A Mother-And-Child Reunion

Africa's wars have dislocated thousands of children. Our writer Nadya Labi finds hope in one mother's tale

It is a custom in some parts of West Africa to plant a seed when a child is born. The seed is buried deep in the ground along with the umbilical cord. It takes root, slowly growing into the sturdiness of a coconut or a mango or a kola-nut tree. The tree is the certificate that proves this child existed in this village. It is stability in a region that has been rent by war for more than a decade. In its shade, no fighting, no hurt should come.

In Coyah, a town in Guinea blessed with springs of the purest...

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