Baobab Tree · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The multifaceted Baobab is the “tree of life“.
* the fruits are rich in vitamin C and are used to prepare beverages,
* the leaves are used fresh or dried as vegetables and as forage,
* the seeds are used to extract oil,
* all parts of the tree have medicinal properties,
* the bark provides strong and durable fibres,
* the tree is fire resistant and can survive severe droughts,
* it is easy and cheap to cultivate and free from any serious pests and diseases
* and it provides shade and protects the soil against erosion
“It was the season just after when the baobab had shed its long stringed calabashes. Not far way, was a solitary man surrounded by buzzing bees – he smoked a pipe made out of a hollowed out gourd of baobab. He warned me that the tree was haunted”.
Photo taken by Unganisha