That's using your head!

Carrying loads on your head is a very African thing to do. I have seen young men with as many as 10 queen-size mattresses balanced on their head, walking down the streets of Kigali. Even though this is a practice usually associated with the rurals, since there are fewer alternative options such as vehicles to carry large loads, you do see it in the big cities also.

Researchers have found that people can carry loads of up to 20 percent of their body weight without expending any extra energy beyond what they'd use by walking around unencumbered. Heavier than that, however, and it is a point of debate whether head loading is more efficient than back loading. Bear in mind, though, that those of us from developed countries have not had years of training, starting from childhood, to strengthen the right muscles and build up spinal bone density.

I have never witnessed anything fall off someone's head. It's a rather impressive feat, from the viewpoint of this Westerner.

The "walking bed"

Look! No hands! (almost)