Ciné-ONU: JANE

6 December

In 1960 there were an estimated one million chimpanzees living in Africa when Jane Goodall ventured into, what is now, the Tanzanian jungle. Today, that number has dropped by almost 700,000. Chimpanzees face multiple threats from illegal poaching, habitat destruction and diseases, predominantly brought about by human activities. In response to these threats, Dr Jane Goodall founded ten offices in Europe dedicated to raising awareness and funding for activities conducted by her institutes out in Africa. Providing research on chimpanzees and conservation initiatives to preserve their habitats, the Jane Goodall Institute Belgium was founded in 2005 and continues to promote the protection of the environment and animals.

To highlight the impact of human activities on the environment and wildlife worldwide, Ciné-ONU, in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute Belgium, screened – JANE at Cinema Galeries in Brussels, followed by a conversation with Jane Goodall herself. The documentary consists of over 100 hours of unseen footage by National Geographic. Following her life as a conservationist, scientist and peacemaker, the film portrays a woman who competed with the male-controlled scientific culture of her time and transformed the way the world views the protection of the animal kingdom.

During the Q&A session the audience asked Jane about zoo sanctuaries, climate change and her personal emotions towards the chimpanzees. She mentioned the delights at first making physical contact with the primates by saying ‘it was like being an anthropologist meeting a new tribe, except I had bananas as a gift!’ She concluded by saying “it was one of the proudest moments of my life being accepted into a never entered before community, especially one that I spent so long studying”.

On the subject of climate change Dr Goodall told the audience that young people should not ‘lose hope’ for the planet, adding that ‘we have a choice as to what sort of difference we want to make to this Earth and it’s a choice we face every day’.  She concluded by expressing her concern for the destruction of this world as it is such a ‘wonderful’ place to live in.

Photo Credit: Marianna Tuokkola

For more on the film click here. 

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