I read his book...this dude is a genius. He can absorb so much information from such a tiny source, for example; he read one or two little tattered books IN ENGLISH, which he just barely spoke at the time, and built..THAT. At the age of 14.
This man is remarkable. A self made engineer at the age of 14. I think he must have also had to learn a very difficult language....English. I looked at one video where he was visiting MIT. His English had improved significantly. I would like to read "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind".
@DrMMHMD You should really change your name to DrHate. If you had checked out all of his videos and accomplishments you would have read that he was also using one to pump water for crops. But no,,,,, DrHate here did not read much or check out any of the other videos and is too busy with his racial hatred showing who the real ignorant one is here and might be the real thief.
@DrMMHMD "The individual people are easy to love but the society is fucked." And what then, Dr., of your own society, one which raised you to believe it was worth your time to bicker fruitlessly on the comment section of a video upload website? Kamkwamba is ten times the man you are.
@DrMMHMD Geez, easy life for you then. Student loan, people near by who can afford to pay someone else to make a pretty fence panel. And cars too, your one lucky guy. Try living, like the guy in this video, somewhere where if you don't do it, no one will. And no one cares either. Necessity brings out the best in people i guess.
My grandparents did too. The jobs, food, cars, homes and banks where still there. But the men, like now, had been tricked into war. I heard the same stories.
@DrMMHMD You being a surgeon just proves my point. Rich parents who wanted a good life for their child. You personally are good at taking in facts and being good at taking lessons from others. You have been spoon feed facts and you regurgitate them on command. A cut and paste brain. He lived in africa till he was in his 30's. He had spent his life on hard times where something like an oil filter would cost a months wage. That or learn to make things himself and make a bit of cash too.
@DrMMHMD Where in what i commented did i say it was perfect? As long as it worked till his next payday and kept the car going who gives a shit if it doesn't work 100%. As long as it keeps the car moving and stops the oil pouring out of a big hole in the engine where the real filter USED to be. Its under a car bonnet anyway.
You sound a lot like a young lad who was there, he used to not believe in other people too. And like him i also bet your shit with your hands.
@DrMMHMD Im sorry but you are stupid....a complete moron, you just dont get it do you. you have the IQ of a labradoodle.... i pity youre lack of compassion & intelligence. you really are an ignorant & stupidly moronic human being... i have no respect for you because you deserve none.
@DrMMHMD I dont agree with you're thoughts because it appears you live in an Ivory Tower where the world is perfect & everybody on the planet has the same equal access to a decent education, where every government in the world provides an essential education for it's people. That sadly isnt the case if i may burst youre bubble.....some people have to go out & teach themselves, which this guy has had the gumtion to do however rudimentary.
@DrMMHMD Being smart isnt just knowing facts, figures & calculations, but it's also being socially & culturally conscious of tho's around the world who dont have the education systems we have in the west. Many kids in the west squander they're academic years, where this guy went to the library & picked up books because his parents couldnt afford schooling for him & decided to teach himself....how many kids in the west would do that rather than hang out on street corners dealing drugs?.
@DrMMHMD What you have said may not be untrue (double negative, i'm being lazy) in the context of the western education system, but in many african states parents cannot afford education at an early age ergo i disagree with you because altho his parents could not send him to school he had the gumption to go to the library & teach himself....how many kids in western society would do that??. He taught himself, and however basic & arcane, he bodged something that gave power to his house.
There are some really ignorant people here.. who obviously have never travelled to Africa or any Third World Country.. probably never even realise these countries exist.. quite sad really... and they say things to make them seem so intelligent..but really all they show is their ignorance, nothing big about that.....
Its not about what he built...
its the fact that he saw a problem and made a solution !!
wake up to the real world,,not the bubble you live in...
I have seen such horrible shit on the News and I have experienced so much horrible shit in my life...when I see stuff like this it just makes me think FUCK YEAH! As long as we have people like this kid in the world the potential for humanity to survive will be great. Out of war, famine, neglect, intolerance, & all of the filth that deteriorates the quality of life for ALL of humanity THANK GOODNESS there are people in this world that stand in the face of adversity & they make this a better world
What I want to know is this, those who have a hate for a race of people, what have YOU done to make this world a better place to live in? This young man has taken from his poverty to make the life of his people better.
For not only is he producing electricity but also pumping water for crops. All of you haters, have you done at least this much with your lives? Some how, I doubt it. Wiliam, you rock dude!!
When i was 16 i went to a mechanics training course in the uk and got taught by an african man called Enric. He wasn't the best at english but could fix a car using anything. He told us a story about when he first got to the uk he used to fix his first car using tin cans to make oil filters until he could afford a real one. Just goes to show that if it needs making someone will figure out how to make it without modern day things.
should put things in perspective for many... alt energy is something many of us want, but in some places of the world.. these alt methods are the only ones available... even more important that we advance and spread green tech ideas
He hasnt stolen anything..... all materials are either from "scrapyard's" or the bush, like the gum tree's for the frame.... what he's done is shown ingenuity by combining a few humble & unorthadox items to create something usefull. If all that electricity's used for is charging phones like you say then turn you're power off & save the rest of the youtube community from reading you're moronic drivvle.
@DrMMHMD You are free to express your opinions on here...but i can`t help but wonder of such negativity you`ve expressed!!!Do you have anger/jealousy issues by any chance?
@DrMMHMD I agree completely with chirchisawesum...Do you think your cool posting shit like that? Every single post by you is complete ignorance, and aggravating to everyone. Do us all a favor and shut the fuck up. To be honest, no one gives 2 fucks about your negativity. Honestly, hop off this dude and do something better with yourself. Oh, and the next time you when to say something like stupid "this isn't original" i advise you read his fucking book and understand his situation.
Everyone should know this his story, it is the single most inspirational thing I've ever heard, and his book is incredible, I think everyone should read it.
