Adansonia digitata, the African Baobab tree, is referred to as the tree of life.
Despite its numerous benefits to humans and the environment, the ancient tree remains one of the most feared and respected tree by the Mijikenda community in the coastal region.
The tree is believed to possess mystical powers since it is often thought to be the home of jinns and demons.
Most of the Mijikenda shrines (mizimu) are around huge baobab trees.
People live far away from the trees, fearing spiritual attacks.
The areas baobabs grow are usually calm, enough reasons to convince humans something supernatural is involved.
Some residents have claimed to have spotted strange creatures among the trees.
Some report hearing weird voices, particularly when passing near an area with many baobab trees.
“Try walking among the baobabs alone in the afternoon or evening and you will hear someone call out your name. It happened to me,” Tiwi resident Ali Babu said.
“Sometimes you hear a woman’s footsteps behind you or people talking, but when you look back, there is no one.”
Saidi Chete said a strong aroma of fried garlic, onions, pishori and boiled potatoes wafts in the air around baobab trees, despite the absence of houses nearby.
He said the smell is a sign invisible humans are preparing their meals.
Once the smell hits you, you must not swallow the saliva but spit it out or else you will be possessed by a jinn.
Chete said if you wear a strong perfume and pass near a baobab tree, “you may be chosen” by the jinn resident.
He said a jinn normally takes the form of a human being and in many cases, they appear to be of Arab or Indian origin.
Chete said once a jinn is spotted, it avoids eye contact and stays visible for less than a minute before disappearing.
He said your body will feel awkward as if external forces are entering you and you will be possessed in what is known as kutunukwa in Swahili.
Chete said there are good and bad jinns.
The good ones are harmless, but you must first seek spiritual treatment. The bad ones are destructive and can even cause death if not exorcised.
Bahati Chengo from Nyando said the most affected people are those with “bad blood” (damu chafu).
She said if you have “bad blood” you are likely to encounter the jinns residing in baobabs or any other tree.
“Baobabs indeed have jinns. The area around them usually has a strange breeze that makes you have goosebumps,” Chengo said.
She said even if you do not see the jinns, their presence will affect you.
The side effects are frequent sickness, ability to prophesy, temporary insanity and always demanding things like perfume (rosewater), halua and dates or asking for special traditional clothes (nguo za pepo) and dance (kayamba or sengenya).
Maganyakulo resident Bidala Ali said baobab trees are feared.
She said many spiritual activities and sacrifices are conducted under a baobab tree.
“Witch doctors usually take their sacrifices to baobab trees and speak to ancestral spirits while burning incense and offering dates, bananas, rosewater and halua,” Bidala said.
She said baobabs are treated like dustbins, “where all forms of evil are dumped by witch doctors”.
Kaya Tiwi elder Hamisi Mwajao said baobabs are ancient trees that live for many years.
He said in the past people used to plant baobabs after burying loved ones, mostly highly honoured leaders, as a sign of respect.
Mwajao explained that people would then go to pray and offer sacrifices to seek divine intervention from their ancestors. He said it is for that reason most old baobab trees are within graveyards.
Mwajao cited the ancient Kongo mosque in Diani as an example. It is surrounded by massive baobabs and graves of historic sheikhs and Persian traders.
He said Kaya elders also built shrines under baobabs because they buried their ancestors around them.
At Kaya Likundu, before the old baobab tree was brought down by strong winds, it served as a shrine.
Mwajao said the trees are primarily used as sacred places due to their enormous size, which provides privacy.
He said after Christianity and Islam arrived, people started abandoning their culture, leaving only a few practising it.
The Kaya elder, however, refuted claims all baobab trees have jinns and demons.
“It is a belief that is long gone,” he said.
Mwajao said jinns and demons can live anywhere even in abandoned homesteads.
Kaya elder Ali Mwachangu said a baobab is like any other tree but it is liked by jinns because some of them have lived for more than 200 years.
He said due to the long period of abandonment, some spirits may have established homes in some of the old trees, not just the baobab.
At a past interview, Sheikh Amani Mwachirumu, an imam and caretaker of the Kongo Mosque, said certain people collect baobab fruits around the mosque for spiritual purposes.
He said there are several baobab trees within Kongo Mosque that residents do not mess with.
The sheikh said some people avoid sitting under them because they allegedly see weird people and ghosts (vibwengo).
It is said vibwengo are extremely tall or short people that normally disappear after being sighted.
Mwachirumu said visitors, who hang their belongings on baobab trees, particularly shoes, disappear mysteriously.
A few years ago, the sheikh said, some tourists’ drinks turned into blood after defying a warning from residents not to park near a baobab.
Nutritional benefits
The tree is believed to have originated from Madagascar and grown in 32 African countries.
It has a lifespan of more than 1,000 years and grows up to 30 metres tall.
Apart from providing shelter, food and water for animals and humans, its fruits are high in nutrients.
Mwajao said the baobab fruits are known for their high calcium and vitamin C that boost immunity.
He said elders used the baobab leaves to treat diarrhoea and dehydration.
Women used to apply baobab fruit powder for cosmetic purposes.
Mwajao said the seeds and powder serve as an appetiser.
“In all my years, I have been adding baobab fruit seeds to my soup and it has a very pleasant taste,” he said.
Mwachangu said the bark of the tree can be used to make clothes and rope.
In Kilifi, the baobab trees were being uprooted and transported overseas.
