ABOUT THE SPEAKER
William Kamkwamba - Inventor
To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap -- starting him on a journey detailed in the book and film "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind."

Why you should listen

William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, is a born inventor. When he was 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, working from rough plans he found in a library book called Using Energy and modifying them to fit his needs. The windmill he built powers four lights and two radios in his family home.

After reading about Kamkwamba on Mike McKay's blog Hactivate (which picked up the story from a local Malawi newspaper), TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor spent several weeks tracking him down at his home in Masitala Village, Wimbe, and invited him to attend TEDGlobal on a fellowship. Onstage, Kamkwamba talked about his invention and shared his dreams: to build a larger windmill to help with irrigation for his entire village, and to go back to school.

Following Kamkwamba's moving talk, there was an outpouring of support for him and his promising work. Members of the TED community got together to help him improve his power system (by incorporating solar energy), and further his education through school and mentorships. Subsequent projects have included clean water, malaria prevention, solar power and lighting for the six homes in his family compound; a deep-water well with a solar-powered pump for clean water; and a drip irrigation system. Kamkwamba himself returned to school, and is now attending the African Leadership Academy, a new pan-African prep school outside Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kamkwamba's story is documented in his autobiography, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. A  documentary about Kamkwamba, called William and the Windmill, won the Documentary Feature Grand Jury award at SXSW in 2013 (watch a trailer ). You can support his work and other young inventors at MovingWindmills.org.


More profile about the speaker
William Kamkwamba | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2009

