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.