the very word ‘Ethiopia’ often being associated with famine in dictionaries.

Kinichi Komano, Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia, for his part congratulated his compatriot and Ethiopian archeologists on the findings and for the immense contribution the distinguished fossils render to Ethiopia’s tourism and economic development of Ethiopia at large. It will also serve as “a bridge between Ethiopia and Japan,” he said.

Ambassador Mohamoud Dirir, Minister of Culture and Tourism, also spoke on the occasion saying “The discoveries have proved that Ethiopia is indeed the origin of man kind”. He thanked all participants involved for bringing to light the collection of “the remains of humans that first walked on planet earth”, pronouncing that they were Ethiopian.

It was noted that the UMUT engages in the applied research of new outreach methods called “mobile museum” and “modular-unit concept” the later of which employed design concepts applied on external contexts in producing the present Timeline Exhibit.

The composition of fossil remains exhibited in separate glass cases at the National Museum comprised: Chororapithecus abyssinicus, Ardipithecus kadabba, Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecus anamensis, Australopithecus afarnesis (where Lucy and Selam belong), Australopithecus aethiopicus, Australopithecus garhi, Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Australopithecus boisei, late homo erectus, Homorhodesiensis, and Homo Sapiens, placed in order of chronology.

The exhibits are said to be on display for the next six months on.