Talk Radio 702 highlights Broom Colloquium

November 14, 2011 – Bianca Bothma

Sabre-toothed cats, cave formation, the Cradle of Humankind and Dr Robert Broom – these subjects, among many others, were the topic of conversation on the Talk Radio 702 show, Believe It Or Not, with Kate Turkington last night.

Maropeng Curator Lindsay Marshall was interviewed by veteran broadcaster Turkington on Sunday evening, November 13, about the upcoming Broom Colloquium at Maropeng on Saturday, November 26.

This event is being hosted in partnership with the Royal Society of South Africa, and Professor Jane Carruthers, head of the northern branch of the society, was also a guest on the show.

At the beginning of the show, both Marshall and Carruthers spoke of the significance of the Cradle of Humankind in terms of humankind’s journey of evolution.

“The wealth of fossils discovered in the Cradle of Humankind reflects the importance of Southern Africa as the place for humankind’s origins,” said Marshall.

The Cradle of Humankind was one of the first sites in South Africa, along with Robben Island and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, to be awarded World Heritage Site status in 1999.

The upcoming Broom Colloquium is about celebrating the work done there in the last 10 years, explained Carruthers.

The colloquium will feature a host of presentations by the country’s top experts in the field of palaeoscience, as well as highly esteemed international guests. Speakers include Professors Ron Clark and Lee Berger, who are behind the recent discoveries of “Little Foot” and Australopithecus sediba.

Marshall informed listeners about the exciting fossils that will be on display at the event. Two collections from the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (DNMNH) will be exhibited at Maropeng.

The first display, The Kingdom of the Cat, will include a selection of fossils discovered at Bolt’s Farm, an excavation site in the Cradle where Broom worked for many years. This display will include original fossils of Dinofelis, a prehistoric cat believed to have hunted hominids. Many other animal and plant fossils will also be on display.

Carruthers explained that these fossils provide fascinating insight into the environment in which hominids existed: “We can’t learn about hominid fossil discoveries in isolation; there’s also a rich ecology of creatures and the environment that need to be considered.”

The other display will feature items from the DNMNH’s Broom archive such as letters, paintings and other personal items. Marshall explained that this display would provide in-depth insight into Broom: “He can be regarded as the originator of palaeoanthropology in South Africa, and when he was making discoveries was a pioneering time in the country.”

Marshall explained that Broom was an eccentric, and revealed he was a medical doctor. Very aware of this high social status, he would wear a black suit while excavating, and when it became very hot he would often strip naked.

Both displays will provide fascinating insight into an important part of South Africa’s history. Turkington concluded the show by saying, “Maropeng has brought this kind of knowledge to people who would never have had it.”

Book online for the Broom Colloquium. It costs R300 per person and includes tea and lunch as well as access to all presentations.

Click on the play icon below to listen to the an excerpt of the interview:

News comments powered by Disqus