Malick is a young man from Niger with a passion for sport. His favourite activity is hiking. One hot weekend in August 2025, Malick decided to pack his kit, food, water and medicinesfor a hike in W Park. The hike began in the cool of the morning at the start of the weekend. But the deeper he ventured into the forest, the more worried he became that he might not beable to find his way back. As the sun began to set, Malick decided it was time to head home. He set off along the route he had taken to get there. But the further he went, the more he realised that the path he was taking back was not the same one. As night began to envelop the forest, Malick was seized by panic because he had got lost.
He then decided to look for a good place to rest until the following morning. A huge baobab tree would serve as his resting place. He gathered some dead branches and leaves, and builthimself a small shelter. He set about eating his last reserves of food and covering himself with mosquito repellent. He lit a fire to keep any wild animals at bay, and slept soundly.
In the early hours of the morning, Malick decided to explore the area around his shelter. He discovered a river not far away. He fashioned a fishing rod from bits of wood and caught some fish to eat.
Instead of setting off again that morning, Malick set himself a new challenge: to stay in the bush for as long as possible and live off what nature had to offer. As the days went by, Malick felt less and less inclined to return to civilisation. He was happy in this wild environment, living as simply as possible. He was content with very little. And to show his determination to continue his life in the wild, Malick decided to switch off his mobile phone for good.
It has now been over a year since Malick was reported missing by his family and friends. He is happy in this wild environment. He realises that everything can be found in nature and that human beings do not need much to thrive. Nature is the ultimate setting for human development.
by Amadou Garé
Amadou Garé is a journalist with 20 years of experience, based in Nairobi and connected to the African region of the Ecoversities Alliance. He is passionate about human stories, particularly those that remain unseen or underrepresented in mainstream media, and about sharing perspectives from different parts of the world. Through Turtle Telling, Amadou brings his experience in storytelling while opening himself to learn from the stories and experiences of others, contributing to Ecoversities’ vision of re-imagining education through diverse voices, experiences, and ways of knowing.
Contact: https://web.facebook.com/garamadou
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