Tree Planting

In 2011 the Prince Claus Foundation of the Netherlands took the no doubt admirable decision to sponsor a tree planting scheme in order to prevent further erosion on the important Djenne Djeno  archaeological site, escavated in the seventies by the American couple Susan and Roderick Macintosh. Their findings revolutionized the way history looks at West Africa, and placed Djenné on the map as the oldest West African city, founded around  250BC.

The financing was done through a request from  the Mission Culturelle of Djenné, the administrators of the  UNESCO world heritage sites in Djenné, and 3000 trees were planted in 2011, each one surrounded by a metal and plastic protective surround.  So far so good. 

However,  In 2012 the trees  were all dead through floods and lack of maintenance. Nevertheless, promped by a new request for financing,  the Prince Claus Foundation , in happy ignorance, continued undeterred and  sent a second undisclosed figure, this time  for the’ maintenance’ (of the  dead trees!)  and for the digging of wells.