It’s a sunny day in September in Johannesburg, South Africa, and we’re at the entrance of the Dinaledi cave in Sterkfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage Site an hour’s drive from the city, famous for its limestone caves and fossil hominid finds.
For a hot day, the cave is remarkably cool, the only source of light inside it an opening about 30 feet up. A few steps in and our shadows are slowly consumed by the enveloping blackness. There is humidity and excitement in the air, as you realize that deep down in the belly of this very cave, a landmark fossil discovery had just been made.
On September 10, the scientific community had woken up to the announcement of the discovery of “a new species of human relative”, Homo naledi, led by Lee Berger, a professor in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and National Geographic’s explorer-in-residence. Consisting of more than 1,550 numbered fossil elements, the researchers are calling it “the single largest fossil hominin find yet made on the continent of Africa”.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-30758 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Naledi-172-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Naledi-172-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Naledi-172-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Naledi-172-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Naledi-172.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
And at the forefront of the excavation were six women tasked with digging out slowly, skilfully, the trove of bones from the Sterkfontein caves.
How did Berger find them? With National Geographic’s backing, he had placed an advertisement on Facebook, calling for explorers with palaeontological or archaeological experience.
“Lee called National Geographic and told them he needed support in getting the fossils out,” says Marina Elliott, a 46-year-old Canadian who was one of the six selected.
Berger initially thought only “three or so people” in the world would be qualified for an excavation of that nature. To his astonishment, more than 60 applied.
With a panel of experts, including well-known United States (US) professor of anthropology John Hawks, Berger selected a team he called ‘underground astronauts’ – by default, they were all women.
“When I shortlisted the list with the panel, we chose the people with the best skill-sets. There were a couple of men on the shortlist but the women that we picked were super-qualified. They had the right stuff, so to speak, and they weren’t selected for their gender, they were selected for their skills. It just so happened that those skills were vested in six women,” says Berger.
Of the six ‘underground astronauts’, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA met two, Elliott and Lindsay Hunter, at the Cradle of Humankind, a museum near the Dinaledi cave where at least 15 skeletons of the Homo naledi species are now on display. With them was 23-year-old South African, Mpume Hlophe, who joined the team in January.
The original team also includes Becca Peixotto, Hannah Morris and Alia Gurtov from the US and Elen Feuerriegel from Australia.
Thirty six-year-old Hunter, also from the US, talks about that first Skype interview with Berger. She recalls how cautious he had sounded. The whole expedition was not without great risks, but the women, quite literally, caved.
“He was very careful about telling us that the environment was quite confined and potentially dangerous and that if anything happened underground, it would be quite difficult to take somebody out,” says Hunter.
Elliott chips in extolling the many virtues of an all-women team.
“We watched out for each other really well and the dynamics was really nice. I don’t know if that would’ve been the case with an all-male crew or a mixed gender crew. An all-women crew might have been a benefit in the sense that in the claustrophobic conditions, we were entwined in each other. It was like playing twister underground, so it was just easier to move.”
At the Dinaledi cave, the women descended down a 6.8 inch chute, 40 feet into the chamber, almost proving to the world women can go to any lengths for a job well done.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-30759 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/12-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/12-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/12-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/12-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/12.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Bones of contention
Described as having “primitive and derived characters all in one body” (see box), Homo naledi represents a new species, naledi, in the genus Homo. The startling feature about Homo naledi is that it’s believed the species buried its dead, a trait thought to be exclusive to Homo sapiens.
The discovery of the fossils has met with some criticism from the global scientific community, with some questioning Homo naledi’s ability to bury its dead and whether it really is a new species. Darren Curnoe, associate professor at the University of New South Wales Australia, trashes the hypothesis of Homo naledi burying its dead, saying it infuriates many scientists and detracts from an otherwise significant discovery.
“This is really just a claim used to generate headlines. Burial of the dead is something exclusive to our species, Homo sapiens,” says Curnoe.
Chris Stinger, a British professor who specializes in Human Origins and Palaeoanthropology at the Natural History Museum in London, says the material looks most similar to the small-bodied examples of Homo erectus.
Christoph Zollikofer, professor of anthropology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, posed the question of a geological date for the fossils.
“The Dinaledi fossils form part of the human lineage in the widest sense. How exactly they are related to us remains an open question, especially because there is no geological date for these fossils,” says Zollikofer.
Responding to the criticism, Berger emphasizes more than 60 scientists spent two years producing the research using the latest technology.
“Some scientists shoot from the hip within 24 hours of these papers coming out, and they could have had no chance to spin that kind of analysis, but scientists are humans too,” retorts Berger.
Berger says he now awaits thoughtful, deep analysis from his colleagues and scientists around the world, to whom he has given access to the fossils and to every measurement published.
“I don’t really want to jump into the criticism yet. There’s no reason to attack my colleagues who, perhaps, in justifying it, want to be in the media,” says Berger.
The discovery of Homo naledi has flown the flag high for African science. Elliott hopes their work underground will inspire other women.
“At the launch of the fossils, a police officer guarding the event introduced me to her daughter and told me that she wanted to do what I do. That motivated me to inspire even more young girls,” says Elliott.
The team’s new addition Hlophe, who moved from Durban to Johannesburg to pursue her love for exploration, is one of those to have been inspired.
“It’s nice to see women do what normally would be done by men. It motivates young African girls to not be confined by their gender in wanting to achieve greatness. I’m new to this exploration team, but so far it’s amazing to be an African girl who is part of this,” says Hlophe.
The exploratory work continues on site, as the cave is believed to hold more secrets, but like Homo naledi, these women too have etched their names in science journals and history books.

