The Sub-Saharan Sahel region has been dubbed “the gum belt” as the resilient and drought resistant Acacia species that grow in the region are the major source of the global supply of Gum Arabic.

The Sub-Saharan Sahel region has been dubbed “the gum belt” as the resilient and drought resistant Acacia species that grow in the region are the major source of the global supply of Gum Arabic. Beyond their commodified value, the trees are crucial in staving further desertification in the region and remain sacred to the many semi-nomadic people who have been harvesting the tree’s gum for centuries. An Acacia produces the resinous sap to seal wounds in its bark, so in order to harvest the gum, one has to scar the tree. Yet at the same time the tree is authoring a history of the living planet using the gum. Insects, feathers and other matter are trapped in the sticky sap or ሙጫ (also Amharic slang for a person who refuses to leave your side) and with time the sap hardens into amber around them, fossilizing them in place.