In this reflective return to The Jonathan Benaiah Podcast, Jonathan pays tribute to the late Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE — a woman whose empathy, curiosity, and lifelong work with chimpanzees reshaped our understanding of the natural world.

From the silence that swept across timelines the night the world learned of her passing, to the echoes of her influence still felt in forests like Kibale where “Chimp Empire” was filmed, Jonathan explores what her legacy means for the next generation of conservationists — one where communities, not superheroes, are at the heart of protecting the planet.

He also shares stories from home: Uganda’s World Rhino Day naming ceremony ahead of the great rhino return to Ajai, and his own encounter in Mgahinga with the world’s youngest mountain gorilla — a newborn gripping tightly to its mother’s hand as family members watched protectively nearby.

Through these stories, Jonathan reminds us that hope is still alive in the wild, even in a world shadowed by conflict — and that empathy, as Dr. Goodall so often taught, is where peace must begin.

🎙️ Listen now — available on all podcast platforms

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Connect with me

EMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected]

LINK TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Deep in the jungles of Uganda, wild chimpanzees are doing the unthinkable — self-medicating in ways that most of us thought impossible.

In this groundbreaking episode, Jonathan Benaiah sits down with Dr. Elodie Freymann — primatologist, science storyteller, and member of The Explorers Club — to discuss her astonishing paper on how wild apes engage in intentional, intelligent self-care.

What does this mean for our understanding of evolution, medicine, and animal cognition? Could the secrets to future cures lie in the wisdom of the forest? And how might this shape the future of conservation?

Listen in for one of the most thought-provoking conversations of the year — right here on The Jonathan Benaiah Podcast, with nuggets featuring on The Africa Safari Podcast.

Don't want to just listen but also watch this episode? Access the video version here https://bit.ly/3HuTcJe

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Links to Elodie's work and the Budongo Team:

https://bit.ly/4mW8AyE

https://bit.ly/4dPX5o1

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Connect with me

EMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected]

LINK TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Deep in the jungles of Uganda, wild chimpanzees are doing the unthinkable — self-medicating in ways that most of us thought impossible.

In this groundbreaking episode, Jonathan Benaiah sits down with Dr. Elodie Freymann — primatologist, science storyteller, and member of The Explorers Club — to discuss her astonishing paper on how wild apes engage in intentional, intelligent self-care.

What does this mean for our understanding of evolution, medicine, and animal cognition? Could the secrets to future cures lie in the wisdom of the forest? And how might this shape the future of conservation?

Listen in for one of the most thought-provoking conversations of the year — right here on The Jonathan Benaiah Podcast, with nuggets featuring on The Africa Safari Podcast.

The Episode premieres Sunday, 8th June 2025

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Connect with me

EMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected]

LINK TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Welcome to Episode 7 of our 7-part series on the history of the Great Kingdom of Buganda.

We are filming inside an ancient palace—now a royal tomb—the final resting place of four Great African Kings—The Kasubi Royal Tombs.

This series uncovers Buganda’s history, royalty, spirituality, conservation, and the restoration of the Kasubi Tombs.

My curiosity runs deep, and their ancestral knowledge will challenge what we think we know—while also opening up doors to the unknown.

It is going to be a long journey back in time, so you’ll want to settle right in.

In this seventh and final segment, I ask a few final questions to two of the many wives of the Great Kings living at this World Heritage Site. They share insights into the lives of the wives of the Great Kings and some wisdom for the future.

Featured Guests:

Katikkiro Nkalubo David - Prime Minister Of Kasubi Royal Tombs

Nassaza Diiro - Ssekabaka Muteesa I's Wife

Bakazikubaawo - Ssekabaka Danieri Mwanga II's Wife

ENJOY!

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Access the full series in video form with subtitles for the vernacular: https://bit.ly/43QvfoS

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Connect with me

EMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected]

LINK TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Welcome to Episode 6 of our 7-part series on the history of the Great Kingdom of Buganda.

We are filming inside an ancient palace—now a royal tomb—the final resting place of four Great African Kings—The Kasubi Royal Tombs.

This series uncovers Buganda’s history, royalty, spirituality, conservation, and the restoration of the Kasubi Tombs.

My curiosity runs deep, and their ancestral knowledge will challenge what we think we know—while also opening up doors to the unknown.

It is going to be a long journey back in time, so you’ll want to settle right in.

In this sixth segment, we wind up our discussion onf African spirituality in the context of Buganda Kingdom and also have a chat around tourism and conservation.

Featured Guests:

Ssekibuule Elvis - Court Historian & Tour Guide

Lule Godfrey Ssemwanga - Ag. ED Buganda Heritage & Tourism Board

Prince Joseph Mulondo - Heritage & Tourism Officer and Court Historian

Katikkiro Nkalubo David - Prime Minister Of Kasubi Royal Tombs

Albert Kasozi - Tourism Consultant & ED. Emeritus Buganda Heritage & Tourism Board

ENJOY!

