Dávid from Zambia – XXIX. Blog Post

The Man Who Could Survive Anywhere Without Help!

High fives to everyone and a big hug to the newcomers! The guy in the picture is our direct neighbour, his name is Whitehead, which roughly translates to "white-headed" in English. I'm not entirely sure about the origin of his name, and I haven't gotten around to asking him yet.

So, who is this guy? He's a survivor, a nomad, a true Zambian, a psychologist, a warrior, a gardener, an engineer, a bookworm, a very good friend, a real rastafarian, and on top of all that, a handyman.

Whitehead lives a self-sufficient life in a very secluded corner of Ndola, behind one of the city's slums. He resides in a 20 square meter space, which also includes a fairly large garden, or rather a piece of land that he's transformed into a beautiful garden over the years. His home consists of a bed, a chair (for guests), an outdoor shower, and a toilet. He has only 10 pieces of clothing (including underwear and socks). So he's living life with extreme minimalism... truly nomadic.

We became friends with Whitehead when we first arrived, on the second day to be precise. We didn't really have many options, as he lives right next door. In early January, we were having issues with our energy supply; we didn't have electricity in our accommodation, sometimes for days, sometimes for just a few hours. So, we made fire with charcoal to cook our food. I had some knowledge of fire-making from before, but it wasn't enough to make it work here.

One morning, I spent about 45 minutes struggling to make fire, and after so many failed attempts, I was so frustrated that I almost decided to pour water on it and give up (I mean, eating is unnecessary anyway... too expensive, and I don't even like eating).

That's when Whitehead came over, pointed out where I was going wrong, and gave me a few pieces of pine resin. In about 5 minutes, I learned the almost perfect technique from him, which I've been able to use even in the rain ever since. After that, we started chatting about life's big things—on a wide range of topics. The first thing that surprised me was how incredibly informative and knowledgeable he is about almost everything: psychology, history, politics, spirituality, art, agriculture, and, of course, all the little details of a self-sufficient lifestyle. I remember learning so much in just 30 minutes from him that I had to sit in my room to digest all the useful information. That's how our friendship started back in January.

Since then, I've learned several recipes from him, hand washing techniques that even remove red wine stains from white fabrics, how to sharpen knives with stones, making natural toothpaste from materials found in nature, and countless survival skills.

By the way, Whitehead's parents are farmers. They own several valuable pieces of land in Zambia and also have two properties that generate a steady income. So, they live much better than the average Zambian.

But Whitehead doesn't enjoy any of that. Not because he couldn't... but because he decided that he is responsible for his own life and success. He doesn't need financial support because it wouldn't be the same as if he worked for everything himself. Of course, he accepts help but never for bigger things. He loves doing what he does... no matter the circumstances, he always finds a way to make money.

I've heard countless valuable philosophical thoughts from him about life, but by far the most attractive one for me is the latter. This guy is incredibly unique; he thinks about life in such an interesting yet logical way, and I kind of feel like he's found one of the golden rules of life.

Whitehead also has a small shop in the Nkwazi neighborhood where he repairs broken or damaged items—anything from bicycles, radios, watches, shoes, chairs, fridges, to clothes... really anything. He's good at everything, and if he doesn't know something, he learns it from books or the internet.

Additionally, Whitehead has his own garden, which grows all sorts of vegetables and fruits, including avocado, bananas, papayas, and mango trees, whose fruits are sold every year. The money he earns from this usually lasts him for months, and he invests it in various things like irrigation systems or building a chicken farm. The problem, however, is that it's really expensive, so it takes years to gather the money for it, but step by step, he is moving forward!

So... since I've been really interested in the self-sufficient lifestyle over the past two years, particularly nomadic living, I decided to seize the opportunity... I asked Whitehead if I could help him in exchange for learning from him. Of course, his answer was yes (what else would he say?).

Currently, we're working on two projects—one is a rabbit farm, and the other is poultry farming. In the meantime, we're also planting things constantly—mainly what I'm learning from him, and of course, everything else that comes with his wise and incredibly smart teachings (sometimes I feel like he's an African Buddha).

In exchange for teaching me, I offered him my video-making skills and a few boxes of cigarettes. A good deal for both of us! Whitehead had long wanted to make an amateur film about his life, but doing so in Zambia would be quite expensive. I happen to know a little about video-making, just enough to help him out.

So, combining learning, working, and filming, we're creating a pretty strong team with my friend Whitehead. I'll likely post the film in early August, both in the group and on YouTube.

I'll check in again soon!