A Rwandan man has allegedly lived in isolation for 55 years because of an ‘extreme fear of women’.
Callixte Nzamwita, who is reportedly 71-years-old, has allegedly spent the last 55 years in self-imposed exile, barricading himself inside his home to avoid any contact with women.
Mr Nzamwita reportedly began isolating himself at the age of 16, meaning he does everything from sleeping and cooking, even urinating, in the space of his own confined abode.
A fear of women, called gynophobia, is not officially recognised as a genuine mental disorder, but is clinically classified as a specific phobia.
In a YouTube video published by Afrimax TV, Mr Nzamwitza said: ‘The reason I locked myself inside here and have a fence on my house is because I want to make sure that women will not come closer to me’.
A neighbour who spoke to Afrimax for their video said: ‘When we try to help him, he doesn’t want us to come closer or talk to him. Instead we give him things by tossing them into his house’.
They continued: ‘He doesn’t let us get close to him, but he still takes what we offer from a distance’.
Living such a secluded and solitary existence may appear to be an impossible challenge for most people, but Nzamwita appears to be satisfied with the life he is claimed to live.
Despite cutting a pale, sickly figure in the video, he appeared intent on continuing to live the way he has seemingly done for over half a century.
‘The way I live is enough for me. I didn’t have any idea of having a woman and I’m okay with that.
‘I do not want women around me because they make me really scared,’ he added.
NHS advice on specific phobias says they centre around a particular object, animal, situation or activity.
Specific phobias can often develop during childhood or adolescence and may become less severe as you get older.
Common examples of specific phobias include a fear of certain animals, such as dogs, or a fear of certain activities, such as flying.