“Congo, un pays magnifique”

Hello Friends of JACK,

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and that most of the ladies had a memorable Mothers’ Day!

Today, I want to talk about two authors and friends, Alain HUART and Chantal TOMBU, who have had their brand new book recently published. This piece of art is written in French but you actually don’t need to speak this language to appreciate the beauty and the colours of the pictures. The book is called « Congo, pays magnifique » (Congo, wonderful country). More pictures can be seen on the following website: http://congo.skynetblogs.be/

Alain mainly works in Kinshasa for the Ministry of Agriculture and is an excellent photographer. He came at JACK on September 12th 2007 and encouraged us a lot to continue the good job. While visiting, he told Franck JACK at that period was ’till at the embryonic stage compared to Lola ya Bonobo’…

Alain and Chantal visiting JACK

Born in the Congo, Chantal is an Art Historian. She used to work at the National Museum of Lubumbashi.  Thanks to her, JACK has had many opportunities to organise lectures at the Museum thus making people and authorities aware about Great Apes and their threats in the DRC.

 

lecture at the National Museum of Lubumbashi

Together, Alain and Chantal have decided to set up a book showing the beauties of our country, the DR Congo. There are plenty of magnificent pictures and the texts are full of interests. This master piece gives a colourful and positive idea of the DRC, which is very often criticised and forgotten…

Franck and Chantal

Page 138 is dedicated to JACK and if you have a better look at the pictures, you’ll recognise Maman Angeline carrying both Zamba and little Doguy! The chimp on top, of course, you’ll recognise him too: it’s Chita, our « boss » (dominant male)!!!

Chita (top) and Maman Angeline with Zamba & Doguy. On the left, one of the different signs people can read during their visit of the Refuge  » Buying a chimpanzee means you are part of the trade since you have participated to the slaughter of the whole group »

Thank you again, Alain, Chantal and all the other participants of this wonderful book: writing about JACK will help the project and its chimps to be known all around the world!  

Encore un tout grand merci pour EUX! Et encore félicitations pour le très beau travail!

Roxane