Jean-Pierre Hallet
Jean-Pierre Hallet was a Belgian ethnologist, naturalist, and humanitarian known best for his extensive work with the Efé pygmies of the Ituri Rainforest. He wrote the 1964 autobiographical book, Congo Kitabu, the 1973 ethnologic book Pygmy Kitabu, and the 1968 book Animal Kitabu, which details his extraordinary collection of animals in the Congo and in Kenya. He initiated the for the benefit of the Efé.
Early life
Jean-Pierre's father was André Hallet, a famous Belgian painter of African scenes. He lived on the shore of Lake Kivu, in modern Rwanda. Jean-Pierre, born in Africa, spent his early childhood there. He was then sent to Belgium with relatives for his "formal" education, which included the study of agronomy and sociology at the University of Brussels and at the Sorbonne.During 1948 he returned to Central Africa to work as an agronomist with the Belgian Ministry of Colonies. It was in this capacity that he initially traveled throughout central Africa, interacting with various cultures and tribes.
Both the art works of André Hallet and many pieces from Jean-Pierre Hallet's African art collections have been sold at international art auctions. Jean-Pierre donated much of his Central African art collection to the UCLA African Art exhibit of the Museum of Cultural History, which was part of the rationale for the museum's creation.
Dr. Hallet and his family owned one of the largest authentic Central African art shops in the United States—at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California, near Los Angeles—until the late 1990s.
The shop was managed by Hallet with his wife Liane Hallet, and two of his stepchildren, Janou Lightning and Kristina Hill. Some of the profit from these art sales was used to benefit the Efé pygmies.
He made many visits to the Eastern Congo region to visit the Efé and to further his goals of securing land and protection for the Efé. In one instance he was captured by rebel forces in Eastern Congo during the First Congo War and detained until Congolese troops were able to free him.
Awards and international recognition
Hallet was awarded the National Order of the Leopard in Zaire for his efforts on behalf of the Efé.During 1987, Jean-Pierre Hallet won the US Presidential End Hunger Award, and by 1994 the Pygmy Fund had reached 46% of their goal of securing of good farming land for the pygmies in the Congo.
He has received more than 100 awards and honors and has been a featured speaker internationally, including at the famous and exclusive Explorer's Club. He met with Dwight D. Eisenhower and for his humanitarian efforts has been described as the Abe Lincoln of the Congo.
He was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize for his work with the Pygmies.
Significant books
Congo Kitabu, Pygmy Kitabu, and Animal Kitabu have been translated into 21 languages, including Chinese and Russian, and a Reader's Digest version of Congo Kitabu was also released. The word kitabu means bible, or book, in Swahili.Congo Kitabu
Congo Kitabu is an auto-biographical book about the travels of Jean-Pierre Hallet through central Africa from 1948 through 1960. In it he documents interactions with multiple isolated cultures throughout the Belgian Congo, Rwanda and Burundi regions. His accounts provide a unique anthropological source of information of the valley of the River Congo during that period.He wrote about in detail of his encounters with the Luba people, the Kuba Kingdom, the Balega, the Efe Pygmies of the Ituri forest and the neighboring Balese, the Tutsi of Rwanda, the Maasai people of Kenya, the Bagoma people, and the pygmoid Bamosso of Burundi. He also had encounters with multiple other cultures, including the Balamba, the Bahutu, Bahunde, the Bambuba, the Batalinga, and the pygmoid Batwa of Rwanda.
Dr. Hallet's accounts include those of extensive personal participation with cultural activities of the region, including secretive and forbidden practices. In several chapters of the book are described some of his first encounters with the Efe pygmies of the Ituri forest.
Jean-Pierre was an avid collector of art and lover of animals as well, and the book is documented liberally with photographs from the period.
The collection of art that he collected during the described journeys in the book eventually became a large portion of the UCLA African Art premier exhibit in 1963 – 1965, when Dr. Hallet donated much of it to the university. This collection is now part of the .
Dr. Hallet also sold additional artifacts that he collected during the travels described in the book and used the profits to help protect the Efé. He describes the events related to multiple significant artifacts, giving the reader a vivid background to their origin.
Pygmy Kitabu
Pygmy Kitabu is based on the travels of Jean-Pierre Hallet through central Africa from 1948 through 1960 and his extensive interactions with the isolated Efé Pygmies of the Congo. It was first published during 1973, and was cowritten by Alex Pelle. Unlike his prior book, Congo Kitabu, which chronicled his contacts and investigations into multiple groups in the Congo and nearby regions, Pygmy Kitabu is a detailed observational study primarily of the Efe Pygmies. Great detail and scientific observational method was used in the writing of the book.The Efé Pygmies have been shown to be one of the oldest intact cultures on Earth by dNA studies, and this book is one of the few in-depth works detailing their extraordinary culture.
The book Pygmy Kitabu was reviewed by another expert on Mbuti pygmy culture, Colin Turnbull, and its contribution to knowledge of the pygmy culture acknowledged. It has also been used as a reference in a linguistics textbook. It has been referenced in multiple scholarly books, journals, and symposia.
Animal Kitabu
Jean-Pierre raised multiple animals while living in Ruanda-Burundi, near the border of the Congo. He trained a lion, played ball with a rhino, and watched the courtship of his rhino and elephant. His extensive menagerie allowed him an insight into animal behaviour that is further explored in Animal Kitabu.During 1960, due to the increasing ethnic conflicts in the area, he was forced to take drastic measures on behalf of his beloved animals when he escaped to Kenya. There he faced new challenges and enlisted the aid of sympathetic allies to help care for his extended "family." His amusing observations of animals and man in Kenya and Uganda and some serendipitous nature photographs were published in magazines in Central Africa.
Significant documentaries and movies
''Pygmies'' (1973)
During 1973, Jean-Pierre filmed a documentary named that is one of the few movies that documents the customs of this disappearing culture. It was released simultaneously with the book Pygmy Kitabu.Filmed during 1972 on location, the movie was originally titled "Pygmies—- An Epic of the Golden Age" and previewed at the Academy Award Theater in Los Angeles. However, the movie was rejected by major distributors for lack of commercial appeal and was limited to a small run by a local theater circuit in San Francisco, California.
It is listed in several movie databases and has been reviewed by the New York Times.