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Saturday, April 24, 2021

The Story Tellers

 In the Bandia Preserve in Senegal near the Dakar airport there is a special Baobab tree that is the resting place of the Story Tellers who used to live in this area.

Translates to Tomb of the Griot. I had to ask myself, "What is a griot in Africa?" and the answer is: "griot is a West African storyteller, singer, musician, and oral historian. They train to excel as orators, lyricists and musicians. The griot keeps records of all the births, deaths, marriages through the generations of the village or family." courtesy of https://www.seckoukeita.com/my-culture 

Sorry I didn't get a picture of the huge tree this was in. Baobab trees are iconic African trees. They live for hundreds of years and can survive without water for years. They get hollow as they age but have strong trunks and roots. It is illegal in Senegal to cut one down without permission. 

I pondered on the idea that the men who kept the family history and made sure a witness was kept of the events in the village, would one day die and be buried in this tree; and as he crumbles to dust he becomes part of the tree that lasts for hundreds of years. Kind of a living monument. 

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