Baobobs, baobabs and more
Kofi Akpabli Accra Daily Mail - Accra May 2002
"Knowledge is like the Boabab tree" (An African proverb)
Although the Baobab tree is dotted nearly all over Ghana, its prevalence in the Northern Upper East and Upper West Regions makes the savannah zone the home of Baobabs. The Baobab is to northern Ghana, what the coconut tree is to the coast or to the rain forest what the silk cotton tree is. However, compared to the coconut, the silk cotton and many other trees, the Baobab is unique.
What accounts for the outstanding image of the Baobab? Is it merely the gigantic size? Could it be the grotesque shape? Why do some people call it the "upside down" tree? How is the Baobab able to withstand centuries of drought and fire? Why is it uncommon to find a baby Baobab? How could one tree mean so much to people, evoking interest, inspiration and even worship?
The Baobab tree comes from a family known as Bombacaceae and its scientific name is Adansonia digitata. There are eight different species, seven of which are found in Madagascar. The tree is widespread in East and West Africa. The Yorobas of Nigeria call it "Oshe" while it is known in Kiswahili language as "Mbuyu." Unknown to many, the Baobab can also be found outside the continent of Africa, mainly in India and Australia where it is called "boab."
Wherever it is found, the Baobab maintains the capacity to capture curiosity by the sheer virtue of its shape and size. With a potential height of about 20m (the height of a three storey building) and a maximum peak of about 9m for its diameter (almost the size of the center circle of a soccer pitch), the tree is usually the biggest thing in sight.
In northern Ghana, the tree not only helps to conserve biodiversity but also serves a variety of socio-cultural roles. As a matter of interest, the Baobabs are rampant around human settlements. Thus, for hunters, hikers and others who have lost their way in the savannah wild, there is nothing more reassuring than the sighting of a Baobab tree. It nearly always guarantees that a village is nearby.
So special is the relationship between the people of the northern regions and the Baobab tree that depending on the circumstance of birth, a child is named after the tree. This is usually on the instance of a soothsayer. For instance, among the Grusis of Upper East Region one finds "Atoa" (Male) and Atoporka (female) named after the tree "toa". Below is a table showing how some northern languages refer to the Baobab tree and trees in general. It brings out a curious relationship.
Language Tree Boabab- Buli Tib Tuik
- Dagaari Tiee Tuuo
- Dagbaani Tia Tua
- Gonja Kadibi Kalara
- Gruni Tia Toa
- Kasim Tio Tiio
- Kusal Teig Tek
- Mamprusi Tiia Tuwa
- Sisali Tie Tit
- Talensi Teey Tuoh
- Waali Dao Tuuo
For each of the languages above, the vocabulary for tree resembles the word for Baobab. This similarity is not limited to morphology but extends even to syllable. In Kasim for instance, the word for Baobab (tiio) sounds the same as the word for tree (tio). And even in the Gonja language which looks unique with respect to the above examples, the words for the two separate items are akin. Both words begin with 'Ka' and both words contain the same number of syllable i.e. "Ka-di-bi" (3) and "Ka-la-ra" (3). Interestingly, the word for tree in the Waali language is the same word for "man."
In contrast to the general rule, the words for other trees in the given languages sound so different from the words for Baobab. Does it perhaps mean that in all eleven languages the Baobab was the first tree to be named? It will be interesting to find out the implications of this linguistic phenomenon.
The various parts of the tree serve a wide range of use from the pendulous white flowers, which can be chewed raw, to the extensive roots; the tree has proved to be a blessing tom mankind. The roots are tuberous, (actually like potatoes) and can be peeled, boiled and eaten. The seeds are crushed and boiled. Among many communities in northern Ghana, the seeds are boiled a1ong with beans with some helping of shea butter and served at funerals. Fresh or dry, the Baobab leaves make palatable vegetable soup. It is slimy, easy to cook and of course, easy to eat! A recommended recipe is to cook the leaves with dry fish spicing it up with some dawadawa for the right flavour and then squaring up the equation with reasonably hot "tuo zaafi". Only your finger must be ready for a proper licking.
