Yohannes Haile-Selassie, a renowned palaeoanthropologist, discusses the ongoing issue of "parachute science" in fossil research, where Western scientists exploit resources without involving local experts. Despite extensive fossil discoveries in Africa contributing critically to understanding human origins, local researchers are often excluded from the narrative. Haile-Selassie, who has transitioned from a humble fossil hunter to a director at Arizona State University, advocates for a systemic change to decolonize the field, ensuring that African voices and knowledge are integral to the conversation about our shared past.
A lot of the evidence that comes out of Africa informs us about our origins...the exclusion of African researchers from fossil discoveries made on the continent.
He calls for the decolonization of palaeoanthropology and radical, systemic change in who gets to tell the story of human origins, and how.
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