Here is the river that sparked the idea for this series of botanical portraits, in which I depict trees as rivers. At the time, I was reading a book about the adventures of the unfortunate Mungo Park, a Scottish explorer from the late 18th century who set out to explore the mystery that this great river of Western Africa represented for Europeans: it was the subject of all kinds of theories and fantasies, just like the city of Timbuktu, located on the river's trunk and known to Europeans for its immense wealth when the city was at the height of its glory. It was not until the 19th century that Europeans located Timbuktu exactly and understood that what they had thought were several different rivers were in fact one and the same: the Niger, the third longest river in Africa after the Nile and the Congo.

However, the river has lost none of its magic: located at the interface between the Saharan world in the West, notably where Tuaregs, live, and sub-Saharan West Africa, it has given rise to numerous kingdoms and empires (Kumbi Saleh, Hausa, the Mali Empire, Ghana and Songhai), and the linguistic and ethnic diversity of the region remains exceptional. The river's confusing structure has baffled European geographers and explorers for centuries, who saw the summit of the river portruding over the horizon of the known world. Indeed, the river begins its course towards the northeast before abruptly turning southeast and then flowing 4,000 kilometres towards the densely populated country Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea, after crossing many countries, some of which are mountainous, arid or downright desert-like.

Like other river-trees in the series, the Niger has a very distinct annual cycle with a long and intense dry season interrupted by a rainy season that makes the river basin green and humid – and brings with it a host of diseases, such as those suffered by Mungo Park on his first expedition. Nevertheless, he met his death on his second expedition after a series of setbacks: capture, attacks by local tribes and finally drowning in the river itself put an end to the explorer's endeavours in this beautiful tree. This expedition, which opened the 19th century and was followed by many others, marked the beginning of a dark century for Africa, which fell under the control and greed of the European powers.

One tree seems ideal to represent Niger: the acacia. Present in large numbers in the arid and semi-arid landscapes of the region, it is a landmark in this vast landscapes, at the crossroads of the Sahel, but also a symbol of subsistence for the many cattle breeders, while providing welcome shade. On a more visual note, I can imagine the acacia tree, subjected to drought, growing in twisted shapes – like the course of the Niger River – to seek out water wherever it is available.

The Niger acacia, Acacia Nigeris