Rob started a series of paintings of the baobab tree. This very characteristic tree, so typical for the Sahel area, has always captured the imagination. It looks like the roots are sticking out of the ground, which is why some call it the "upside down tree". Home to the spirits, often the center of a village, giving shadow to the elderly, the baobab can be very old, sometimes more than a thousand years. The tree bears fruit, called monkey bread, containing seeds, which can be eaten or made into a drink. The dried leaves can be used as a medicine for skin infections and joint complaints. Many parts of the baobab can be used as fuel or building material. Sometimes even griots, the caste of singers, musicians or story-tellers, are buried in the hollowed-out trunk of a dead baobab.