@DrMMHMD Ok.... the world would be better if people like you didn't exist. This kid built a FUNCTIONAL WINDMILL out of parts from the junkyard! And, on top of that, his entire village was starving! He hardly had anything to eat, and had to drop out of school because his family couldn't afford it. Yet he managed to do this all by himself with scrap metal, a bicycle dynamo, and some raw information on how to apply energy (the books were in English also, which was not his native tongue) So fuck off
When I watch this, I cannot stop laughing! He knows very little English and probably knows very little Malay. And yet he is as smart as a real life McGuyver could be. This is very ironic, because I am now facing a terrible decision in my life. I dropped out of college and I don't know whether I should come back. I mean "I have to have some degree". Sadly, the best I could get is is somewhere between bachelor and phd. This guy has an "awesome" degree.
Does a man from Malawi need to have perfect English skills in order to be smart? I just read William's book "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind".
I don't know any Chichewa - do you? I can't speak his native language, yet I'm a smart student. William dropped out of high school because his family couldn't even afford to eat....... yet he was able to make his "electric wind". Plus a radio transmitter. And a water pump.
Maybe it's time to redefine what you think of as "smart".
@Drummadude123 I think you didn't read my post thoroughly. I was actually making the same point you did, you know, that no one needs a degree or even be literate. To make a long story short, I was actually praising him in a very positive way.
PS: If you read my post, you will notice that I am the one who dropped out of high school. Not him. =)
In my country (Swiss) you always get asked to donate money to Africa and I always say money doesn't help them. It's the enviroment we need to build for them. Schools, energy, libraries everything helps them to be indipendet and so their economy. So if you wana change the poverty, don't donate or send them stuff, go there and help them. That's more than any dollar worth.
William your the best example of how we can change our destiny.
If you're so smart and built a flux capacitor for your DeLorean at 14 why don't you just do something for the world and stop making troll comments on youtube?
sabaxp, hershey, prospectnyc, jose, zoey, I +1 for all of you. You guys are able to recognize the significance of this story. Your words and your reflections demonstrate that you are intelligent, supportive, and good at communicating your ideas. The world needs more people like the 5 of you as well as tenacious and imaginative people like Mr. Kamkwamba.
Hey Zoey, dun worry about the negativity from other people. Reality is, for every good endeavour, there r people who encourage u and then there r people who will do anything to insult, criticize ur dreams and goals. For the latter group, only they know what lead them to do that. "People dun care how much you know, until they know how much you care". DrMMHMD has every right to voice his opinion. That doesn't mean he is racist, he is just unimpressed. Nothing we say can convince him otherwise :-).
Initially, I thought the same thing when I realized he just read library books and copied it. What I hadn't realized at the time was that he couldn't read much so he basically just looked at the images and had to improvise in certain parts-many ingeniously.
He also created his own circuit breaker from scratch using spare parts.
Enter this in google and click on the first result: "the daily show william kamkwamba" (without the quotation marks)
@Hershey regardless of whether william k is genius or not, the fact is he used his head and did something to improve his own situation. this racist guy DrMMHMD is probably envious because he is more than likely to be a fat white guy who is incapable of doing anything more than sitting on his obese ass eating battery chicken KFC and getting brain washed by his government and his red-neck, inbred trailer trash relatives. Surely only retarded trailer trash could say such racist comments like that.
i cant believe some of the comments im seeing.obviously you dont know much about the world.what were u doing at the age of 14?
this boy has NEVER been to school, isnt educated, has no resources n didnt even know english. Never seen a phone/computer/tv b4 in his life. yet he managed to read several books and made electricity (literally out of trash he picked up) happen for his family.
The technology isn't the focal point of this showcase; it's the young man's initiative and undeniable use of ingenuity with incredibly limited resources.
What were you doing at 14?
It is this kind of creative impulse that serves as the catalyst for the world's greatest inventions.
How sad to see so much anger, racism and ignorance come up in response to a person who did something impressive. Doesn't matter what his race, he did something to learn and improve his situation at a young age. That's admirable. Many people who are responding here are not.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
One of the things here is a windmill is not that hard to make, but @ first world countries there are too much people who want to stay behind a desk and keep their hands out of dirt. They don't even want to clean their own houses for god's sake.
it's funny how timid worthless people are like superman on the internet. is this lookin fer someone to argue with hin? He should find a friend or sumtin.
Hey idiot, if you do your research, you will find that he DID build a second windmill that DOES power an irrigation pump for his neighborhood, allowing his family to harvest 2 times a year and have a garden in his front yard.
first canada sucks so much dick. Canadian english is british english cuz they have always been their bitches. They didn't and don't have balls to stand up nd say "no taxation without representation mofo." Also this guy is f*ckin amazing, forced to not go to school but determined enough to figure shit out anyway. That's the only way you can surivive a world filled with retards like DrMMHMD, just do wut u gotta no matter what.
RetardedPeopleLegion I agree with you about not to replay to this ignorant. First of all his not a doctor and his not from Canada either but been in Canada for the last 6 years. and his name is MOHAMMED and yes he was in Africa to steal diamong and gold. he being in jail in Africa for almost a year for molesting a 5 year old child and that's the fact of him been in africa and all this hate he get for the black people....
are you white? do you enjoy degrading people who want to better themselves? were you molested by your uncle? did you suck teacher's dick to pass Med school (if you even went to one)?
So you are a Dr. and can't even spell Organization. The thing about this kid is that when there was no electricity and noone to make it, not only did he build a windmill with scrap parts but he built it by teaching himself how to read and how to understand the components of the windmill. DId you become a Dr. at age 14 by teaching yourself you fucking prick?
