On May 9, 12:57=A0pm, aozot...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> http://tinyurl.com/57xyvs
>
> The land of sacred tree
> FRIDAY 09 MAY 2008
>
> In the heart of Mandinka territory in western Mali, people believe
> that cutting down a tree is a sacrilege. And yet, over a two-month
> period, a Chinese company lumbered 243 tonnes of wood. (Re****t: F.-X.
> Freland)
>
> FRIDAY 09 MAY 2008
> By FRANCE 24
> In the heart of the Mandinka territory in western Mali, the Mandinka
> believe that cutting down a tree is a sacrilege.This is the land of
> the sacred tree, the tree of life, the tree of words, the one that
> protects from evil spirits.
>
> So what has been going on here these past few weeks has left people
> with a bitter taste and belief that the land of their ancestors is
> being desecrated. In two months a Chinese company lumbered 243 tonnes
> of wood, in what is one of the country=92s last forest natural reserves.
> And it=92s not just any wood but Vene Wood, a precious wood which
> resembles teak and whose leaves are used to feed livestock.
>
> Mandinka hunters are firing guns into the air to show their anger. The
> Minister of Environment had visited the region earlier that day to try
> to calm things down. Around the negotiation table are angry residents
> and two very ill-at-ease Chinese representatives of the logging
> company.
>
> People want to know more about this contract. The debate is fueled by
> a rumour: Chinese authorities may have promised they would build a
> modern hospital in the capital city of Bamako in exchange for a five-
> year logging contract. The Malian government have tem****arily
> suspended the logging contract due to the anger of the locals. But
> suspended doesn=92t mean terminated. The Mandinka people remain
> determined to save their sacred forest.
They should do their voodoo magic against those Chinese to save those
trees.
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