Beneath the Baobab

This blog would be a collection of my experiences in Mozambique.

I landed at Tete one dark December night. The drive from the airport to the project site was uneventful. We covered a distance of about 120km in less than 90minutes. The road underneath our SUV was like a black ribbon being swallowed by a magician. The dark bushes took on grotesque shapes as the headlights danced on them. A particular tree with huge trunks and splayed branches caught my eye. I asked Bernard, our driver, which tree was it. "Baobab Sir", was the reply. I was fascinated.

Next morning when I went to the office to report on duty, I saw a number of baobabs. Two of them right at the entrance to our office. A group of employees was sitting under it. They all looked at me as if i was some new lamb brought to slaughter!! I smiled at them as if guessing their thoughts and bracing myself for the challenge. I was apprehensive too.But deep within me I knew that my tenure at Mozambique would change me as a person and a professional. The baobab tree gave me strength and inspired me to meet the challenge.

From the Wikipedia :- " Baobab is the common name of a genus of trees (Adansonia). There are eight species, six native to Madagascar, and one each to mainland Africa and Australia. It is the national tree of Madagascar.

Other common names include 'boab', 'boaboa', 'bottle tree', 'the tree of life', 'upside-down tree', and 'monkey bread tree'. The trees reach heights of 5 to 30 metres (16 to 98 ft) and trunk diameters of 7 to 11 metres (23 to 36 ft). Its trunk can hold up to 120,000 litres of water. For most of the year, the tree is leafless, and looks very much like it has its roots sticking up in the air.

The Baobab Tree is known as the tree of life, with good reason. It can provide shelter, clothing, food, and water for the animal and human inhabitants of the African savannah regions. The cork-like bark and huge stem are fire resistant and are used for making cloth and rope. The leaves are used as condiments and medicines. The fruit, called "monkey bread", is edible, and full of Vitamin C. As of 2010 experts estimate the potential international market at a billion dollars($US) a year.^[4]

The fruit has a velvety shell and is about the size of a coconut, weighing about 1.44 kilograms (3.2 lb). It has a somewhat acidic flavour, described as 'somewhere between grapefruit, pear, and vanilla'

The tree can store hundreds of litres of water, which is an adaptation to the harsh drought conditions of its environment. The tree may be tapped in dry periods.

Mature trees are usually hollow, providing living space for many animals and humans. Trees are even used as bars, barns, wine and beer shops and more."