Maropeng welcomes the Leakey Foundation

Aug 22, 2012

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From left to right: Sharal Camisa (managing director of the Leakey Foundation), Lindsay Marshall (Maropeng curator), Professor Ron Clarke, Doctor Kathy Kuman, Doctor Dominic Stratford and tour operator Garth
This week the managing director of the Leakey Foundation, Sharal Camisa, visited the Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng in the Cradle of Humankind.

The Leakey Foundation was established in 1968 by Louis Leakey, one of the original pioneers of palaeoanthropology and the study of human evolution. The family name is intimately linked with the search for hominid fossils through the work of Louis, Mary, Richard and Meave Leakey, to name some of the more prominent members of the family.

Camisa is currently on a trip to visit three African countries (Uganda, Kenya and South Africa). “Part of the trip is seeing the researchers that we have funded,” she says.

The Leakey Foundation funds young scientists and encourages public understanding of human evolution. “We focus on three areas: palaeoanthropology, primate studies and hunter-gatherer groups.”

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Sharal Camisa and Doctor Dominic Stratford on the Maropeng boat ride
After being shown around the University of the Witwatersrand, Camisa headed to the Sterkfontein Caves, before making her way to Maropeng.

She knew that a trip to the Cradle of Humankind would be of interest. Led by experienced scientists Professor Ron Clarke (who discovered Little Foot), and stone tool experts Doctor Kathy Kuman and Doctor Dominic Stratford, Camisa visited the Sterkfontein Caves and, more specifically, the site of the Little Foot excavation.

“What a treat – I spent time with the people who know the area best. It took my breath away,” she says. “To have Professor Clarke present was so special.”

During a lunch at the Tumulus Restaurant with the scientists and Maropeng Curator Lindsay Marshall, Camisa mentions that she had planned to meet renowned scientist Professor Phillip Tobias, and was saddened to hear of his recent death.

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On the phone to the extinct dodo
“Phillip Tobias was instrumental in helping us establish a presence in South Africa. He was the person who said, ‘Pay attention to what’s happening in this part of the world.’”

At one stage the majority of the Leakey family’s work focused on East Africa at sites such as Olduvai Gorge, Laetoli (both in Tanzania) and Hadar (Ethiopia). Today, however, the Cradle of Humankind is celebrated as producing more hominid fossils than any other site in the world.

According to Camisa, Louis Leakey would have been “thrilled” by the exciting finds made in South Africa.

The Leakey Foundation is not restricted geographically: “We fund research around the world,” she says, before complimenting the University of the Witwatersrand on its progressive approach to global collaborative research.

An important aspect of the Leakey Foundation’s mission is education of the youth, and this is an issue South Africans can relate to. “Human evolution is so important and so relevant to our lives today,” says Camisa. “My greatest passion is inspiring young scientists.”

She is delighted at the number of female scientists emerging in the disciplines, particularly in palaeoanthropology.

Camisa capped off her trip by taking a guided tour through the Maropeng exhibition.

  • To find out how you can help the Leakey Foundation, click here.