The Baobab
Iconic and mystical tree
anchored in African culture
Often
called “The tree of life”, it is a point of meeting, debate and
transmission point.
Sheltered from the
sun under its foliage, we meet to chat, to get married, to beg for rain
to fall, to pass on the news, resolve neighborhood or family problems,
we sing and dance...
It is a prehistoric species predating
man but also predating the separation of continents (more than 200
million years ago). The baobab, native to the African savannah where
the climate is extremely dry and arid, is a symbol of life in a
landscape where few other plants succeed in thriving. People have
always taken up residence near baobab trees because they provide
shelter, food and water, for both animals and people.
Its
ability to adapt to this climate gives it great longevity; some Baobabs
have reached almost 2000 years of existence.
It can reach 30 meters in height and 20 meters in wingspan. During the
rainy season, it absorbs and stores water in its vast trunk.
This is
what allows it to produce a fruit rich in nutrients and anti-oxidants
during the dry season, when all around the land and crops become dry
and arid.
This is
why it is called “The Tree of Life”. It is also
an undeniable ally in the fight against global warming since it is
capable of storing extremely large quantities of CO₂.
Qualities et properties
The bark can be made into rope or used
to
make clothing.Cosmetic oils can be extracted from the seeds.
This is why, for centuries, African women have considered the baobab
fruit as a natural source of health and
beauty.
The baobab fruit is the only fruit in the
world that dries naturally on its branch.
It is a
fruit that does not fall or spoil
but remains hanging on the branch and bakes in the sun for six monthes.
Thus its pulp dries out completely.
Therefore, when it is harvested, you just
need to deseed it then pass through a sieve to obtain a delicious pure
fruit powder. Baobab powder therefore does not require any
treatment to be dried, freeze-dried or processed.
It is a
fruit rich in vitamin C and fiber,
100% pure in its natural form, it can be stored for almost 3 years
without the addition of preservatives or additives.
Scientists recognize many medicinal
qualities in baobab. Here is a non-exhaustive list: Natural
fortifier, excellent hair care, febrifuge, anti-inflammatory, healing,
effective against stretch marks, moisturizing and softening the skin,
treats wrinkles and aging of the skin (collagen content), relieves
gastric and intestinal ailments (natural
prebiotic), fights against tooth decay, treats osteoarthritis and
polyarthritis, treats smallpox and measles, reduces fatigue and
exhaustion…
Historical role and cultural heritage
The baobab plays the role of guardian of
history and cultural heritage. It persists in the face of successive
periods of drought, floods or conflicts. It is a major witness to the
strength and resistance of the human spirit in the face of adversity
and the effects of time. It is under the baobab that the griots,
guardians of tradition and ancestral knowledge, came to transmit oral
culture or connect the local population with the spirits of the
ancestors. As if to preserve and preserve their wisdom and knowledge,
the griots were sometimes buried in the cavities of a baobab tree. The
trunk of the baobabs could serve as a jail for a prisoner as well as a
workshop for an artisan.
Its mystical power
Depending
on the
location
of implantation, legends tell that the trunk of certain baobabs
would retain sorcerers and evil spirits that he would release the
night came. Sometimes the zone of influence of one of these spirits
evil would extend to the entire environment close to the baobab. It
would even happen that the evil spirit puts the baobab “under
the responsibility” of a family which would then be the only one to
be able to ensure the fruit harvest.
This ability to welcome these mysteries
would explain why we give
also to the baobab the name of “the upside down tree”.
Even today legends persist about a
“presence
sacred” giving the baobab a certain personification which
protects it from slaughter.
Muriel Batoum de Baha
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