Ethiopian fossil raises controversy
United Press International - July 11, 2007
The Ethiopian Community Organization in Houston is objecting to the upcoming display of the remains of a 3.2-million-year-old hominid from Ethiopia.
The group says the decision by the Houston Museum of Natural Science to deal with the Ethiopian government in arranging for the display of the fossil, nicknamed Lucy, is a politically insensitive and profit-driven move that could lead to it being damaged during transport, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday.
"We have to be able to differentiate bad government and good government -- government that has engaged in massacre, illegal election fraud, imprisoning people," said Dula Abdu, one of the group's board members. "As an institution, it would have been unheard-of for them to do business with the Khmer Rouge or Hitler or Mussolini."
However, museum officials said their contact with the Ethiopian government is based on cultural exchange, not politics. They said their aim is to display artifacts for the public and the current political situation in Ethiopia is not a concern ...