Because of these findings, Ethiopia has become a pivotal site for understanding where we humans came from. This change is due in no small part to Berhane Asfaw, the country’s first palaeoanthropologist. He has directed large-scale archaeological projects at the National Museum of Ethiopia. In addition, he has been a central figure in founding a first-class laboratory that should begin activities in 2024. This new facility dedicated to the cleaning and preservation of fossils increases Ethiopia’s capacity to research and study its world-renowned archaeological heritage.
On another front, in the late 1980s, Berhane Asfaw, pictured above, went back to Ethiopia. He was enthusiastic to direct his adopted land to further develop its use of the human past. His path to palaeoanthropology started in California, where his graduate studies focused on our species’ origins. It was during this time that he learned many of the fossils he was studying originated from Ethiopia. This understanding sparked his desire to promote and cultivate research in his country of origin.
The laboratory will serve as a hub for fossil analysis, allowing researchers to work on specimens without the need for international collaboration that often required exporting these valuable finds. Asfaw remarked, “Once we had the lab organised, there was no need to export fossils. We could do everything in-house.” The Ethiopia declaration is a game-changer in the way Ethiopian fossils will be studied and preserved.
Asfaw was instrumental to winning funding for this new laboratory. His hard work is paying off, as housed within it will be what is thought to be the world’s largest collection of early human remains. This collection constitutes roughly 1,600 fossils from 13 of more than 20 known species of early humans. The laboratory will enhance the ability of Ethiopian researchers to study these important artifacts locally and develop their own expertise.
Asfaw on a fossil expedition, part of Asfaw’s groundbreaking work as co-leader of the Middle Awash Project in Afar Region, Ethiopia. The initiative, which has helped find eight early human specimens since starting in the 1990s, explains that they find each new specimen. Among these finds, perhaps the most famous is our early human ancestor that lived around six million years ago. Asfaw emphasized Ethiopia’s unique position in the field of palaeoanthropology: “The range is absolutely staggering. Ethiopia is the only place on Earth where you can find fossils stretching that far back to the present, without any gaps in the record.”
These discoveries have had an incredible influence outside the ivory tower. They have changed our perception of what it means to be human, and highlighted Ethiopia’s irreplaceable place within the international narrative of humankind’s ancestry. “So Ethiopia takes the lead, and that is a great source of pride for us. The discoveries from the Middle Awash have literally rewritten the history of humanity,” Asfaw added.
At the same time as Ethiopian researchers assert greater control over their fossil heritage, they are facing deeper historical inequities within the field. Yohannes Haile-Selassie pointed out the challenges faced by African countries with rich fossil records, stating, “When you look at other African countries with rich fossil records – like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa – you don’t see the same level of participation; it’s always some white dude.” This points to the necessity of building local knowledge and engagement with palaeoanthropological research.
Berhane Asfaw is adamant that Ethiopia needs to learn from its history. This pledge is increasingly essential to understanding our own local history, but more importantly the global story of humankind. He stated, “The history of all humanity is housed in this place.” This is understandable given the increasing importance of Africa’s contributions to unravelling human origins that has often been overlooked.