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Access the full series in video form with subtitles for the vernacular: https://bit.ly/43QvfoS

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Connect with me

EMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected]

LINK TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Welcome to Episode 5 of our 7-part series on the history of the Great Kingdom of Buganda.

We are filming inside an ancient palace—now a royal tomb—the final resting place of four Great African Kings—The Kasubi Royal Tombs.

This series uncovers Buganda’s history, royalty, spirituality, conservation, and the restoration of the Kasubi Tombs.

My curiosity runs deep, and their ancestral knowledge will challenge what we think we know—while also opening up doors to the unknown.

It is going to be a long journey back in time, so you’ll want to settle right in.

In this fifth segment, we talk about the fire that burnt this sacred site to the ground, and we also introduce the first half of our conversation on African spirituality and the indigenous religion of the Baganda people before the Europeans arrived and branded it heathen.

Featured Guests:

Ssekibuule Elvis - Court Historian & Tour Guide

Lule Godfrey Ssemwanga - Ag. ED Buganda Heritage & Tourism Board

Prince Joseph Mulondo - Heritage & Tourism Officer and Court Historian

ENJOY!

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Access the full series in video form with subtitles for the vernacular: https://bit.ly/43QvfoS

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Connect with me

EMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected]

LINK TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Welcome to Episode 4 of our 7-part series on the history of the Great Kingdom of Buganda.

We are filming inside an ancient palace—now a royal tomb—the final resting place of four Great African Kings—The Kasubi Royal Tombs.

This series uncovers Buganda’s history, royalty, spirituality, conservation, and the restoration of the Kasubi Tombs.

My curiosity runs deep, and their ancestral knowledge will challenge what we think we know—while also opening up doors to the unknown.

It is going to be a long journey back in time, so you’ll want to settle right in.

In this fourth segment, we chat about royal drums and the king's music, the origins of barkcloth making, and make sense of what it means for Kasubi Royal Tombs to be called a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Featured Guests:

Ssekibuule Elvis - Court Historian & Tour Guide

Albert Kasozi - Tourism Consultant & ED. Emeritus Buganda Heritage & Tourism Board

ENJOY!

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Access the full series in video form with subtitles for the vernacular: https://bit.ly/43QvfoS

--------------------

Connect with me

EMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected]

LINK TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Welcome to Episode 3 of our 7-part series on the history of the Great Kingdom of Buganda.

We are filming inside an ancient palace—now a royal tomb—the final resting place of four Great African Kings—The Kasubi Royal Tombs.

This series uncovers Buganda’s history, royalty, spirituality, conservation, and the restoration of the Kasubi Tombs.

My curiosity runs deep, and their ancestral knowledge will challenge what we think we know—while also opening up doors to the unknown.

It is going to be a long journey back in time, so you’ll want to settle right in.

In this third segment, we chat about the cultural significance and symbolism of this sacred site.

Featured Guests:

Ssekibuule Elvis - Court Historian & Tour Guide

Katikkiro Nkalubo David - Prime Minister Of Kasubi Royal Tombs

ENJOY!

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Access the full series in video form with subtitles for the vernacular: https://bit.ly/43QvfoS

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Connect with meEMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected] TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Welcome to Episode 2 of our 7-part series on the history of the Great Kingdom of Buganda.

We are filming inside an ancient palace—now a royal tomb—the final resting place of four Great African Kings—The Kasubi Royal Tombs.

This series uncovers Buganda’s history, royalty, spirituality, conservation, and the restoration of the Kasubi Tombs.

My curiosity runs deep, and their ancestral knowledge will challenge what we think we know—while also opening up doors to the unknown.

It is going to be a long journey back in time, so you’ll want to settle right in.

In this second segment, I sit down with Conservation Architect Jonathan E. Nsubuga, for a chat about the 15-year restoration process of Buganda Kingdom's most sacred site.

Featured Guests:

Jonathan E. Nsubuga - Chief Architect & Project Lead for the Kasubi Tombs Restoration

ENJOY!

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Access the full series in video form with subtitles for the vernacular: https://bit.ly/43QvfoS

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Connect with meEMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected] TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan

Welcome to Episode 1 of our 7-part series on the history of the Great Kingdom of Buganda.

We are filming inside an ancient palace—now a royal tomb—the final resting place of four Great African Kings—The Kasubi Royal Tombs.

This series uncovers Buganda’s history, royalty, spirituality, conservation, and the restoration of the Kasubi Tombs.

My curiosity runs deep, and their ancestral knowledge will challenge what we think we know—while also opening up doors to the unknown.

It is going to be a long journey back in time, so you’ll want to settle right in.In this first segment, we chat about the history of this sacred site and the great monarch who built it

Featured Guests:

Ssekibuule Elvis - Court Historian & Tour Guide

ENJOY!

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Access the full series in video form with subtitles for the vernacular: https://bit.ly/43QvfoS

--------------------

Connect with me

EMAIL: [email protected] | [email protected]

LINK TREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/ahajonathan