PechaKucha Africa

Wednesday 20 October, 7-11.30pm
The Battlebridge Room, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG

PechaKucha - devised and shared by Klein Dytham

On the 20th October, Save the Rhino held a fantastic PechaKucha Africa fundraising dinner at Kings Place.

PechaKucha (ペチャクチャ,) meaning chit-chat in Japanese, is an event format sweeping the world – our night has a variety of speakers, each with 20 slides and just 20 seconds per slide...

Splendidly hosted by Clive Anderson, the audience were enthralled by the varied and engaging talks by some great speakers:

Benedict Allen - Author, explorer and TV filmmaker Benedict Allen, is particularly known for his television programmes - occasionally made with the help of a film crew but more typically without. He paved the way for the current generation of TV adventurers. Benedict recounted his experiences with Nelson the camel and a randy giraffe with an eye for Nelson as he trekked through the Skeleton Coast in Namibia.

Alastair Fothergill  - Producer of wildlife documentaries, including the landmark 'Planet Earth', 'The Blue Planet' and 'Life in the Freezer' series' presented by Sir David Attenborough. Alastair has his own production company and is presently directing two cinematic movies for Disney Nature featuring big cats of East Africa and chimpanzees. Alastair told of his experiences of filming chimpanzees in the Ivory Coast and Uganda and how one orphaned chimp was taken in by the alpha male of the group.

Tim Butcher - Journalist, Broadcaster and best-selling author. Best known as author of Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart, an account of his journey through DR Congo. His new book Chasing The Devil describes a 350-mile trek he made through Sierra Leone and Liberia. Tim told the lesser known story of the unsung heroine of African travel, Barbara Greene.

Sir Max Hastings - British journalist, editor, historian and author. He was a foreign correspondent and reported from more than sixty countries and eleven wars for BBC television and for the Evening Standard. He was then editor for ten years of The Daily Telegraph. Max told us of peace and war in Africa from the perspective of three generations of his family.

Soiya Gecaga - Founder and Executive Director of "We the Change" Foundation. The foundation's key area of  focus is the creation and development of a centre for excellence in the field of early childhood development, that will be based in Mathare slum, Nairobi. Soiya gave a touching recount of what it has meant to her to be Kenyan and the freedom that education can give to the people of Africa.

Steve Bloom - prolific author of photography books, including Living Africa and Trading Places - The Merchants of Nairobi. A committed environmentalist, his Spirit of the Wild city centre giant outdoor wildlife photography exhibition installation has been seen by several million people across Europe. Steve wowed the audience with his awe-inspiring photographs capturing the essence of Africa.