Christof Nüssli

Trees Etc.

2-channel HD video, 6:49min, 2021–2023

“The brave warrior Diegane Ni Ni Senghor who founded the village in 1731 came here to look for a new home. He chose this spot because, on the way, he met two small animals, and they were soaked. So he thought that if he dug a well here, he could find water. There were also bushes, two small bushes. One of these bushes has become the big tree of the village. […] Many things are changing, especially the soils. Where we used to farm, the salt has moved in. There is a forest in Nguecokh that is threatened by the salinization of the soil. You could say that all this is a consequence of climate change, and Nguecokh is not spared. It is the sea that is advancing because of global warming. […] This really is a deeply sacred forest and is home of the legend of Dialane. It is said that there are mystical beings, mostly invisible, only a few initiates can see them. These beings collect the water and hold it back. If the village was threatened by drought, there was a ritual with dances to the sound of the tam-tam. The initiates would address the beings, lamenting the lack of water, calling for rain. And often, it rained a few hours later." Voice messages by Mamadou Senghor, teacher and one of the village eldest of Nguecokh, Senegal