I think you're rather being stupid, talking like this! 19 yr olds in Europe and America are thinking of forming gangs and using knives and guns to shoot themselves!! 14 yr olds who are out of school join gangs and become NEETS and end up in prison by the time they are 19.
I'm sorry for you whoever you are by thinking that putting lights in a hut will bring in flies, because you have never lived in a hut. Think carefully, and hope you do something useful with your life to benefit your community
This kid was sneaking into school when his parents couldn't afford it until he got caught and kicked out. He learned to make the windmill while looking for books in a library to teach himself some knowledge since he couldn't go to school.
Yet here the US education is free, books are free, the school bus is free and 30% of students drop out.
His book should be required reading. Maybe that would make the lazy fool stay in school.
hahaha william was like "goodbye" walked away, then surprise! a whole crowd standing up to show their appreciation. just freakin' awesome. best of luck to him and his village!
Jesus, this brave kid in Africa is able to do such a spectacular thing, yet if the world helped Africa and all other poor nations there will be many little kids who can accomplish great things.
He fought starvation. He fought poverty. And instead of giving up in life, he got into education and made a windmill.
Why hasn't this kid gotten invitations from Harvard, Oxford, and all of those other top universities? Or at least help him get educated in high school if he needs to finish that.
brave? no,he didn't really choose to live that way so its in no way brave, any more so than its brave for somebody to be middle class than be a billionaire.
brilliant and resourceful, yes,very much so
I saw this kid on the colbert report and it seems like hes got a future going for him,and I'm interested in seeing what he does with this chance at success
Is that guy ever a terrible interviewer! Such a brilliant story and the guy who SPEAKS ENGLISH couldn't help the fellow! Geez, the kid doesn't speak much English. If you ask him a yes/no question, he's only going to say yes or no. Duh.
William has a wonderful book: The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. It's pretty wonderful.
In a country where many believe that crops fail because of evil spirits, he built a device to generate electricity in a village that has none. An astonishing achievement.
I agree, the way the interviewer phrases the questions is very difficult to understand for someone who is not used to that way of talking. Instead of saying "and you made it out of what?" he could be more direct and say "what did you make it out of?". You can see William looking a bit perplexed by the interviewer.
If many of us had met him at some point, let's say in the US in a grocery store line and chatted. Most would assume he is of low intelligience. Like I always say.."Never judge a book by it's cover". He is such an inspiration!!!
remarkable story. thanks for posting. If you get a moment come stop by our channel. We made the evolution of song. We sing and play the instruments starting from early chant going up through present day music in 8 minutes. Great video
finally a non-corrupt african using his brain and creating something, and it was from reading his books. He could be like the inventor of fiber-optics (mensah)
Not only did he build a windmill to produce power, he sold the power to people who needed to charge cell phones. He did this in Africa. If we tried this in America, the politicains ( eg.. Ted Kennedy vs. Cape Wind) would stop us.
Shows how innovative man is when he needs to be. We teach in our society to work for something that we create, money, fame, power ,when we as a species should be exploring the universe and working to understand our existence.
From what I have understood about windmill's number of blades has to do with the ratio of radius vs. resistance. Longer blades=less blades, and more torque and less resistance on the wind and application. Shorter blades=more blades? ... less efficiency but proportional to the technological capacity to achieve a desired power output, more resistance, his seem spot on!
viet jealousy...jealousy...You'll find all over the world someone who's a little smarter than you, even if he's a poor black...Keep that in mind and go and read Confucius (a Chinese not a viet) again (if you ever did it before)
I dont think there is a local RadioShack or Home Depot in his area. I mean he built the thing out of wood and an old bike. Not to mention access to information like we have on the net. Talk about see outside the Box ,on many levels.
he should talk in his own language with somebody translating it, or subtitles, his language skills just arent good enough. the message basically is ``i made a windmill, with 4 wings instead of 3 wings´´. if you take this as a talk, then its really not interesting compared to what we normally get.
That's true, but the message was already pretty amazing. The fact that he adjusted an existing design to make better usage of a natural energy resource! I'm stunned!
I dont think they would just put some charity case up on stage. You are just missing the point.His english is just as fair as most of our mixed US population. There are already windmills with 4 blades but the 14 year old kid figured out on his own that 4 blades were more efficient than the books example of 3. This shows that he strives for a better life for himself ,his family, village... and so on . And did it with next to nothing. What did you do?=D
Well, the interview guy wasn't asking very good questions. There was no electricity at all in this guy's world. His family couldn't pay for school, so he was at home reading a book and saw a wind-mill with info on how to make it. While he was making it, people made fun of him. Then he hooked up some light bulbs. Hahaha. This kid is amazing.
um.... the kid says that he goes to school, he said that he got the idea after driving back from school. And how could he read a book without an education? It is amazing. I'm not denying that, but your making assumptions that can't be made with the available information. It never says that people made fun of him with he was making it.
actually if you go and read Willliam k.'s blog it gives you a better description of his background situation. the person you replied to wasn't making assumptions she or he read the material else where and used it in her or his comment. Instead of jumping the gun, how about you take like a minute to read something about it. Your comment helped no one, at least the other persons made you wonder whether it was true or not.
The Guy is good, but the interviewer sounds a tad bit condescending to me. The conference seems to be a good way forward. For the World at large.
ShaKambondE 1 month ago
Inspiring story!! makes me wanna build my own windmill.
MainOffenderKZ 2 months ago
I read his book...this dude is a genius. He can absorb so much information from such a tiny source, for example; he read one or two little tattered books IN ENGLISH, which he just barely spoke at the time, and built..THAT. At the age of 14.
