Adventurers head back to the jungle
WHEN local photographers and adventurers Johan Dempers and Joe Brooks were captured by an Ashaninka Indian tribe in the Amazon for six days while on an expedition, they thought they would never return to the jungle.
Fifteen years later, the two have announced they will be leading a “return to the jungle” 2017 expedition. Dempers and 79-year-old Brooks made international headlines when they were held hostage on August 28, 2002, while they were conducting the first major exploration of the Jurua River – a largely unexplored tributary in the Amazon – by canoe.
They were freed after Brazilian police conducted raids in a remote part of the jungle following a tip-off. At the time, the Cape Times had reported the two were not assaulted during their captivity, but were denied medical attention despite suffering festering sores from the elements and insects. Dempers yesterday said the decision to return to the jungle was made after they realised there were many things that were left undocumented.
They hope to record their journey and present educational material on a STEMbased (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) educational project free to schools, and other institutions worldwide, from the expedition.
“We intend to set up a base camp in an undisclosed area. We will be photographing everything that we see and posting it to our website. We will also be presenting classes to children around the world about our experiences,” said Dempers.
He said they had been working closely with the Brazilian police, and had technology that would keep them in contact with officials should anything go wrong.
“Sometimes you have to take a risk in life – living to tell the story is what makes it worthwhile,” Dempers said.
This year’s expedition will be monitored by the Brazilian Military Police in an attempt to prevent an incident similar to the one in 2002 when Dempers and Brooks were captured. “A couple of months after the incident, we did not think of returning. But I thought about it and called Joe to ask for his thoughts, and he said ‘why not?’. The dangers that exist are everything that everyone knows. We are aware of most of the dangers, and things can go wrong, we know that,” said Dempers.
The two adverturers have added two new expedition members in videographer and web designer Muldene Holloway and adventurer and ex-Police Special Task Force member Hennie van Rooyen. Dempers and the field team will be supported by educational co-ordinator and operations assistant for Expedition Amazon, Jeff Waters.
“The 2017 expedition will also test cutting-edge hi-tech equipment under the harsh conditions created by the biggest tropical rainforest on planet Earth,” said Dempers.
Their adventure is set for August. The expedition’s progress will be updated via satellite to their website, www. expeditionamazon.info
Those interested in taking part in the interactive jungle class sessions, or in providing either support, donations or sponsorship, are invited to make contact with the organisers by e-mail or telephone during office hours.