Ethiopian Ambassador Celebrates Lucy's Opening

Washington, D.C. (October, 4, 2008) "Really awesome," were the words 13-year-old Medina Khedir used to describe Lucy, one of the oldest and most well-preserved adult fossils ever retrieved from African soil.

Khedir and her sister, Leila, 8, were among the first to see "Lucy's Legacy: the Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia," which had its West Coast premiere Saturday at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. The young Ethiopian American girls, attired in colorful traditional attire, cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony. Samuel Assefa, Ethiopia's Ambassador to the United States, was an honored guest.

"We have been the custodians of Lucy," the ambassador told the eager crowd, referring to the famous bones discovered in northern Ethiopia more than three decades ago. "But she belongs to the world."

The ambassador praised Science Center President Bryce Seidl and his staff for their skillful use of the Lucy exhibit to tell two rich, interwoven tales; the story of human evolution and the "narrative of Ethiopia as the origin of civilization." In addition to celebrating the launch of the exhibit, which runs through March 8, the ambassador also met key business and civic leaders during his visit.

It is fitting that Seattle is the second stop on Lucy's tour of America, which began last year in Houston. Seattle and Ethiopia have a strong network of ties, which include expanding partnerships with Starbucks, Boeing, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and PATH.

The exhibit provides a rare opportunity to view Lucy, whose 1974 discovery opened an exciting window into the origins of Ethiopia's great civilization and the birth of humankind. Lucy, a hominid, or pre-human, is considered by scientists to be a critical link in the story of human evolution.

Much of the exhibit is devoted to the rich history and culture of Ethiopia, including the critical role it played in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Some of the highlights include artifacts from the 2,000-year-old civilization of Axum, which became the first Christian African nation in the 4th century C.E. and photos of the rock-hewn underground churches of Lalibela which date back to the 13th century.

The items on display include early stone tools, illuminated manuscripts and processional crosses from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, a selection of Korans from the holy city of Harar, the fourth most important site in Islam, and the first coins minted by an indigenous African civilization.

Accompanying the Seattle exhibit is a documentary filmed in IMAX called the "Mystery of the Nile" that traces the source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.

The Lucy festivities began Wednesday with an invitation-only gala at the center which attracted more than 600 guests. The diverse crowd included members of the local Ethiopian community, researchers from the University of Washington, a number of prominent elected officials and representatives of influential Seattle organizations such as Boeing, Microsoft, the University of Washington and the Gates Foundation.

Speakers at the gala opening included State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Councilman Larry Phillips, Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin, Scott Armstrong, president and chief executive officer of Group Health Cooperative and chairman of the board of the Pacific Science Center, and a representative from the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington.

Dozens of Ethiopian community members joined in the celebration, including Seattle educator Mona Bailey and other members of the Lucy exhibit's Ethiopian Community advisory board. The board played a critical role in the exhibit's creation, working closely with Diana Johns, the lead curator. One of the board's creations was an Ethiopian recipe book, "Recipes from Afar and Near," which is being sold in the center's gift shop.

To learn more about the exhibit, please see www.pacsci.org.

For more information, please contact:
Wondimu Asamnew
202-274-4575