Adventurist Mark Jenkins will share his adventures with the Congo's extraordinary
mountain gorillas. (Mark Jenkins Photo)
Acclaimed author and global correspondent Mark Jenkins will give his presentation, "Guns, Gorillas and Laptops: How We All Are Unwittingly Connected" Nov. 15-17, in Casper, Sheridan and Gillette.
Presentation locations are Casper College Tuesday, Nov. 15 (Leik Auditorium, Physical Sciences 103, 7 p.m.), Sheridan College Wednesday, Nov. 16 (CTEL W136, 6:30 p.m.), and Gillette College Thursday, Nov. 17 (Presentation Theater, 6 p.m.). The forums are free and open to the public.
Jenkins' visit is part of the statewide International Studies Scholar Lecture Series, now in its third year, funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant the University of Wyoming International Studies Program received in partnership with all seven of the Wyoming community colleges.
Jenkins takes the audience deep into the world of one of the world's most endangered species, Africa's mountain gorilla, in war-torn eastern Congo. Through award-winning photography, Jenkins unveils a dangerous journey into Virunga National Park to determine who has been killing the mountain gorillas. The presentation provides a lens into the resource war under way in eastern Congo, the broad impacts the nearly 20-year regional war has had on people and the environment and how these issues affect the everyday lives of people in the West.
Audiences will learn how everyone is connected to the Congo's extraordinary mountain gorillas and how their fate is the fate of humanity itself. This story, which first appeared in National Geographic magazine, won the 2009 National Magazine Award for photojournalism and has been made into a BBC documentary. Besides his countless publications, Jenkins has shared his expertise in interviews with numerous TV and radio programs.
"Our International Studies consortium among Wyoming colleges has created a broad-ranging dialogue on international issues and illustrates our commitment to share resources to bring significant speakers on a variety of global issues to Wyoming," says Jean Garrison, director of International Studies. "Our next goal is to sponsor a new World to Wyoming Initiative to build support to sustain this project beyond this fall."
The lecture series is sponsored by the UW International Studies Program, the Wyoming Humanities Council and the UW Office of Academic Affairs as well as the specific colleges hosting each lecture. For more information, contact Garrison at garrison@uwyo.edu or International Studies at 307-766-3423.
