Jane Goodall: My Friend and Hero

It was just weeks after 9/11. I was 21 years old in film school, standing outside one of my production classes, when I got a call from my sister Yasmine. She’d told me that I’d been invited to Washington state that weekend to meet with Dr Jane Goodall. I replied, asking, “Is this the primatologist who studied Gorillas?”, confusing Jane with Diane Fossey.  My sister laughed and said, “No, Jane studied Chimpanzees.”

Yasmine was living in New York when 9/11 happened, and had written an email to a few friends about being an Afghan New Yorker post the tragedy. The email reached an astonishing number of people within days, one of them being Dr Jane Goodall, who happened to be in New York at the time. Jane reached out to Yasmine to connect and invited her to Washington state.  Yasmine couldn’t go, and suggested to me that I go instead. So I packed a bag, got on a plane, and flew off to join a small group of college students from universities around the country for a Roots and Shoots Summit in the woods.

My first impression of Jane was, “This is one of the kindest human beings I have ever met.” Jane was all warmth and zero pretence. She was so inclusive and loving that everyone around her was always enamored by her. I remember us sitting outside in nature, under the stars, in a very sacred and quiet moment together, on the very first night of our retreat, when she asked me to speak to the group. I spoke of being Afghan and Muslim in relation to 9/11 and shared a story about my grandfather. Everyone became deeply emotional, and at that moment, I felt a profound sense of being part of something larger than myself. I had not planned anything about this trip or had any preconceived notions about the experience. I simply said, “Yes” to it.

Over the course of the weekend, I learned that Jane was twenty-six years old when she first arrived at the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve in Tanzania. She launched what would become one of the most significant and enduring studies of animal behaviour in history. With no formal scientific training or university degree at the time, Jane’s work marked the beginning of a revolutionary approach to primatology—one that would upend conventional understandings of the line between humans and animals. Much like how I received the call to meet with Jane, Jane met Louis Leakey, a palaeoanthropologist and archaeologist, in her early twenties, and it set her on her journey. I didn’t know then that this experience in Washington state would soon lead to my first trip to Afghanistan the following year, when I turned twenty-two.

That weekend was full of incredible memories and left me deeply inspired. We went on hikes, shared meals, heard from environmentalists in the group, and got to meet orphaned chimps that were being cared for by the local community. I was so amused and enlightened by that exchange. The chimps could communicate with us through sign language. One of them pointed to my feet and asked to see my shoes. Learning that chimpanzees are 98.7% genetically similar to human beings, and experiencing an exchange like that, really expanded my consciousness. While I already loved animals, this experience made me really think about a world that isn’t just centered around human beings. A world that is shared equally with wildlife. This awareness has been an ever-deepening understanding since that trip. I consciously seek out connections like that one whenever I get the chance.

I was lucky enough to visit Africa twice through my activism work many years later. On both trips, I spent time with leaders from the Jane Goodall Institute in Uganda and Kenya. I saw wildlife, and I saw the tremendous work Jane had done for these animals and for science. While on  a trip to Goa, India, for a film festival, I visited various plant and wildlife preservation centres. I’ve spent time with a conservationist at a festival in Doha, where I learned about endangered Sumatran Orangutans. I’ve spent time in the jungles in Brazil and learned about the wildlife there. I’ve visited an animal conservation forest in Costa Rica, and locally, I have visited a wolf sanctuary near L.A. The inspiration behind all these trips and my desire to experience and learn about wildlife comes from Jane and what I’ve learned from her. These experiences are woven into almost all of my art today.

While Jane’s true passion was spending time with the animals themselves, she knew the importance of sharing her studies with the world. She spent almost 300 days a year traveling, creating alliances, educating and inspiring folks, and advocating for wildlife and nature. Throughout the years I knew Jane, I often got to see her when she came to L.A. She would invite her L.A. friends to gather where she was staying, and every single time, she would have us stand in a circle together. We would go around the circle and each of us would tell the story of who we were and how we met Jane. She would encourage us to get to know one another and collaborate on our endeavours. Those nights were some of the favourite nights of my entire life. I remember feeling so excited every time I got that invitation. It was, honestly, the most excited I got about anything. It wasn’t just getting to know about the incredible work that Jane did; I genuinely loved being around her. I loved her heart and her soul.

I know that thousands of people share my adoration and love of Jane Goodall. I know that many of them see Jane as one of the greatest leaders and heroes of all time. For what it’s worth, Jane was the most incredible leader that I have personally ever met. Even in the smallest gatherings, she acknowledged everyone with reverence, kindness, and love, and treated people equally. It’s so beautiful to see the many environmentalists and activists Jane has inspired. I know she deeply believed in each person’s capacity to create a better world. We are in a pivotal moment regarding climate change. I know she would want us to work together and carry on her important work for animals and for our planet.

Jane was very humble and did not like praise directed towards her. The last time I saw her was a few months ago, when I told Jane what an honor it was to call her my friend. “I feel so grateful for you in my life”, I had said to her. She answered, saying, “No honor! We have work to do!”

Jane Goodall was a beautiful friend and my most treasured guide. I miss her so much, and thank her in my heart for all her love, wisdom, and inspiration. I hope this next adventure is the best one yet for you, Jane.