The Day the Trees Went on Strike

The Day the Trees Went on Strike

Long ago, before plastic bottles and motorbikes filled the world with noise, the trees were the proud guardians of Mazingira. They sang in the wind, clapped their leaves for the rain, and gave shade to everyone—humans, hyenas, and even the gossiping parrots.

But one year, something strange happened. The humans stopped listening. They began cutting down the trees faster than the rain could grow new ones. They built smoky machines and threw rubbish into the rivers. The animals complained, but the humans only said, “We’ll plant later.”

So, the trees called for a meeting under the full moon.
The Baobab, oldest and widest of them all, cleared his throat. “Brothers and sisters,” he said in his deep booming voice, “I say we go on strike!”

The mango tree gasped. “Strike? Who will feed the children?”
“The same children who carve their names on your bark?” Baobab replied.

And so, at sunrise, the trees refused to give shade. Their branches folded like umbrellas. The fruit trees hid their fruit deep in the leaves. The flowers refused to bloom.

By midday, the sun burned so hot that even the roosters were sweating. The humans ran around, fanning themselves with banana leaves. The goats bleated for shade, and even the mosquitoes took a break.

The people gathered under the bare hills to beg the trees.
“Oh mighty trees,” they cried, “we are sorry! We will clean the rivers and stop the smoke!”

The Baobab chuckled. “Promises are like wind—they come and go. Show us action!”

So the people planted seedlings. They swept the streams and stopped burning the forest. Slowly, the trees began to open their leaves again. The mangoes returned, the birds sang, and the air smelled sweet once more.

Since that day, every year on Mazingira Day, the people remember the strike of the trees. They plant new ones and whisper, “Asante for your patience.”

And if you listen closely on a quiet afternoon, you can still hear the Baobab laughing softly in the wind.

Moral of the story:
🌱 Nature has patience, but even patience has roots that can be cut if we don’t care.

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