‘It Was Like Playing Twister Underground’

Sri Lanka is a tropical island steeped in history—boasting multiple ethnicities and beliefs. It is a melting pot of Sinhala, Tamil and Indian people, as well as the ancestors of Dutch, British and Portuguese colonialists. The country’s diverse landscape offers visitors a multitude of activities and experiences; Sir Arthur C. Clarke called Sri Lanka “the island jewel of the Indian Ocean”, and he had seen the universe.
Swift reconstruction efforts, after the 2004 tsunami, have been funded by NGOs and returning tourists who have recognized its potential as a leading tourist destination. It is now possible to rent a fully furnished villa with personnel attending to your every desire. Perhaps a private island, previously owned by a count, takes your fancy? Comparable are the luxurious resorts that spoil residents with palm-tree-fringed private beaches where falling coconuts are the highlight of the day. Visitors are beckoned to book themselves into a spa, participate in a yoga retreat or take a course on meditation.
At dinner—after a day of scuba diving and snorkeling—you can fantasize about tomorrow’s whale watching cruise. Satiate your adrenalin cravings with numerous water sports or challenge the waves the following day. Ascending the country’s highest peaks; rock climbing and abseiling have also proved popular among tourists.
<div id="attachment_667" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-667" class="size-large wp-image-667" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/DSC_6188-1024x680.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="315" />Galle fortress on the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka</div>
With its fortifications perched on a rocky outcrop on the south-western peninsula of Sri Lanka, the city of Galle is one of Sri Lanka’s top tourist hotspots. The Unesco World Heritage Site remains the largest European-built fort in Asia and is best viewed while sipping champagne in a hot air balloon. Its cobbled streets are dotted with Dutch colonial buildings, which have been rejuvenated as museums, boutique hotels and elegant restaurants. The latter provide ideal respite after a sightseeing tour in Marco Polo’s footsteps.
Food is abundant in Sri Lanka. If you need something quick and easy, most bakeries sell vegetable curry-filled rotis and carefully wrapped samoosas. For something more elaborate, handpick a lobster or crayfish from a local fisherman and have a beachside restaurant prepare it for you while you watch a live fire-throwing performance. Indian and colonial influences have infused Sri Lankan food with unique flavors which include an abundance of coconut milk and bouquets of spices.
Being chauffeured northwards, in the comfort of your privately hired car, allows you to observe the majestic landscape. The small hilltop town of Nuwara Eliya is especially charming. It is brewed in nostalgia, with local traditions adopted from the British colonialists. Here, you can join a white-clad gentleman on the golf course or place bets on horse races. The cool atmospheric conditions—it’s located 1,860m above sea level—are ideal for tea cultivation. Take the time to visit the privately-owned plantations. Look through bakery windows and you’ll find English scones being served for breakfast alongside a pot of Ceylon tea. After all, the island was called Ceylon until 1972.
<div id="attachment_666" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-666" class="size-large wp-image-666" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/DSC_5717-1024x680.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="315" />Nuwara Eliya tea plantations</div>
Kandy, which recollects childhood fantasies due to its name, is a cultural haven and home to the Buddha tooth relic temple and the burial grounds of kings gone by. Further along, you will encounter Sigiriya, meaning ‘Lion’s Rock’ in Sinhalese. This hardened magma plug of an extinct volcano rises sharply 370m above the plains. Age-old rock paintings suggest that its caves have been inhabited since prehistoric times. According to local folklore, it was the royal playground of King Kassapa I. Since its re-discovery in 1831, it has been declared a ‘pre-1900 creation’ and the eighth wonder of the world. Palace pools and ruins lie atop its flat peak, which offers magnificent panoramic views.
The ancient city of Anuradhapura was Sri Lanka’s capital city for 1,000 years. The assortment of dagobas (Buddhist shrines); high-rise temples; ponds and ancient palaces are vestiges of its cultural, religious and architectural importance in Sri Lanka’s history. Unesco has classified it as one of the oldest continually inhabited cities: the new city center arises at the foot of the ruins. The Ruwanweliseya dagoba, which is synonymous with Anuradhapura, is revered for its architectural splendor. It is one of the world’s largest brick monuments built before the 20th century.
Although the majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist; Hindu, Christian and Islamic influences are also visible. The birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka can be traced back to Mihintale. I accompanied barefooted, white saris on a short pilgrimage, up 1,840 stairs to the meditating Buddha statue.
Sri Lanka is overflowing with local cultures, traditions and a fascinating history. The smiling locals are fully inclusive.
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www.srilankatourism.org should set you on the right path. According to icanholidays, you should budget at least $500 a day to live in the lap of luxury.

Tag: Heritage Site

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

‘It Was Like Playing Twister Underground’

Sri Lanka: The Pristine Island