The fruit itself is contained in a yellow-grey velvet-haired oblong pod. When cracked, (Please watch out for the downy hair, they cause itching) this pod reveals many seeds buried in a woody pulp. Though quite sour, the fruit has a pleasant taste and is very rich in Vitamin C. It is used to spice up "tuo zaafi" and also serve as a flavor for cold drinks. Some people prefer using the pulp for porridge. Although the ripe baobab fruit falls on its own it is common (in fact it is almost like a sport) to see impatient boys armed with sticks and stones hurrying the fruits to their fall. Monkeys would also not be left out in the race for the fruit. Needless to say, it is their fondness for the fruit, which has caused the tree to be nicknamed "monkey bread" tree.
Herbal medicine also has much to thank the Baobab for. In many communities, the barks and roots are made into concoctions. The leaves are also boiled, mixed with other leaves and used in the treatment of boils. And according to a document on African Gardens and Orchards, the fruits are recommended for colic, asthma and intestinal infections. In the realm of craft, the strong fibre of the bark is processed into ropes and clothes while red dye is extracted from the roots.
Even though there is plenty of wood when the Baobab eventually gets rotten from within and is blown down, the tree is not a preferred source of fuel wood. It is not dense enough, too spongy and burns off too fast. At best it is used to start off fire and may a1so be used for baking. The Baobab pod however makes good fire.
Also, the tree is not a good candidate when it comes to building materials. The branches are not strong and the trunk is all hallow. In spite of these shortcomings the tree provides a welcome shade from the burning sun both at home and on the farmland.
In some places, parts of the lower trunk are excavated to serve as water reservoir or as temporary shelter. In Senegal a man is known to have actually used the gap under one huge tree as a garage for his saloon car! It is rare for people particularly, eco-tourists to encounter the Baobab for the first time and remain indifferent. At any stage of its annual cycle, the tree is likely to present an extra-ordinary view; but more predictably the Baobab remains constant in its majestic posture.
In the dry season, which includes the harmattan period, the tree is leafless, seemingly lifeless and wears an awkward "how do you like me now?" look. When the rains come, the Baobab tree resurrects, stands out and shows off glossy, dark green leaves that as much as dare to offer a handshake. If this tickles you please consider that like the human palm, a leave stalk of the Baobab also has five "fingers".
The girth shape of the early years, transforms into practically whatever shape it chooses. For instance, the fruits at times, remind one of an oversize barrel, while at other times they could also be seen as lanterns dangling from long ropes.
Perhaps, the weirdest part of the tree is the branch system. They are not your typical straight growing branch but are rather stunted, zigzagging into smaller sub-branches, which all seem to be doing countless little dances towards different directions. The result is a picture-like network that looks exactly like the root system of a tree. This inspired one Arabian legend which suggests that "the devil plucked up the Baobab, thrust its branches into the earth and left its roots in the air."
Other legends in other parts of the world allude mystical attributes to the Baobab. In northern Ghana where trees are generally regarded as sacred, the Baobab enjoys more than a special place in the peoples' culture. As has been stated earlier in this discourse, human offspring are named after the tree as and when it becomes customarily obligatory. Beyond that, the tree is believed to be a sanctuary for spirits and even bestows protective powers.
In many communities of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions, it is not too uncommon to see the trunk of the Baobab tied with a strip of white calico. This sign forms part of a sacrifice to the tree. The objective is for the household or community concerned to continue to enjoy a peaceful co-existence with it.
In village settings the Baobab serves as a rallying point for open air social events. Because it forms a regular feature of human settlements and because it is easily spotted, the tree is resorted to as a reference point in locating directions. In the bush, they come in handy in the identification of farmlands; furthermore where they occur Baobabs are used as demarcation posts for landed property.
