The boy who harnessed the wind is an autobiographical tale about an inquisitive young man named William Kamkwamba who eventually learns how to provide electricity for his village by utilizing the power generated by windmills. William grows up in a small village in the land locked country of Malawi. His small village is shrouded in a veil of witchcraft, magic, and tradition, where technology is very scarce. Despite a lack of knowledge of engineering concepts William manages to transcend cultural boundaries and is able to create efficient windmills that drastically improve the lives of the people in his community.
Magic played an integral role in William’s life growing up. The story begins with William praising his father’s story telling abilities, which he views as precautionary lessons and as entertainment. The children of the village have grown accustom to hearing stories about witches, wizards, men with super human abilities, and animals that could talk. Even William believed in the stories his father had told him, and elements of the supernatural became a part of everyday life. He even once stated “Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world.” Magic was integrated into virtually every way of life for Malawians. It was even used as a scapegoat in times of despair and tragedy, such as a death or famine. Like most villagers, William feared the ambiguity magic, but found it intriguing as well. William first encountered magic when he meets Mr. Phiri, a man who worked on his Uncle John’s farm. Mr. Phiri was infamous for his temper, and superhuman strength which many people believed he acquired from mangolomera. William idolized Mr. Phiri’s strength, and saw magic as an opportunity to attain dominance in his village, so when Shabani, Mr. Phiri’s nephew offered him mangolomera, he decided to agree. Shabani cut William’s knuckles and rubbed the remedy into the newly opened wound. William then imagined how his life would be with the magic medicine now coursing through his body. Days later, William decided to test out his powers, so he got into a fight. He successfully found an opponent, but he wasn’t very successful at winning. This was the point in William’s life where he discovered magic wasn’t something he could rely on, and later found the wonders of science.
Despite not relying on magic, William stilled feared it. Throughout his childhood, and even into his teenage years William feared the power of witches and witchcraft. The generational transfer of stories he heard from his father and grandfather not only served as amusement, but taught him how to navigate through the world around him. The stories of magic that were passed down to William helped him determine good from evil, and even established many of the things he feared in life. When he was younger he constantly feared witches, their invisible planes, and young demon boys who would steal heads in the cover of darkness and use them to compete in demon soccer matches. The oral tradition of sharing magic folktales exists within almost every Malawian family in William’s village. Most of the villagers were unaware of the benefits science could provide, so they turned to magic to offer explanations for the unknown. As previously stated, magic was habitually blamed for the causes of death and famine, especially during the blistering famine of 2002 and even when William first erected his windmill. Magic fostered the existence of fear and vice versa. The supernatural was everywhere in Malawi and deeply rooted in society. Even William, a pursuer of science, had interactions with magic in his youth, and has even feared it.
All in all magic is how Malawian people find answers. Most of Malawi lives in poverty and lack an education, so most of them must turn to the supernatural to attain answers for the unexplained aspects of life. In Malawi magic is more of a religion than just a cultural fear. It dictates many of the decisions Malawian people make. As long as most of the country lacks a formal education, magic will retain its significant hold in Malawi, and the tradition will continue to be passed down orally. Just as William was told stories of mysterious creatures and occurrences, children after him will be told magical folktales as well. Because most of the country cannot read and write, they can only pass down their customs verbally; therefore oral traditions play a major role in preserving and conserving Malawi’s cultural and natural resources. I feel that the magic motif of the book is vital towards the understanding of its characters and tone. The book is not only about William’s phenomenal achievement of providing electricity for most of his village, it is also about a country and its people. Magic provided that common medium between America and Malawi that allowed me to better understand not only William but his culture as well.
Word Count: 812
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