It sounds like the title of a frontier novel, but for a time in colonial-era Kasane, being sentenced to the baobab was a very real possibility. Heritage: Sentenced to the Baobab Standing quietly within the grounds of the Kasane Police Station is one of Botswana’s most unusual National Monuments: an ancient baobab tree, known in Setswana as mowana, whose naturally hollow trunk once served as a temporary holding cell for prisoners awaiting transfer to formal prisons elsewhere. It is this unlikely chapter in the tree’s long life that earned it the name by which it is known today—the Kasane Baobab Prison Tree. Long before Kasane became a premier safari destination, it occupied (and still does) a strategic position at the crossroads of present-day Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Traders, explorers, colonial administrators and local communities all passed through this northern frontier, and the baobab stood at the heart of a settlement that would eventually become the administrative centre of the Chobe District.
How did the hollow feature occur in the tree, one might ask? It developed the spacious, hollow trunk as it aged. At the time, it was a practical solution for colonial officials who needed a secure place to detain prisoners for short periods. The baobab also served other, interesting purposes. Before formal postal services reached the region, travellers are said to have left letters inside its hollow trunk for others heading in the appropriate direction, creating an informal mail exchange built on trust. The tree later became a gathering point during the recruitment of labourers for South African mines. Over time, the tree’s trunk has shifted and opened with age, and the hollow that once confined prisoners is no longer used. Today, the Kasane Baobab is protected as a National Monument, preserving both its historical significance and one of Africa’s most iconic tree species. The mowana is often called the “Tree of Life” for its extraordinary longevity and resilience. Capable of storing vast quantities of water and providing food, fibre and shelter.
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