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 folde...