The ecological gesture of planting a tree will soon no longer be optional in Senegal. The President of the Republic has recently announced a bill to this effect. For the government, it is a question of accelerating reforestation in order to preserve the environment. The Senegalese government wants to expand reforestation throughout the country. The construction of housing and public buildings will soon be subject to the obligation to afforest. This year’s National Tree Day in Senegal had as its mascot the baobab tree, whose scientific name is adansonia digitata. To illustrate the choice of this tree, President Macky Sall symbolically planted a young baobab seedling at the esplanade of the Abdou Diouf de Diamniadio International Conference Centre. In this West African country, the baobab tree is considered a historical and emblematic symbol. It is associated with symbols evoking life and death: while their leaves are used to make medicinal herbal teas and their fruit for decoctions for newborns, the baobab bark has long served as a shroud for griots. And yet the baobabs of Senegal are now faced with uncontrolled urbanisation and industrial activity that threaten their survival.
SOURCE: AFRIK 21
More Stories
Tunisian City Attracts a New Type of Tourist
DYK that the Green Point Lighthouse is the Oldest Operational Lighthouse in South Africa?
This Mauritian Resort is the Definition of Relaxation
Who Wouldn’t Happily Take a trip to Seychelles at Any Given Point in the Year?
Your July Destination is Sorted
A Gourmet Revival of Sierra Leone’s Bold Flavours
A Continental Visionary Design Indaba Emerging
How David Ochieng Uses Fashion to Positively Impact Kenyan Communities
Mbongeni Buthelezi: The South African Artist Turning Plastic into Portraits
What Tems’ Global Success Means for Women in African Music
Radisson Blu Hotel Is Officially Open In Durban
Hilton Closes Shop in Nairobi