[SPOILER ALERT]
“The boy who harnessed the wind” is a new musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company that tells the inspiring story of teenage innovator William Kamkwamba, based on his autobiography of the same name. As a young teenager he helped save his African village from famine by working out how to build a windmill to generate electricity from scrap, that might ultimately pump water to irrigate the crops.
William grew up in the village of Wimbe in Malawi, at a time when magic was still present in people’s lives and few had electricity or running water. Drought killed, and disease was rife. He, however, was obsessed with gadgets and working out how they worked. He was especially intrigued by the dynamo on a bike and how rather than just using electricity, it created it. It generated electricity that could be used to power other things.
Unfortunately, his family were too poor to pay the fees so he was forced to leave his village school aged only 14. He was left having to learn what he could from the books he could get hold of and his own tinkering.
A famine followed with crops failing and there being too little grain produced to feed the village to last through the winter. However, he had an idea, having read a book about western wind power. There was plenty of wind in Malawi, so if he could build a windmill connected to a dynamo, the power it generated could drive a water pump to irrigate crops, allowing a second planting even in the dry season.
With no one to teach him he had to work out the science himself from books, and overcome the engineering problems on his own. Also, all he had to make it from was scrap metal, local wood and broken gadgets. To make things even harder for a long time few in the village believed he was anything but a mad dreamer, mocking him rather than helping. His family also needed him to help work on the farm just to survive in the short term.
However, he was determined he could make his idea work if only he could solve the problems using scrap parts. The book and musical (and linked film) tell the story of his village’s struggle with famine and his struggle to be believed.
Ultimately, he made a wind turbine, that powered a radio, proving to everyone that the idea could work. He then used it to power other devices around their home. The story spread, leading to international fame, leading to him giving a TED talk, having his schooling paid for him and going to university in the US. With grants he gained he trained others in his village to build windmills and fix water pumps and he built a solar powered water pump for his village.
Sometimes what local communities need is simple not complex technology that meets their real needs, and empowerment for people with ideas of how to solve them. William Kamkwamba has since set up a foundation “Moving Windmills” to support innovation and the building of infrastructure in Malawi, so to do just that.
Paul Curzon, Queen Mary University of London
“The boy who harnessed the wind” is playing at Soho Place London until 18 July 2026
More on …
- Moving Windmills [EXTERNAL]
- The official page of the musical [EXTERNAL]
- The musical (RSC site) [EXTERNAL]
- The book [EXTERNAL]
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