It was a day of great symbolic value for an entire community in one of the most densely populated places in the Malindi hinterland, which has always been in conflict with nature.
We are in Langobaya, where even during the rainy season it rains too little and where if water comes from the sky it is often a violent storm that does not do the crops any good.
Where there is water from the river, but a terrible flood took away most of the vegetable and corn fields.
Loving nature in Langobaya is not "radical chic", it is pure survival.
Respecting the centuries-old trees is the starting point, for example, for understanding that you cannot cut down a 200-year-old tree to make charcoal wood, nor, above all, make the 1,000-year-old history of a baobab tree disappear with saws and axes in a few days, to build a wall that simply marks out your land.
It is no coincidence that the Italian non-profit organisation Karibuni chose Langobaya to carry out its agricultural and poultry breeding project. It did so first with a view to improving the food situation of the pupils of two local schools, then of the community and today, thanks to the management of Gianfranco Ranieri and the dedication and expertise of agronomist Jackson Senteu Kanai, it is a truly sustainable food chain.
On Wednesday 12 May, 9 very young baobab plants were symbolically planted on this model farm. Many much older ones are cut down every day to make room for the greed of those who have forgotten the history, traditions, benefits and culture linked to this iconic tree and are consequently forgetting the importance of respecting nature.
We at Malindikenya.net have long been involved in initiatives to save the historic baobab trees of the Kenyan coast, but we have gladly joined the initiative of Karibuni Onlus, which will show an entire community the importance of a plant compared to a concrete wall.
In this regard, the presence of the representative of the Langobaya institutions, Sublocation Chief Frederick Chembe, was significant and important. He joined the initiative and grasped its meaning, making his institutional role available to spread the philosophy of the baobab.
"This symbolic planting," said Chembe, "is important above all to make tomorrow's generations understand what lies behind an element of nature, particularly the baobabs that represent it as bearers of local traditions and culture.
Today Karibuni Onlus, confirming its environmentalist vocation and awareness-raising of local communities on issues such as climate change and eco-sustainability, will be in the Mida creek to plant mangroves.