A tale passed down from generation to generation, featuring music from Mali and Senegal, about a boy's heroic quest to save his village from drought.

In West Africa, a magnificent baobab presides over a village beset with a terrible drought. A long, long time ago, when the stars were still babies, the tree fell in love with the earth. As it buried its roots deep in the earth's heart, the sun grew jealous. The sun shone and shone, until lakes and rivers flew away and even its own heart dried up and disappeared. Ever since, it has been said that the only person who finds the sun's heart would be able to release the water. At the centre of this tale is Amondo, son of the baobab, known as “The One Who Unites." Only he can restore hope to the villagers by freeing the water from the spell cast by the sun. But in order to succeed, he must complete four difficult tasks?

This play, that includes seven songs in Bambara, transports us to the extraordinary world of African folklore, to a time when the moon, trees and animals spoke to humankind.

The accompanying recordings can be accessed with a QR code printed in the book.

Hélène Ducharme's profile page

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Hélène Ducharme is a playwright, director, actress and puppeteer, and has been Artistic Director of company, Théâtre Motus, for the past 25 years. She also served on the selection committee of the International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) from 2012 to 2016 and the organization's board of directors from to 2016.