Is ecology contributing to environmental destruction? - Matthew Stadlen in conversation with Guillaume Bonn

Guillaume will discuss, with Matthew, his 20-year journey documenting the last days of East Africa’s natural landscapes and why we need to steer away from idealised portrayals and overused stereotypes.

About the speaker

Guillaume Bonn, an award-winning documentary photographer, writer, and filmmaker, has spent 30 years documenting Africa’s conflicts, social issues, and environmental challenges. Born in Madagascar and raised across the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, and Kenya, his French and Malagasy heritage and international upbringing inform his deeply personal perspective.

With a background in Economics and International Politics and training at the International Center of Photography in New York, Bonn combines artistic vision with journalistic rigor. As a contributor to Vanity Fair during Graydon Carter’s celebrated tenure, he covered everything from royal weddings and fashion weeks to the ivory trade and conflicts in Uganda and Somalia.

Described by New Yorker journalist Jon Lee Anderson as ‘an archaeologist compelled to preserve East Africa’s legacy,’ Bonn’s personal projects challenge stereotypes and provoke meaningful questions about Africa’s evolving realities in a world flooded with superficial narratives.

Booking information

Monday night lectures are open to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership.

Attending in-person

• All Fellows and Members wanting to attend in person must pre-book a free ticket. You will receive an e-ticket with a QR code that will be scanned on arrival. Your ticket can be shown on a mobile phone or printed. If you do not have a smartphone, we can find your name on the door list instead.
• Doors open at 5.30pm. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road.
• Monday night lectures are held in person in the Ondaatje Theatre. The bar will be open in the Map Room before and after the lecture. Please be advised all payments are card only.
• The Ondaatje Theatre is fitted with a hearing loop. For the best quality sound we recommend sitting on the outside rows of the front seating section.
• There is step free access to the theatre. Wheelchair spaces can be booked in advance. If you have any questions about the venue, please contact events@rgs.org

Watch online

• You do not need to pre-book to watch the lecture online.
• All Monday night lectures are livestreamed via our website so you can watch them from wherever you are.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

About Monday night lectures

Our Monday night lectures are exclusive to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership. Members can book to attend the lectures in-person at the Society, or enjoy them live from the comfort of your own home.

These lectures are also recorded and uploaded to our website solely for members to catch up on whenever they like. If you would like to receive a weekly reminder email about the upcoming Monday night lecture, please sign up to our Updates about our Monday night lectures newsletter.