The Man Who Plants the Baobabs

The African baobab is a tree steeped in myth. In Burkina Faso, people believe that anyone who plants a baobab is cursed. But that doesn’t seem to apply to El Hadji Salifou Ouédraogo, who has been quietly planting the trees in the country’s Boucle du Mouhon region for nearly half a century. His efforts have improved the well-being of both the local community and the natural environment in this country that decades ago suffered severe drought.

The camera follows this now-elderly, widely respected, and still highly active man as he goes about his daily life—planting, inspecting, and tending to the baobabs. As he works he cheerfully recalls how he started, the setbacks he overcame (and continues to overcome), and the ways in which the tree has benefited the lives of many.

People close to Ouédraogo are full of praise for him and for the “tree of life,” which provides countless valuable resources for humans and animals alike—from its fruit and leaves to its bark, and the pollen of its blossoms. In poetic sequences, the baobab itself tells a story about the old man and his trees, whose fruits can be harvested for centuries.