The Forgotten Ape Does Burlesque!

What's the biggest problem with running the UK's only charity for bonobos I hear you ask? (That's probably your first question right...?).  Well, since you've asked... (Oh go on, just humour me...)  It's this:  Most people I talk to don't have a clue what a bonobo is!  Or they are pretty confident that I'm referring to an electronic DJ... or a monkey...    *sigh*     Yes national newspapers, I'm afraid that includes you too!  Every time I type 'bonobo' into this text box the word is underlined in red by spellchecker, the bonobo might share 98.7% of our DNA, but they are yet to feature in either the Google or the MS dictionary.  Sadly this blog isn't named the-forgotten-ape for nothing!

Don't get me started on why our closest evolutionary relative remains a mystery to so many of us humans, whilst the (admittedly rather awesome) giant squid, lurking in the deepest darkest depths of the ocean, is almost universally recognised.  Were the scientists of last century so embarrassed by the bonobo's sexual antics that it was easier to just keep them firmly locked in the closet?  Did their matriarchal peace-making society jar with our image of man the hunter and threaten to add fire to the feminist movement?  Or were they simply understudied and out of luck with their choice of location - The Democratic Republic of Congo, a country which for all it's beauty provides an added challenge to both fieldwork and conservation.

Who knows?  But somehow our brother-from-an-evolutionary-mother is a stranger to many of us.

What's missing?  You guessed it!

So how do we right this startling oversight?!  The sensible solution, beyond incessant tweeting and parading the streets dressed as a bonobo (both worryingly frequent pastimes of mine), is to tell the nation all about the wonders of the bonobo through the magical medium of movies.

So, this July I will be journeying to the Congo with Emma Jeffrey, photographer and videographer extraordinaire, to film a short documentary on bonobos and the work of BCI-UK.  I'm pretty excited about filming bonobos in the wild and I can't wait to report all the BCI success stories directly from our project sites (including the Kokolopori Health Clinic, which featured in last month's blog)!

In the run up to these rather grand plans...

A new burlesque event is on the horizon!

Bonobo Burlesque Bonanza is our next big fundraiser for BCI-UK on May 25th - and there's A LOT to be excited about because we've got a pretty awesome line up!

Indi, a talented funk and soul recording artist, will be headlining the event - check out his unmissable vocals in this original cover of Adele's Skyfall here.

Stop the Clocks will be supporting with their chilled harmonious acoustic set and dreamy vocals.

And... the dressing room will be bursting with some of London's brightest and best burlesque and cabaret stars including:  Sadie ' the songbird' Sinner, Dollbaby, Aida La-Vice (who I am excited to say breathes fire!), Fifi La Boom, Nenedhel Absynthium and our hostess with the most-est Vivacity Bliss!

All acts are performing for BCI-UK to support our film project and to help raise awareness of that rather great great ape, so that more people can get to know and love them.

To buy tickets for the show and to find out more about our talented and generous performers visit our on line ticket site.  If you can't make it this time (sob) but want to support the project, you can donate whatever you are able to give on the same site .

Thank you, as ever, and go bonobo!

Tallulah

x

New blog !

Good news bonobo fans!

I'm starting up this blog so I can post bonobo news, bonobo facts and any new and exciting bonobo plans on one rather lovely page!

First of all I want to tell you about some of the projects we support in the field and show you just how far all your generous donations really go.

The Bonobo Clinic at Kokolopori:

Kokolopori is a collection of 25 villages in a remote rainforest region in north central DRC. The Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is an exceptionally important site for conservation and research, habouring one of the largest known populations of wild bonobos.   The indigenous Mongandu people at Kokolopori respect ancestral traditions to protect bonobos, they are working with the Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI) to protect their forest while at the same time improving their quality of life.  Healthcare is among the most urgent of needs for the local communities living within the bonobo habitat.  Life expectancy is less than 50 years, a women's lifetime risk of dying in childbirth is 1 in 14 and a fifth of children die before their fifth birthday.  

Until 2007, the only access Kokolopori residents had to medical care was an ill-equipped clinic in Djolu, more than 50 miles away by foot or bicycle, impossible for a mother with pregnancy complications or anyone suffering high fevers. 

BCI, along with local partner Vie Sauvage, developed the “Bonobo Clinic” program to provide essential medical care to the people of Kokolopori.  The clinic has a caring and dedicated staff of 12, including a doctor, a lab technician, and several nurses. Knowing that safe childbirth is key to survival of mother and child, BCI has provided training for local women to become midwives. 

Each year more than 2600 Kokolopori residents receive healthcare from the clinic. With the help of these new facilities and their dedicated team thousands of lives have been saved.

The clinic is in urgent need of donations in order to provide continued funding for staff salaries, medicines, medical equipment, laboratory supplies, bedding, mosquito nets and maintenance costs.

With the help of our supporters and thanks to all those who attended one of our fundraising live music or burlesque events in London last year BCI-UK was able to send the clinic £3624 - rather excitingly that's equivalent to five million Congolese francs!! These vital funds will pay the salaries of the doctor, the lab technician and the nurses at the clinic for the next 3 months. Thank you all for your pennies and pounds, it really does make a big difference.

If you would like to make a further donation to help support the Bonobo Clinic, please donate here.