Nature watching
Professor Ouedraogo took us on a nature watching - an excursion around the center and its surroundings.
From the morning to around 1pm / Professor Ouedraogo and 4 project members
He started the tour at a creek nearby the village.
The creek passes through the center's property. The staff and neighbors go to get water and we also washed our clothes there.
Space with a huge rock. Professor Ouedraogo dreams of making this mystical place into a conference point.
Nut of Kobi tree growing along the water. The local people make soaps and oils from the nuts. The Kobi products have a high moisturizing effect and cured a project member’s much dried and irritated skin.
Shea tree and situm. The worm Professor Ouedraogo pointed is a situm. They grow by eating only the shea leaves and become a popular food for the local people, a source of high protein. People usually store them dried and use for cooking. We saw them sold at markets and got to try them, too.
Woman chewing a dried situm
Néré tree
Yellow seeds in pods (20cm~30cm) are used to make sumbala, a fermented condiment.
Professor Ouedraogo explaining about Néré tree and its seeds, which have a strong scent. Shea trees and Néré trees are very important for the local people’s diet and life thus the law prohibits the people to cut them. Protecting these species of trees also means protecting the land from desertification.
Sumbala. The seeds of Néré trees are used to make sumbala, a fermented condiment. It has a similar flavor to Natto (Japanese fermented soy beans).
A large Shea tree
Shea tree after a group of situm passing by. Almost all the leaves were eaten away.
Professor Ouedraogo explaining about the vast sky and Mt. Tenakourou. He explained about each thing our eyes caught and demonstrated how to use tooth-blushing tree twigs.
Ordinary stones in the area. They are dense and used for building houses. They are sold at a high price.
Many fruits on the tree and how delicious they are!
Fruit of Pomponi. The fruits look like kumquats and the leaves resemble to orange leaves. They have white flesh inside and taste sour.
Lime tree. The leaves are often used in cooking and for tea. Anyone can take a necessary amount of the leaves freely.
Crossing upland rice fields
Family of rice farmers. Good looking father and son with their rice field as a background.
Professor Ouedraogo and a termite nest built up around the mango tree. There were many termite nests of this size around the center.
Domesticated guinea fowls
Visiting a neighbor. François wove coconut leaves into a rope. These ropes are used to construct the house roofs.
This is how the roof structures are put together. Cords are also used to tie the materials.
The house master gave us a chicken as a welcome gift. We enjoyed it at our dinner.
(Photo by Mariko Tomomasa)