For some animals in the wild, notably, wild cats, pythons, bats and bees, the Baobab is a haven. Owing to the softness and hollowness of the Baobab tree these animals easily find hideouts in it. The holes within the lower truck and at the bases of branches are also ideal. Bats like pollinating the flowers. A close look at the flowers would show imprints of their jaws. The nectar of the tree also attracts bees. Local honey gatherers opine that apart from the mango and dawadawa trees, the Baobab nectar makes the sweetest honey.
The significance of the Baobab as an agent of biodiversity conservation does not end with the above roles. The tree serves as windbreak. It has an extensive root system which assists to put erosion in check. Finally, the annual shedding off of the Baobab leaves goes a long way to improve soil fertility.
In view of the Baobab's importance as a bio-physical resource, the challenge is whether there is enough motivation to conserve it. The Baobab is propagated by seed and needs incredibly very little water. However, in the northern regions of Ghana, the tree and fruit trees in general are hardly cultivated. The reason is mainly cultural. This explains why it is not common to come across baby Baobabs. Most of the mature trees around have at least 200 years behind them. In fact, according to the New Encyclopaedia Britannica, some Baobabs in the Nyiri Desert of Kenya have grown up to 2000 years.
The cultivation of the Baobab and other valuable trees must be advocated to among other things, check desertification, which is catching up with the savannah north. Further to this the potential of the tree must be exploited to the full. Elsewhere, the fibre is processed into clothes, ropes and paper, while red dye is extracted from the roots. The know-how for these processes must be imported to create cottage industries in our communities.
Admirers of the Baobab who live in temperate climates relate to the tree as a hobby. There is indeed a growing movement of these Baobab enthusiasts who wish to be known as Baobaboons. They cultivate the Baobab in pots largely for the sake of decorations. This is achieved through a Japan originated culture known as Bonsai. Bonsai is the cultivation of trees, which grow to be drastically smaller than their actual size. By this culture a nine-year-old Baobab may grow up to only twelve inches.
Here in Ghana, and especially in the north, there is probably no need to go through this painstaking process that Baobab enthusiasts in countries like Canada, Japan and France contend with. However, what can be developed for the sake of aesthetics and recreation or even tourism is the art of carving images and meaningful symbols on the trunk. The Baobab trunk is soft and if well indented the inscriptions grow out beautifully. An example of this Baobab art can be found at the Kuntsoga Custom Point on the Tumu - Wa road in the Upper West region.
Another proposal which might sound rather off the edge is designing fountains out of the Baobab trees. Not feasible? Well, for one thing the Baobab is the foremost exponent of a group of trees known as "pachycauls." A pachycauls is simply a tree with a trunk that is thickened to form a storage organ. What the Baobab stores is water and people are known to have tapped hundreds of gallons of water from one tree. This is what ensures that the Baobab survives forest fire. So the tree has enough water to form a fountain. Still impossible?
Well, let us put aside for now the intricacies and technicalities involved in creating a Baobab fountain and consider something down to earth - organizing Baobab c1ubs in schools. The guided activities of such a club would instill in school children a healthy preoccupation with the tree and help them better appreciate their natural environment. Besides there is enough about the Baobab that can engage their attention year in and year out.
The Baobab is more than a tree. Its character typifies resilience and survival. Where you would not expect anything to grow, there the Baobab flourishes. It is very slow in growth (sometimes yielding its first fruits after several years) yet when it eventually grows, it outlives most trees.
One heartening sight is to come across a fallen part of the trunk which refuses to die off but rather grows up horizontally. From generation to generation, the Baobab has served as a symbol of life itself. Historians of the trans-atlantic slave trade cite the Baobab fruit among the means of sustenance for slaves when they were being marched from the north towards the coast. In relation to this, a school of thought has it that, if the ages of certain Baobabs along the slave routes can be determined and reconciled the exact routes could narrowed down.
As an integral part of the savannah landscape of northern Ghana, the Baobab demands a more serious view from a1l of us. Whether viewed against the backdrop of the rising sun or against the setting sun, the tree captivates and remains mankind's lasting friend with a message. Can we hear it?
