Tsitakatsantsa, the giant baobab of Andombiry village, northeast of Morombe, has fallen. I will never meet it in its prime, like those monuments we always tell ourselves we will visit ‘tomorrow’.
Scientists had predicted its irreversible decline by 2025, and experts estimate that within two or three years, it will have returned to the earth. It is a paradoxical privilege to witness the death of such a force of nature, a silent witness to a millennium that our human insignificance will never grasp.
The baobab is a slow-growing tree, but with extraordinary longevity, capable of living up to 3,000 years. Its bark fiber is used for basketry, and its fruit is rich in vitamins and minerals. Madagascar is home to many iconic baobabs, including the famous Avenue of the Baobabs in Morondava, the 1,600-year-old tree in Tsimanampetsotse Park, and the massive ‘grandidieri’ in Andombiry, which boasts a circumference of 27.30 meters.
Efforts like the ‘Baobab Project’ and the documentary ‘Baobabs, Between Heaven and Earth’ by biogeographer Cyrille Cornu continue to highlight the value and importance of these emblematic trees.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-12 06:24:21 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/09/une-montagne-terre.html