When the Trees Left

What happens when the trees have had enough of humanity's nonsense and just… leave? In the bustling, eccentric megacity of The Junction, capital of a united Africa in the near future, life takes an absurd turn when every single tree vanishes overnight—leaving behind perfect, tree-shaped voids and a message: "YOU WERE WARNED." Welcome to When the Trees Left, a brilliantly funny and biting satire by J.N. Nartey, where Afro-futurism collides with spiritual ecology, politics, and the madness of modern life. As panicked bureaucrats form the Ministry of Plant Relations, influencers misinterpret the crisis as a trend, and conspiracists blame 5G, a group of reluctant heroes must grapple with a deeper truth: the trees aren't angry. They're just disappointed. Led by Dr. Aminatta Keita, a no-nonsense vet-turned-plant diplomat, and Mimi, a 12-year-old oracle who listens better than the adults ever could, the continent embarks on an unforgettable journey of inter-species diplomacy, gratitude rituals, WhatsApp prophecy chains, and ultimately, the greatest consciousness awakening the planet has ever seen. Fast-paced, hilarious, and deeply human, When the Trees Left explores what it means to recognize the quiet wisdom all around us—and how even in a world of viral revolutions and bureaucratic absurdity, transformation can still take root.