TheGreenSnuggie 2 months ago 3
grate kid i love the way he talks and he has charisma too
andreeaweed 2 months ago
This man is remarkable. A self made engineer at the age of 14. I think he must have also had to learn a very difficult language....English. I looked at one video where he was visiting MIT. His English had improved significantly. I would like to read "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind".
dceokusa1 4 months ago
I watched this video and read the book at the same time. :)
LizzMusica 4 months ago
School reading
xbox360fanatic123 5 months ago
I think this is the conference he first went to in Tanzania. They talk about in the book
slim2kev 5 months ago 3
I started reading his book last night and I just got done with it, very uplifting
slim2kev 5 months ago
@DrMMHMD You should really change your name to DrHate. If you had checked out all of his videos and accomplishments you would have read that he was also using one to pump water for crops. But no,,,,, DrHate here did not read much or check out any of the other videos and is too busy with his racial hatred showing who the real ignorant one is here and might be the real thief.
sonofeloah 6 months ago
the guy asking questions is horrible
chefawkes 6 months ago
@DrMMHMD "The individual people are easy to love but the society is fucked." And what then, Dr., of your own society, one which raised you to believe it was worth your time to bicker fruitlessly on the comment section of a video upload website? Kamkwamba is ten times the man you are.
Chipaliwali 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD Geez, easy life for you then. Student loan, people near by who can afford to pay someone else to make a pretty fence panel. And cars too, your one lucky guy. Try living, like the guy in this video, somewhere where if you don't do it, no one will. And no one cares either. Necessity brings out the best in people i guess.
My grandparents did too. The jobs, food, cars, homes and banks where still there. But the men, like now, had been tricked into war. I heard the same stories.
DreamsCatcher101 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD You being a surgeon just proves my point. Rich parents who wanted a good life for their child. You personally are good at taking in facts and being good at taking lessons from others. You have been spoon feed facts and you regurgitate them on command. A cut and paste brain. He lived in africa till he was in his 30's. He had spent his life on hard times where something like an oil filter would cost a months wage. That or learn to make things himself and make a bit of cash too.
DreamsCatcher101 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD Where in what i commented did i say it was perfect? As long as it worked till his next payday and kept the car going who gives a shit if it doesn't work 100%. As long as it keeps the car moving and stops the oil pouring out of a big hole in the engine where the real filter USED to be. Its under a car bonnet anyway.
You sound a lot like a young lad who was there, he used to not believe in other people too. And like him i also bet your shit with your hands.
DreamsCatcher101 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD Just because you don't know how to do it doesn't mean no one else does.
DreamsCatcher101 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD With people like you in the world it only serves to show the gene-pool should have a bucket load of chlorine thrown in it.
HermanTheNinja 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD Im sorry but you are stupid....a complete moron, you just dont get it do you. you have the IQ of a labradoodle.... i pity youre lack of compassion & intelligence. you really are an ignorant & stupidly moronic human being... i have no respect for you because you deserve none.
HermanTheNinja 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD I dont agree with you're thoughts because it appears you live in an Ivory Tower where the world is perfect & everybody on the planet has the same equal access to a decent education, where every government in the world provides an essential education for it's people. That sadly isnt the case if i may burst youre bubble.....some people have to go out & teach themselves, which this guy has had the gumtion to do however rudimentary.
HermanTheNinja 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD Being smart isnt just knowing facts, figures & calculations, but it's also being socially & culturally conscious of tho's around the world who dont have the education systems we have in the west. Many kids in the west squander they're academic years, where this guy went to the library & picked up books because his parents couldnt afford schooling for him & decided to teach himself....how many kids in the west would do that rather than hang out on street corners dealing drugs?.
HermanTheNinja 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD What you have said may not be untrue (double negative, i'm being lazy) in the context of the western education system, but in many african states parents cannot afford education at an early age ergo i disagree with you because altho his parents could not send him to school he had the gumption to go to the library & teach himself....how many kids in western society would do that??. He taught himself, and however basic & arcane, he bodged something that gave power to his house.
HermanTheNinja 7 months ago
Comment removed
HermanTheNinja 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD You are an idiot.... stop trolling you moron. Are you stupid or or something?
HermanTheNinja 7 months ago
There are some really ignorant people here.. who obviously have never travelled to Africa or any Third World Country.. probably never even realise these countries exist.. quite sad really... and they say things to make them seem so intelligent..but really all they show is their ignorance, nothing big about that.....
Its not about what he built...
its the fact that he saw a problem and made a solution !!
wake up to the real world,,not the bubble you live in...
lionsteve29 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD Because it almost rhymes! =D
It's Chichewa, right? Don't flame me, I'm not a native English speaker and I don't even know the names of those countries in Portuguese. =(
I mean, I must know them in Portuguese, but I don't know how it translates. It's difficult like when we have Wales VS País de Gales.
WackoRhailent 7 months ago
@DrMMHMD TROOOOOLLLL IN THE DUNGEON!!
mobilebimpe 7 months ago
he was so nervous.
HectorL360 8 months ago
A great inspiration for the world!
scharling15 8 months ago
I have seen such horrible shit on the News and I have experienced so much horrible shit in my life...when I see stuff like this it just makes me think FUCK YEAH! As long as we have people like this kid in the world the potential for humanity to survive will be great. Out of war, famine, neglect, intolerance, & all of the filth that deteriorates the quality of life for ALL of humanity THANK GOODNESS there are people in this world that stand in the face of adversity & they make this a better world
andyrooney12 9 months ago
... American students have so little appreciation for their education. This man is incredible.
Cheyenne17124 9 months ago 5
Troller of the year goes to: DrMMHMD
MTERM775 10 months ago 4
it's not a windmill! it's a wind turbine generator. please start using the correct terminology people. nothing is being milled by this machine.
in any case. this guy is a genius. we need more like him
anerce 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
i made my dick bigger at 14, can u all congratulate me too? thumbs up
tech4156 11 months ago
So glad I found this vdo...dont know why I feel sad... makes me realize how lucky I am who I am now. .. You are so cool. <3 great inspiration.
lakanasopajan1989 1 year ago
good job young man
kypoppa 1 year ago
tiddios hurt my glavic fork!
southernclassik 1 year ago
He came. He saw. He tried. And he made. William Kamkwamba: c**t punting Nature since 1959.
