Talking drums and strangler figs

Ghana: Aburi. The visit to a cacao farm was fascinating, showing us how cacao is grown, the fruit harvested, and the beans fermented and dried. The raw cacao was far less bitter than I expected. The first two cacao trees that were planted in Ghana in 1879 were still surviving and producing on the small farm.

Our final stop was the Aburi Botanical Gardens, with an informative guided tour by the resident botanist. He showed us how kapok trees were used as drums or echo chambers for long distance communication, how poison from a particular vine was used for darts and arrows, and how mimosa leaves close when touched.

We also saw how the ficus parasite strangles and kills its host, resulting in enormous ficus trees that are hollow through the centre, where the original tree used to be. A highlight for me was a beautifully carved ‘tree of life’ sculpture containing hundreds of animals and people representing different elements of society and nature.