ANNETTE LANJOUW // PRIMATOLOGIST
Annette Lanjouw is the Director of the Arcus Foundation's Great Apes Program. A highly regarded expert in the field of great ape conservation, Ms. Lanjouw has worked with chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas in the wild, and has years of experience in the areas of conservation strategy, program implementation, research and field work. Ms. Lanjouw most recently served as the International Program Officer for the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, where she advised the Howard Buffett Foundation on conservation strategies and organized an international effort to expand access to water. From 1993-2003, Ms. Lanjouw was the Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), a collaboration of the Worldwide Fund for Nature, African Wildlife Foundation and Fauna & Flora International, which has successfully worked to secure safety for the fewer than 800 mountain gorillas that inhabit rangelands that cross three countries (Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda). From 1990-1992, Ms. Lanjouw worked as Scientific Advisor to Alan Root at Frankfurt Zoological Society and was Project Manager/Field Director for the Frankfurt Zoological Society's Chimpanzee Conservation Project, in eastern DRC from 1987-1990. Ms. Lanjouw holds a Doctorandus degree from Rijks Universiteit in Utrecht, Netherlands in Behavioural Ecology and Ethology (1984-87), and a B.Sc. from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (1981-83) and Drew University, New Jersey, USA (1980-81) in Zoology and Psychology. She is the author of many scholarly and strategic articles on transboundary conservation, and engaging in conservation in conflict zones.
CLAUDINE ANDRE // FOUNDER OF LOLA YA BONOBO
Nothing prepared Claudine for her role as a bonobo guardian. ‘My first school was the forest,’ she says. ‘I arrived in Congo with my father who was a veterinarian. He valued the chance for me to discover harmony with nature, the equilibrium between earth, humans, and animals.’ Claudine’s great loves were volcanoes, African art, and later, her husband Victor. She ran a luxury boutique, searching for rare pieces of art, as well as looking after her five children. Later, she was dodging bullets during the civil war and looting that ravaged the country in the late 1990s. In 1993, a baby bonobo changed Claudine’s life forever. Mikeno arrived at the Kinshasa zoo where Claudine was a volunteer, without much hope of surviving. Claudine was determined to save him. And was thrown into an adventure which has never stopped. In 2002, the only bonobo sanctuary in the world was founded just outside of Kinshasa. With a formidable team, Claudine’s reach extends beyond her sanctuary to the rest of Congo, tirelessly working to educate the Congolese of the preciousness of the endangered bonobo, and the danger and cruelty of eating bushmeat. Years later, Claudine has been awarded the National Order of Merit by France and the Prince Laurent Prize of the Environment by Belgium. She frequently presents at conferences all over the world, raising awareness for bonobos and ensuring the protection of their future.
JEF DUPAIN // CONGO HEARTLAND DIRECTOR
Since 2003, Jef has directed the American Wildlife Foundation's conservation programs throughout the entire Congo Heartland. Though his responsibilities now extend well beyond Lomako, Dupain remains a passionate advocate for bonobos and has been instrumental in the creation of DRC’s first protected area, Lomako Yokokala Faunal Reserve.
MIKE BATES
Mike Bates is a senior Zoo Keeper at the San Diego Zoo, he has over 35 years of animal care experience. He currently works with orangutans, lowland gorillas and bonobos, as well a multitude of other smaller primates.
JOE E. JEFFREYS // DRAMATURG
Joe E. Jeffreys teaches theatre history and lesbian and gay studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and Stony Brook University. He has worked as dramaturg for productions at PS122, La Mama and Dixon Place. A drag historian, he has published in academic journals including The Drama Review and Theatre History Studies and the popular press including Time Out New York and The Village Voice.