HuggumsMcgehee 1 year ago
The world will remember William Kamkwamba long after he's gone. Stupid YouTube trolls, not so much.
papadrugio 1 year ago
What I want to know is this, those who have a hate for a race of people, what have YOU done to make this world a better place to live in? This young man has taken from his poverty to make the life of his people better.
For not only is he producing electricity but also pumping water for crops. All of you haters, have you done at least this much with your lives? Some how, I doubt it. Wiliam, you rock dude!!
sonofeloah 1 year ago 5
When i was 16 i went to a mechanics training course in the uk and got taught by an african man called Enric. He wasn't the best at english but could fix a car using anything. He told us a story about when he first got to the uk he used to fix his first car using tin cans to make oil filters until he could afford a real one. Just goes to show that if it needs making someone will figure out how to make it without modern day things.
DreamsCatcher101 1 year ago
@DreamsCatcher101 And that is why human ingenuity is so great.
Yellownealy 11 months ago
should put things in perspective for many... alt energy is something many of us want, but in some places of the world.. these alt methods are the only ones available... even more important that we advance and spread green tech ideas
FLPman 1 year ago
Read his book "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"...very inspiring!
kmanr1990 1 year ago 22
i <3 you! i read his book... i suggest to the 7 ppl who disliked this to read it
Vb2010TUTz 1 year ago
He hasnt stolen anything..... all materials are either from "scrapyard's" or the bush, like the gum tree's for the frame.... what he's done is shown ingenuity by combining a few humble & unorthadox items to create something usefull. If all that electricity's used for is charging phones like you say then turn you're power off & save the rest of the youtube community from reading you're moronic drivvle.
HermanTheNinja 1 year ago
his book was the only book i ever read
ATLienSlin 1 year ago
@DrMMHMD You are free to express your opinions on here...but i can`t help but wonder of such negativity you`ve expressed!!!Do you have anger/jealousy issues by any chance?
santewes 1 year ago
African mind is creative if it has had the opportunity
szervosz 1 year ago
The 7 people who disliked this have insecurity issues.
William is the man. Reading his book inspired me like never before in my life.
goosejuice288 1 year ago 5
Grass roots change, what an inspirational guy.
pgeeme 1 year ago
@DrMMHMD I agree completely with chirchisawesum...Do you think your cool posting shit like that? Every single post by you is complete ignorance, and aggravating to everyone. Do us all a favor and shut the fuck up. To be honest, no one gives 2 fucks about your negativity. Honestly, hop off this dude and do something better with yourself. Oh, and the next time you when to say something like stupid "this isn't original" i advise you read his fucking book and understand his situation.
AoD3xXMasTerMinDXx 1 year ago 3
Everyone should know this his story, it is the single most inspirational thing I've ever heard, and his book is incredible, I think everyone should read it.
CHURCHISAWESUM 1 year ago
@DrMMHMD Ok.... the world would be better if people like you didn't exist. This kid built a FUNCTIONAL WINDMILL out of parts from the junkyard! And, on top of that, his entire village was starving! He hardly had anything to eat, and had to drop out of school because his family couldn't afford it. Yet he managed to do this all by himself with scrap metal, a bicycle dynamo, and some raw information on how to apply energy (the books were in English also, which was not his native tongue) So fuck off
CHURCHISAWESUM 1 year ago 3
The black guy has a really nice sounding accent.
lauraleesmithagain 1 year ago
I think this guy is a miracle!
People buy his book and read it! It may change your view on life!
joepke80 1 year ago
How in the hell do you click the dislike button on something like this?
HuggumsMcgehee 1 year ago
@HuggumsMcgehee Sometimes I hit dislike button by mistake on things.
lauraleesmithagain 1 year ago
@lauraleesmithagain It happens.
HuggumsMcgehee 1 year ago
This is very impressive and inspiring for all people interested in renewable energy
TheCoolNewStuff 1 year ago
read his book! it is called "the boy who harnesses the wind". It is fantastic
SNAZZYGOLDFISHES 1 year ago
When I watch this, I cannot stop laughing! He knows very little English and probably knows very little Malay. And yet he is as smart as a real life McGuyver could be. This is very ironic, because I am now facing a terrible decision in my life. I dropped out of college and I don't know whether I should come back. I mean "I have to have some degree". Sadly, the best I could get is is somewhere between bachelor and phd. This guy has an "awesome" degree.
I am so happy for him!
WackoRhailent 1 year ago
@WackoRhailent
Does a man from Malawi need to have perfect English skills in order to be smart? I just read William's book "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind".
I don't know any Chichewa - do you? I can't speak his native language, yet I'm a smart student. William dropped out of high school because his family couldn't even afford to eat....... yet he was able to make his "electric wind". Plus a radio transmitter. And a water pump.
Maybe it's time to redefine what you think of as "smart".
Drummadude123 1 year ago
@Drummadude123 I think you didn't read my post thoroughly. I was actually making the same point you did, you know, that no one needs a degree or even be literate. To make a long story short, I was actually praising him in a very positive way.
PS: If you read my post, you will notice that I am the one who dropped out of high school. Not him. =)
WackoRhailent 1 year ago
Cool!
