Boy Who Harnessed The Wind : Creating Currents Of Electricity And Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Now a Netflix Film, Starring and Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor of 12 Years a Slave

William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic held sway and modern science remained a mystery. It was also a land plagued by drought and hunger. However, William had come across writings about windmills and he nurtured a dream of constructing one that would bring to his small village the luxuries enjoyed by only 2 percent of Malawians: electricity and running water. Despite being labeled misala, which meant “crazy” in his language, William refused to abandon his aspirations.

Armed with a small collection of forgotten science textbooks, some scraps of metal, tractor parts, and halves of bicycles, along with an insatiable curiosity and unwavering determination, he embarked on an audacious mission to create an improbable contraption and a small marvel that would transform the lives of those around him.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is an extraordinary true account of human ingenuity and its capacity to triumph over overwhelming adversity. It serves as an inspiration to anyone who questions the ability of an individual to effect change within their community and improve the lives of those they touch.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: A Journey of Determination and Innovation

There was a young boy named William who lived in a small village in Malawi. This village had no electricity, so when the sun set, people had to hurry to bed. But for William, the darkness provided the perfect environment for his dreams. He loved building things and taking them apart, like the trucks with wheels made of bottle caps that he kept under his bed, or the radios that he would crack open to see if he could hear the music.

His grandfather would tell him magical tales in the pitch black of his room, and William would imagine planes flying through the window while ghost dancers twirled around him. In the morning, as he scanned the fields for magical beings, he wondered how trucks were able to move and how engines worked.

But soon, Malawi began to suffer from a severe drought. The scorching sun turned the fields into dust, and the maize crops began to wither away. Food became scarce, and William’s father gathered the children and explained that they would only be able to eat one meal per day. It was a difficult time for the villagers, and even the little money they had seemed to disappear.

Unable to afford school anymore, William watched as his classmates passed by, feeling alone and hungry. But then, he remembered the library down the road, filled with science books and brilliant pictures. With his English dictionary by his side, he learned about engines and electricity.

One picture stood out to him: a towering machine with giant blades, like a fan or a pinwheel. It fascinated him, and he began to dream of building a windmill that could harness the power of the wind to bring electricity and water to his village.

Every day, William went to the junkyard, searching for pieces to assemble his windmill. People in the village called him crazy, but he ignored their comments. With the help of his cousin and best friend, he gathered bicycle parts, rusted bottle caps, and even a small generator.

Weeks went by as William worked tirelessly, and finally, he had all his pieces. With the help of his cousin and friend, they built a tower in the forest and attached the blades to it. Standing atop the tower, William shouted for the wind to come. And when it did, the windmill came to life, lighting up a small bulb.

The villagers looked on in awe, realizing that William had achieved something incredible. It was not just a windmill; it was a symbol of hope. With more windmills, they could transform their dry land, create food where there was none, and fight against hunger.

William knew that his windmill was just the beginning. He believed that electricity and water could bring change to his country, and that was the most powerful magic of all.