Two lectures on the origin of the Khoesan

This week, two talks will be given at the University of the Witwatersrand about the origin of the Khoesan people. The talks will touch on the geographical location of the original Khoesan tribes, as well as their place in human history.

Anyone who has been to Maropeng will know that humanity originated in Africa. Not only do we know that our ancient hominid relatives, such as Mrs Ples, Little Foot and Karabo, all roamed the plains of the Cradle of Humankind, we also know that our own species, Homo sapiens, originated in Africa before spreading out across the globe.

The late and renowned scientist, Professor Phillip Tobias, said: “Africa gave the world humanity, and that’s no small thing.” In recent years this has been confirmed through genetic studies: the Khoesan people (also written as “Khoisan”) have been identified as more closely related to the first human beings than any other group alive today.

The talks will be given by Professor Alan Morris, who works for the Department of Human Biology at the University of Cape Town, and geneticist Professor Himla Soodyall, of the University of the Witwatersrand.

The talks will take place on Thursday, 2 August 2012. Find further details below.