Pasky1382 1 year ago
What an amazing young man!
mrbr549 1 year ago 4
@DrMMHMD You are jealous. You cow!
proudSomalisis 1 year ago
William, Africa needs people like you, our world needs people like you. Thanks for your extraordinary work.
manh2hung 1 year ago
Just read the book...this very moment was described in his book. "i try and i made" very cool
pygamebooker 1 year ago 2
@pygamebooker reading the book was like watching a movie. amazing.
sakahari 1 year ago
In my country (Swiss) you always get asked to donate money to Africa and I always say money doesn't help them. It's the enviroment we need to build for them. Schools, energy, libraries everything helps them to be indipendet and so their economy. So if you wana change the poverty, don't donate or send them stuff, go there and help them. That's more than any dollar worth.
William your the best example of how we can change our destiny.
123timooo 1 year ago
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lol @ DrMMHMD
If you're so smart and built a flux capacitor for your DeLorean at 14 why don't you just do something for the world and stop making troll comments on youtube?
holyfap 1 year ago
nice dreams. i really wish u all good in thins endeavor dear.
mazalale 1 year ago 3
He is so inspiring, built a freaking wind mill from scratch at 14. Just wow. And I don't think he had prior knowledge of electrical physics. Kuods.
worries 2 years ago 17
not really the right video to be adverstising luxery performance cars
luckynumber58 2 years ago 6
I agree zoey...no schooling and he still does it
THEhallsofillusions 2 years ago
sabaxp, hershey, prospectnyc, jose, zoey, I +1 for all of you. You guys are able to recognize the significance of this story. Your words and your reflections demonstrate that you are intelligent, supportive, and good at communicating your ideas. The world needs more people like the 5 of you as well as tenacious and imaginative people like Mr. Kamkwamba.
trainmaster500 2 years ago
Hey Zoey, dun worry about the negativity from other people. Reality is, for every good endeavour, there r people who encourage u and then there r people who will do anything to insult, criticize ur dreams and goals. For the latter group, only they know what lead them to do that. "People dun care how much you know, until they know how much you care". DrMMHMD has every right to voice his opinion. That doesn't mean he is racist, he is just unimpressed. Nothing we say can convince him otherwise :-).
sabaxp 2 years ago 4
In other words, diddly squat!
Hershey 2 years ago 2
You should give credit where credit is due.
Initially, I thought the same thing when I realized he just read library books and copied it. What I hadn't realized at the time was that he couldn't read much so he basically just looked at the images and had to improvise in certain parts-many ingeniously.
He also created his own circuit breaker from scratch using spare parts.
Enter this in google and click on the first result: "the daily show william kamkwamba" (without the quotation marks)
Hershey 2 years ago 3
@Hershey regardless of whether william k is genius or not, the fact is he used his head and did something to improve his own situation. this racist guy DrMMHMD is probably envious because he is more than likely to be a fat white guy who is incapable of doing anything more than sitting on his obese ass eating battery chicken KFC and getting brain washed by his government and his red-neck, inbred trailer trash relatives. Surely only retarded trailer trash could say such racist comments like that.
elfietan 1 year ago
You (DrMMHMD) are racist and jealous because you cant do anything. Idiot!!! What have you done?????
William Kamkwamba inspires people with his great job. Good Job Kamkwamba
joseluisy73 2 years ago 4
i cant believe some of the comments im seeing.obviously you dont know much about the world.what were u doing at the age of 14?
this boy has NEVER been to school, isnt educated, has no resources n didnt even know english. Never seen a phone/computer/tv b4 in his life. yet he managed to read several books and made electricity (literally out of trash he picked up) happen for his family.
he deserves a standing ovation
what an inspiring story!!
zoey0518 2 years ago 5
+1 on what spatty918 had commented.
The technology isn't the focal point of this showcase; it's the young man's initiative and undeniable use of ingenuity with incredibly limited resources.
What were you doing at 14?
It is this kind of creative impulse that serves as the catalyst for the world's greatest inventions.
prospectnyc 2 years ago 5
Lol just like jealousy has existed since the beginning of time
martynainghis 2 years ago 2
Amazing
npatrick67 2 years ago 2
How sad to see so much anger, racism and ignorance come up in response to a person who did something impressive. Doesn't matter what his race, he did something to learn and improve his situation at a young age. That's admirable. Many people who are responding here are not.
spatty918 2 years ago 83
This comment has received too many negative votes show
One of the things here is a windmill is not that hard to make, but @ first world countries there are too much people who want to stay behind a desk and keep their hands out of dirt. They don't even want to clean their own houses for god's sake.
adrek09 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Dam too much rednecks here.
I bet all these fuc@#$s were raped by his white uncle.
adrek09 2 years ago
it's funny how timid worthless people are like superman on the internet. is this lookin fer someone to argue with hin? He should find a friend or sumtin.
The1jchr1st1an 2 years ago
you need help and please don't come to africa you are worser than a disease.
oduro0111 2 years ago 7
Hey idiot, if you do your research, you will find that he DID build a second windmill that DOES power an irrigation pump for his neighborhood, allowing his family to harvest 2 times a year and have a garden in his front yard.
BlackCloverRecords 2 years ago 3
Stop it! The only reason for this horrible nastiness is jealousy. Just make your own windmill! You'll feel much better.
Treecrow9 2 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
canada eats shit, DrMMHMD eats shit, and africanamamu eats shit
NYDMT 2 years ago
first canada sucks so much dick. Canadian english is british english cuz they have always been their bitches. They didn't and don't have balls to stand up nd say "no taxation without representation mofo." Also this guy is f*ckin amazing, forced to not go to school but determined enough to figure shit out anyway. That's the only way you can surivive a world filled with retards like DrMMHMD, just do wut u gotta no matter what.
The1jchr1st1an 2 years ago
DO NOT REPLY TO ANYTHING THIS DrMMHD bitch says.
He is a troll he just wants to start a stupid argument.
IGNORE HIM.
