The Baobab

Made with magic media on canva

“Are you feeling unwell today Grandpa?” Nabila looked at her grandfather’s worry-creased face. She set a little Pawpaw lantern on the ground of the cave. The light quickly illuminated the space revealing intricate patterns on the cave wall. Those were imprints that could have been over a century old. Musa sat in deep concentration, his eyes firm against the wall.

“Grandpa! Are you okay?” Nabila shook Musa's arm. His state of worry was starting to rub on her.

“It is time, Nabila. The truth about these walls. The sky people. It is time.” Musa spoke incoherently. His eyes revealed more fear than his lips let out.

“These walls have always been here, Grandpa. You said so yourself. The imprints were made ages before your grandfather and the men before him. They are just stories that remind us to be grateful to the gods right?” Nabila queried Musa.

Musa merely shook his head without uttering any more words.

Nabila just stood there watching Musa unsure of what to do next. Her eyes then washed over the walls of the cave. The cave was ancient to the tribe of the G’lela. The impressions on the wall told a story of humans and what the G’lela felt like were the gods. There were several depictions of people being blessed with a substance by the gods. They were putting these substances into the ground. The gods looked strange. They had much bigger frames with slender arms and legs.

In other depictions, however, the gods appeared to be descending from objects above. They were forcefully taking back what they had given the people. The story on the wall ended with a girl. With a bowl in her hand, she appeared to be interceding between the people and the gods.

Nabila studied the imprints as though she had never seen them before, she didn't think much of them. She never did. Only the image of the girl seemed to riddle her every single time she looked. Nabila wasn't sure why but she felt a connection between herself and the girl on the walls.

“I'll make you some baobab soup Grandpa. Its healing would be good for you.” Nabila leaped out of the cave.

Musa, still staring at the walls barely moved. He seldom left the cave unless it was imminent. As keeper and seer of the G’lela, it was his duty to consult and translate the language of the gods to the people. Musa was worried this time. The gods were silent but he felt it in his bones that there was an awakening ahead.

Nabila was now out in the forest to harvest some leaves of the baobab tree. “This would soothe Grandpa,” she blurted. Nabila stood before the massive baobab tree that graced the center of the forest like a queen on her throne. The tree had an air of grandeur that Nabila envied. Its leaves were plush and dark green with an almost silver luster at their tips. With a towering trunk, these features gave the three an ethereal appearance.

The baobab tree had been in G’lela longer than the tribe could remember. It had become a sacred tree because of its great healing properties. It was a special ingredient in treating all ranges of diseases including boosting the overall immune system and improving radiant skin. Healers from near and far G’lela often came to seek the essence of the tree. Although this variant had spread across the Earth, legend had it that the G’lela baobab was the first ever baobab seed planted on Earth. They said the seed was a gift planted by the gods themselves.

Nabila puffed as if breathing in the energy of the tree. Just as she began to harvest its leaves with a sharp knife, Nabila felt something surge through her body. The root of the tree began to tremble.

Anxiety gripped Nabila. She swallowed hard and stepped away from the tree. Almost fleeing, she ran home. Nabila was going to inform Musa about what just happened but she decided to keep it to herself. “Grandpa is stressed out already. I'll just make his soup first,” she pondered.

Moments later, Nabila had finished the soup when the ground began to vibrate. She staggered before gaining balance. Her environment was becoming a daze but she could hear a lot of commotion from the villagers. Chaos ensued and everyone ran around looking confused. Haze had occupied G’lela creating a dust screen. The goats were bleating, horses were stomping and the children were crying.

Nabila saw Musa and she began calling out to him. He and a host of villagers were venturing into the forest. It seemed what caused the ground to move like that was coming to the forest. Nabila ran after them.

The entire village was now awestruck in front of the baobab tree. Right before them were strange objects landing from the sky.

“The sky people,” Musa whispered.

Soon, the objects began opening to reveal beings like the ones on the cave walls. Immediately, they began attacking anything on their part. Chaos ensued again.

Nabila didn't run like others were doing. She was trying to decipher all that was happening so fast. “The imprints weren't the gods. These are the sky people.” Nabila observed that they were going for the baobab tree and terror gripped her heart.

“Now I know. Now I know.” Nabila began yelling but no one could hear her amid that chaos. “The imprints on the cave… They only want the tree. The seed wasn't from the gods. These sky people put them here.” Nabila felt defeated. No one could hear her and the strangers were starting to destroy the forest. She couldn't bear to watch that happen.

Suddenly, her eyes popped. She had an idea. The race from and back to the forest was the fastest Nabila had ever run. She returned with a bowl of baobab soup. The tantalizing aroma began perforating the air and immediately, these strange beings stopped wreaking havoc. They felt drawn to the baobab.

Nabila was now in front of them waving the bowl of soup. One of them crept forward and leaned towards Nabila. He released his tongue into the bowl of soup before locking eyes with Nabila.

“We are peaceful people and we can agree. I know you want the tree. You put the seeds there hundreds of years ago and now you want them. We are nothing without this great plant. Please!! You can take some seeds with you rather than destroy G’lela. Both worlds can benefit from the baobab.” Nabila was now breathing hard from talking nonstop. She looked into the eyes of the creature and she saw something that looked like understanding. She exhaled.

As silence ensued, she could now see clearly and it struck her. The girl from the walls that she had felt so strongly about was none other than herself. The cave wall imprints were revelations.

The baobab soup is mostly eaten in northern Nigeria and is popularly known as “miyan Kuka”. It is made from ground dry baobab leaves. The general method of making this soup is to gently beat the powder into any broth of your choice. It has a green slippery appearance. This soup is packed with, proteins, carbs, fiber minerals, and vitamins. It is one of the healthiest soups on earth, I'm not even doing justice to it.