Le Royaume des Kapokiers, a documentary comic strip by Troubs, takes us to Ghana, to the heart of Mole National Park, one of the largest in West Africa. Invited by the French NGO Des Éléphants et des Hommes, Troubs and his companion Isabelle discover local initiatives to raise awareness of nature conservation among children in the surrounding villages.
A committed travel diary
Right from the start of the story, Troubs invites us into the heart of his subject with the din of baboons jumping on the tin roof where he and his wife have just spent the night. They wake up in the middle of a lush forest that stretches as far as the eye can see, in the camp of the country's largest national park: Mole (pronounced Molé), one of the oldest protected areas on the African continent.
The couple will be joining the park's management team to follow the nature classes that enable primary school children, all from farming families, to visit the park for the first time and benefit from environmental education programmes.
Covering an area of 5,000 km², Mole Park is home to exceptional biodiversity: 742 species of plants, 90 mammals, 334 birds and around 120 butterflies, all of which are protected by some 150 park rangers and officials.
Although they live very close, three-quarters of the children have never seen elephants. The others have met them when they come to devastate their parents' crops. The story highlights the efforts of rangers and NGOs to preserve this fragile balance between human communities and wildlife. In particular, by giving advice on how to keep elephants away (with bees, chilli, noise cannons, etc.) instead of killing them.
NGOs are also promoting initiatives to compensate for the damage caused by the animals, such as the creation of cooperatives, the production of shea butter, the installation of beehives and reforestation. The park is no longer seen as an "enemy", but as a partner to be reckoned with.
The author also tackles broader issues, such as the education of children, the involvement of women, changing agricultural practices (permaculture, agroforestry) to maintain food sufficiency, and customs. Not forgetting climate change, waste management, reforestation and dependence on fossil fuels.
An artistic and hopeful view
Troubs' graphic style, characterised by hand drawings and warm colours, immediately immerses the reader in the atmosphere of Mole Park. The scenes of daily life, the animal portraits and the savannah landscapes are rendered with great sensitivity and a keen sense of observation, which he shares with children by introducing them to nature conservation through drawing, because it is they who will continue to change practices.
And if you're wondering why this book is called The Kingdom of the Kapok Trees, we must tell the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) is a majestic tree that can reach 70 metres in height. Beyond its presence in the Mole camp, the kapok tree is seen as a protective tree, a sacred tree that links the living to the ancestors or spirits. It produces a rot-proof plant fibre: kapok.
Accessible, educational reading
Le Royaume des Kapokiers is accessible to a wide audience, from teenagers to adults, and offers a reading experience that is both informative and full of emotion. Its educational approach makes it a valuable tool for raising awareness of environmental issues and the harmonious cohabitation of man and nature.
If you're interested in travel writing, environmental protection or simply curious to discover Ghana through the eyes of a committed artist, this comic book is sure to excite you.
Text : Brigitte Postel
The Kingdom of the Kapok Trees de Troubs (Jean-Marc Troubet) was published in March 2024 by Futuropolis.
Elephants and men is an NGO focusing on human-elephant coexistence. Between 2001 and 2022, it organised and supported dozens of nature classes in natural areas across Africa. It is now turning its attention to Asia.