RetardedPeopleLegion 2 years ago 5
RetardedPeopleLegion I agree with you about not to replay to this ignorant. First of all his not a doctor and his not from Canada either but been in Canada for the last 6 years. and his name is MOHAMMED and yes he was in Africa to steal diamong and gold. he being in jail in Africa for almost a year for molesting a 5 year old child and that's the fact of him been in africa and all this hate he get for the black people....
africanamamu 2 years ago
Just ignore that mothafucka and where did you get this info from?
are you just DickheadMMHD in disguise?
RetardedPeopleLegion 2 years ago 6
Comment removed
africanamamu 2 years ago
africanamamu ur retarded
The1jchr1st1an 2 years ago
No i am not black but I am a colored person.
are you white? do you enjoy degrading people who want to better themselves? were you molested by your uncle? did you suck teacher's dick to pass Med school (if you even went to one)?
Stop being a faggot ass canadian troll "Doctor".
RetardedPeopleLegion 2 years ago 5
So you are a Dr. and can't even spell Organization. The thing about this kid is that when there was no electricity and noone to make it, not only did he build a windmill with scrap parts but he built it by teaching himself how to read and how to understand the components of the windmill. DId you become a Dr. at age 14 by teaching yourself you fucking prick?
anisamara 2 years ago 2
Shut the fuck up! no one cares if your a fuckin 'doctor". You never did anything for the better of your community. Fuckin faggot.
RetardedPeopleLegion 2 years ago 2
And what were you doing in Africa mr. so call Dr.MMHMD, selling drugs ? 'cause you either a stupid drugt addict or ignorant....or maybe both....
africanamamu 2 years ago
I think you're rather being stupid, talking like this! 19 yr olds in Europe and America are thinking of forming gangs and using knives and guns to shoot themselves!! 14 yr olds who are out of school join gangs and become NEETS and end up in prison by the time they are 19.
I'm sorry for you whoever you are by thinking that putting lights in a hut will bring in flies, because you have never lived in a hut. Think carefully, and hope you do something useful with your life to benefit your community
paakooms 2 years ago 5
0/10 for crappy trolling.
ToquiGambit 2 years ago
This kid was sneaking into school when his parents couldn't afford it until he got caught and kicked out. He learned to make the windmill while looking for books in a library to teach himself some knowledge since he couldn't go to school.
Yet here the US education is free, books are free, the school bus is free and 30% of students drop out.
His book should be required reading. Maybe that would make the lazy fool stay in school.
ToquiGambit 2 years ago 8
Good job my African brother.. I wish u all the best..
constantinlegrand 2 years ago 7
Inspirational. I feel so lazy when I here stories like this. I feel like an underachiever
eon001 2 years ago 5
now if only american children had his resolve
TimeLord6646 2 years ago 4
Never
Supernova310 2 years ago
american children are eaten up by consumerism and could give less about what goes on in the world
andyx1205 2 years ago 4
Exactly
Supernova310 2 years ago
hahaha william was like "goodbye" walked away, then surprise! a whole crowd standing up to show their appreciation. just freakin' awesome. best of luck to him and his village!
guitar16 2 years ago 2
Jesus, this brave kid in Africa is able to do such a spectacular thing, yet if the world helped Africa and all other poor nations there will be many little kids who can accomplish great things.
He fought starvation. He fought poverty. And instead of giving up in life, he got into education and made a windmill.
Why hasn't this kid gotten invitations from Harvard, Oxford, and all of those other top universities? Or at least help him get educated in high school if he needs to finish that.
andyx1205 2 years ago 2
brave? no,he didn't really choose to live that way so its in no way brave, any more so than its brave for somebody to be middle class than be a billionaire.
brilliant and resourceful, yes,very much so
I saw this kid on the colbert report and it seems like hes got a future going for him,and I'm interested in seeing what he does with this chance at success
Lazerjo2000 2 years ago 3
great guy
matyuk54 2 years ago
Good job William. The interviewer must be more professional than this.
kannika12 2 years ago 2
Ace guy.
emnanii 2 years ago
Well done William, your country thanks you.
rgoliver 2 years ago 3
damn, this boy should be a inspiration for us all.
17drw 2 years ago 6
Is that guy ever a terrible interviewer! Such a brilliant story and the guy who SPEAKS ENGLISH couldn't help the fellow! Geez, the kid doesn't speak much English. If you ask him a yes/no question, he's only going to say yes or no. Duh.
William has a wonderful book: The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. It's pretty wonderful.
In a country where many believe that crops fail because of evil spirits, he built a device to generate electricity in a village that has none. An astonishing achievement.
mdr0ck 2 years ago 5
I agree, the way the interviewer phrases the questions is very difficult to understand for someone who is not used to that way of talking. Instead of saying "and you made it out of what?" he could be more direct and say "what did you make it out of?". You can see William looking a bit perplexed by the interviewer.
joebloggsgogglebox 2 years ago 2
So you start by insulting the kid, then you battle yourself by saying he doesn't speak much english so of course he will only say Yes or no.
Drippy89694 2 years ago 2
If many of us had met him at some point, let's say in the US in a grocery store line and chatted. Most would assume he is of low intelligience. Like I always say.."Never judge a book by it's cover". He is such an inspiration!!!
TrachMom 2 years ago 3
Young brilliant mind, rich in natural resources, what is Africa waiting for?
NYDASH28 2 years ago
Thank you William, from one Malawian to another.
bigdmia 2 years ago 7
This has been flagged as spam show
remarkable story. thanks for posting. If you get a moment come stop by our channel. We made the evolution of song. We sing and play the instruments starting from early chant going up through present day music in 8 minutes. Great video
thanks
LeonardandPaul 2 years ago
finally a non-corrupt african using his brain and creating something, and it was from reading his books. He could be like the inventor of fiber-optics (mensah)
tech4156 2 years ago 3
a black man in the dust in Africa and now the want him because of his blessings.
seemangal123 2 years ago
just love it..
proudSomalisis 2 years ago
mukubwera bwino achimwene
meths696 2 years ago
And he's so matter-of-fact about it all.
