Jean-Pierre Hallet (1927 – 1 January 2004) was a Belgian (born in DR Congo) ethnologist, naturalist, and humanitarian known best for his extensive work with the Efé (Bambuti) pygmies of the Ituri Rainforest.
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 (1945–1946) and at the Sorbonne (1947–1948).
[2] 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.
Hallet was awarded the National Order of the Leopard in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) for his efforts on behalf of the Efé.
Hallet was an avid collector of art and lover of animals as well, and the book is documented liberally with photographs from the period.
[10] Hallet also sold additional artifacts that he collected during the travels described in the book (and during many subsequent return visits to the Congo) 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.
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.
His amusing observations of animals (such as that of smartest cat—- the leopard) and man in Kenya and Uganda and some serendipitous nature photographs were published in magazines in Central Africa.
[21] 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.
[22] Hallet appeared in the third episode of this ABC 1989 documentary series of people who go to unexpected extremes in amazing circumstances.