True Africans.
TetuaMaana 2 years ago
What other potential are we burying when we allow stressful environments to persist in parts of our great continent?
TetuaMaana 2 years ago 4
Yeah. He's like "so, I wanted to build a windmill for electricity so I went and read a book and built it"!
Great stuff. Very simple but very inspiring
AfricansArise 2 years ago 12
" and i try, and i made it "
a true autodidact at heart!
abyssquick 2 years ago 6
I love this story. I hope he becomes the Thomas Edison of Malawian, and runs and electric company.
daddeo01905 3 years ago 3
Try and fail but never fail to try
bakaira 3 years ago 6
Now this is amazing stuff, without a doubt
LusoCMD 3 years ago
malawi moto nice one abambo
nthawi 3 years ago
this shows the power of an idea,with knowledge
africa can grow and have a brighter future
guzguz1 3 years ago
I love how people who don't have TV or celebrity in their culture and so humane and humble.
macflyfilm 3 years ago 18
Not only did he build a windmill to produce power, he sold the power to people who needed to charge cell phones. He did this in Africa. If we tried this in America, the politicains ( eg.. Ted Kennedy vs. Cape Wind) would stop us.
daddeo01905 3 years ago 4
Well, not really. You would be checked, but successful buisnesses are popping up all.
MysteriousDoor 2 years ago
Shows how innovative man is when he needs to be. We teach in our society to work for something that we create, money, fame, power ,when we as a species should be exploring the universe and working to understand our existence.
Spfourl 3 years ago 3
"I got information about the windmill, and I tried and I made it."
He is an example to us all. PULL YOUR FINGER OUT, EVERYONE.
BenjaminBattington 4 years ago 6
This is a wonderful story.
InTheSticks1881 4 years ago
I was impressed by William, not the rich mans energy "solution" bmw advertisement that preceeded and followed.
grapes128 4 years ago
please let it open to the ingenuity of the young man/women if he/she could.
artamatra 4 years ago
Go9od luck my friend, you are a genius!
gloriatomoshimassu 4 years ago 3
This is only the beginning. We shall awake from our slumber and teach the world how to build more than just windmills.
Mrmoc9 4 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Yeah, just think if he would have wanted a nuke.
NuclearHellFire 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Yeah lol! I wish he'd wanted a nuke! Me and him would have been world super powers by now, and bully everybody else like USA does!
strongpikin 3 years ago
Solar is the future of power generation in western countries. Wind power is the future in the developing world.
celshader 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Don't forget nuke!
NuclearHellFire 4 years ago
Wonderful young man. Inspiring to say the least.
ejoso 4 years ago 4
I am impressed. He makes me proud.
outthetube 4 years ago
From what I have understood about windmill's number of blades has to do with the ratio of radius vs. resistance. Longer blades=less blades, and more torque and less resistance on the wind and application. Shorter blades=more blades? ... less efficiency but proportional to the technological capacity to achieve a desired power output, more resistance, his seem spot on!
chachalaca777 4 years ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
how is he an inventor? did he invent a 4th wing on a windmill?
xnugyen 4 years ago
viet jealousy...jealousy...You'll find all over the world someone who's a little smarter than you, even if he's a poor black...Keep that in mind and go and read Confucius (a Chinese not a viet) again (if you ever did it before)
kestaha 4 years ago 7
I dont think there is a local RadioShack or Home Depot in his area. I mean he built the thing out of wood and an old bike. Not to mention access to information like we have on the net. Talk about see outside the Box ,on many levels.
jojo808 4 years ago 8
He knows some physics... His education has made him to be an electrical engineering.Really, curage and incentive is all it takes to be something!
lordmetroid 4 years ago 2
I am deeply impressed by the skills of this young man and i wish him luck with all his future projects. Thanks for posting.
mixedpixel 4 years ago 3
mhm, interesting, but...
he should talk in his own language with somebody translating it, or subtitles, his language skills just arent good enough. the message basically is ``i made a windmill, with 4 wings instead of 3 wings´´. if you take this as a talk, then its really not interesting compared to what we normally get.
kurtilein3 4 years ago
That's true, but the message was already pretty amazing. The fact that he adjusted an existing design to make better usage of a natural energy resource! I'm stunned!
bramcorleone 4 years ago 2
this is not about what YOU get, in case you did not get that ;-)
mixedpixel 4 years ago 2
true
harkedai 3 years ago
I dont think they would just put some charity case up on stage. You are just missing the point.His english is just as fair as most of our mixed US population. There are already windmills with 4 blades but the 14 year old kid figured out on his own that 4 blades were more efficient than the books example of 3. This shows that he strives for a better life for himself ,his family, village... and so on . And did it with next to nothing. What did you do?=D
jojo808 4 years ago 15
Well, the interview guy wasn't asking very good questions. There was no electricity at all in this guy's world. His family couldn't pay for school, so he was at home reading a book and saw a wind-mill with info on how to make it. While he was making it, people made fun of him. Then he hooked up some light bulbs. Hahaha. This kid is amazing.
NuclearHellFire 4 years ago 10
um.... the kid says that he goes to school, he said that he got the idea after driving back from school. And how could he read a book without an education? It is amazing. I'm not denying that, but your making assumptions that can't be made with the available information. It never says that people made fun of him with he was making it.
zippythewildone 4 years ago
actually if you go and read Willliam k.'s blog it gives you a better description of his background situation. the person you replied to wasn't making assumptions she or he read the material else where and used it in her or his comment. Instead of jumping the gun, how about you take like a minute to read something about it. Your comment helped no one, at least the other persons made you wonder whether it was true or not.
shostetter06 4 years ago 4
you need saving or something is that what you got from watching this clip
nthawi 3 years ago