William Kamkwamba: How I harnessed the wind

William Kamkwamba: Haizea nola ustiatu nuen

Filmed:
2,717,871 views

14 urterekin, pobretasun eta gosez inguraturiko mutil malawiar honek haizerrota bat eraiki zuen bere familiaren etxeari energia emateko. Orain 22 urterekin, William Kamkwambak TEDen hitz egiten duen bigarren aldi honetan, bere bizitza aldatu zuen sorkuntzari buruzko istorio hunkigarria partekatzen du bere hitzen bidez.
- Inventor
To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap -- starting him on a journey detailed in the book and film "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Thank you.
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Eskerrik asko.
00:15
Two years ago, I stood on the TED stage in Arusha, Tanzania.
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Badira bi urte Arushan, Tanzanian, TED agertokira igo nintzenetik.
00:19
I spoke very briefly about one of my proudest creations.
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Bertan, harroen nagoen nire sorkuntzetariko bati buruz hitz egin nuen.
00:24
It was a simple machine that changed my life.
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Nire bizitza aldatu zuen makina sinple bat zen.
00:28
Before that time,
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Hura baino lehen
00:30
I had never been away from my home
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inoiz ez nintzen nire Malawiko etxetik
00:33
in Malawi.
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urrun egon.
00:36
I had never used a computer.
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Inoiz ez nuen ordenagailu bat erabili.
00:38
I had never seen an Internet.
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Inoiz ez nuen Interneta ikusi.
00:42
On the stage that day, I was so nervous.
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Egun hartan, agertokian, oso urduri nengoen.
00:47
My English lost,
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Ingelesa ahaztu zitzaidan
00:51
I wanted to vomit.
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eta oka egiteko gogoa neukan.
00:53
(Laughter)
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(Algarak)
00:57
I had never been surrounded by so many azungu,
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Inoiz ez nuen inguruan horrenbeste azungu,
01:01
white people.
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pertsona txuri, izan.
01:03
(Laughter)
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(Algarak)
01:06
There was a story I wouldn't tell you then.
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Orduan ezin izan nuen nahi nuen istorioa kontatu.
01:09
But well, I'm feeling good right now.
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Baina orain, ondo sentitzen nahiz eta
01:12
I would like to share that story today.
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istorio hura gaur partekatzea nahi nuke.
01:15
We have seven children in my family.
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Familian zazpi anai-arreba gara.
01:17
All sisters, excepting me.
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Denak neskak, ni izan ezik.
01:21
This is me with my dad when I was a little boy.
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Hona nire aita eta biok txikia nintzenean.
01:26
Before I discovered the wonders of science,
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Zientziaren mirariak ezagutu baino lehen,
01:29
I was just a simple farmer
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nekazari bat besterik ez nintzen
01:31
in a country of poor farmers.
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nekazari pobrez beteriko herrialde baten.
01:34
Like everyone else, we grew maize.
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Gainerakoak bezala, artoa lantzen genuen.
01:38
One year our fortune turned very bad.
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Urte baten, gure zoriak txarrera egin zuen.
01:43
In 2001 we experienced an awful famine.
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2001. urtean, izugarrizko gosetea jasan genuen.
01:48
Within five months all Malawians began to starve to death.
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Bost hilabeteren buruan Malawiko biztanleak gosez hiltzen hasi ziren.
01:55
My family ate one meal per day, at night.
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Nire familian egunean behin besterik ez genuen jaten, gauean.
01:59
Only three swallows of nsima for each one of us.
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Hiru nsima mokadu soilik bakoitzak.
02:03
The food passes through our bodies.
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Janariak gure gorputzetan sartu-irten bat besterik etzuen egiten.
02:05
We drop down to nothing.
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Gero eta argalago geunden denok.
02:09
In Malawi, the secondary school,
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Malawin, bigarren hezkuntza jasotzeko,
02:12
you have to pay school fees.
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eskola-tasak ordaindu behar dira.
02:14
Because of the hunger, I was forced to drop out of school.
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Gosetea zela eta, eskola utzi behar izan nuen.
02:20
I looked at my father
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Nire aita begiratu nuen,
02:22
and looked at those dry fields.
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eta gero zelai lehor haiek.
02:24
It was the future I couldn't accept.
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Onartu ezinezko etorkizun bat zen.
02:28
I felt very happy to be at the secondary school,
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Bigarren hezkuntza jasotzeko irrikatzen nengoen.
02:32
so I was determined to do anything possible
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Beraz, heziketa lortzeko ahalegin denak
02:37
to receive education.
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egiteko gertu nengoen.
02:39
So I went to a library.
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Horrela, liburutegira joan nintzen.
02:41
I read books, science books, especially physics.
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Zientzia liburuak irakurtzen hasi nintzen, fisika liburuak gehien bat.
02:45
I couldn't read English that well.
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Ez nuen ingelesa horren ondo irakurtzen.
02:47
I used diagrams and pictures
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Diagrama eta irudiak erabili nituen
02:50
to learn the words around them.
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alboko hitzen esanahia ikasteko.
02:55
Another book put that knowledge in my hands.
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Liburu bat izan zen jakituria nire eskuetan jarri zuena.
02:59
It said a windmill could pump water and generate electricity.
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Haizerrota batek ura ponpatu eta elektrizitatea sortu ahal zuela zioen.
03:05
Pump water meant irrigation,
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Ura ponpatzeak ureztaketa suposatzen du.
03:08
a defense against hunger,
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Orduan jasaten hari ginen goseteari
03:10
which we were experiencing by that time.
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aurre egiteko defentsa.
03:14
So I decided I would build one windmill for myself.
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Beraz, haizerrota bat neuk eraikitzea erabaki nuen.
03:18
But I didn't have materials to use,
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Baina ez neukan materialik.
03:21
so I went to a scrap yard
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Txatartegi batera joan behar izan nuen
03:23
where I found my materials.
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beharrezko materialak aurkitzeko.
03:26
Many people, including my mother,
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Jende askok, nire amak barne,
03:30
said I was crazy.
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zoratuta nengoela esan zidaten.
03:32
(Laughter)
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(Algarak)
03:34
I found a tractor fan,
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Traktore baten haizagailua aurkitu nuen,
03:36
shock absorber, PVC pipes.
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malgukia, PVC tutuak.
03:38
Using a bicycle frame
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Txirrindu baten markoa
03:41
and an old bicycle dynamo,
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eta dinamo zahar bat erabiliz,
03:45
I built my machine.
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nire makina eraiki nuen.
03:47
It was one light at first.
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Hasieran argi bat besterik ez geneukan.
03:50
And then four lights,
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Gero lau izan genituen,
03:53
with switches, and even a circuit breaker,
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dagozkien etengailuekin, baita fusible bat ere,
03:58
modeled after an electric bell.
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guztia sistema elektriko baten antzera.
04:02
Another machine pumps water
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Beste makina batek ura ponpatzen zuen
04:06
for irrigation.
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ureztaketa xedeetarako.
04:09
Queues of people start lining up at my house
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Nire etxearen aurrean jende-ilarak sortzen hasi ziren
04:12
(Laughter)
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(Algarak)
04:14
to charge their mobile phone.
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beren telefono mugikorrak kargatzeko asmoz.
04:16
(Applause)
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(Txaloak)
04:20
I could not get rid of them.
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Ezin nintzen beraietaz libratu.
04:22
(Laughter)
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(Algarak)
04:24
And the reporters came too,
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Eta kazetariak ere etorri ziren,
04:27
which lead to bloggers
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gero blog idazleak,
04:29
and which lead to a call from something called TED.
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eta ondorioz TED izeneko zerbaiten dei bat jaso nuen.
04:34
I had never seen an airplane before.
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Inoiz ez nuen hegazkin bat ikusi.
04:36
I had never slept in a hotel.
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Inoiz ez nuen hotel baten lo egin.
04:39
So, on stage that day in Arusha,
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Beraz, Arushako agertoki artan,
04:43
my English lost,
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ingelesa ahaztu zitzaidan,
04:46
I said something like,
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Gutxi gora behera, honakoa esan nuen
04:49
"I tried. And I made it."
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"Ahalegindu naiz eta lortu dut."
04:53
So I would like to say something
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Beraz, ondorengoa esan nahi nuke
04:55
to all the people out there like me
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ni bezalako pertsona guztiei,
04:58
to the Africans, and the poor
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afrikarrei eta pobreei
05:01
who are struggling with your dreams.
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beraien ametsak lortzeko gogor lan egiten dutenei,
05:05
God bless.
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Jaunak bedeinka zaitzatela.
05:07
Maybe one day you will watch this on the Internet.
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Agian, noizbait hau Interneten ikusteko aukera izango duzue.
05:11
I say to you, trust yourself and believe.
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Entzun esan nahi dudana: izan konfiantza zeuengan eta sinetsi.
05:16
Whatever happens, don't give up.
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Edozer gertatzen dela ere, segi aurrera.
05:18
Thank you.
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Eskerrik asko.
05:20
(Applause)
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(Txaloak)
Translated by Ibai Aramburuzabala Arrieta
Reviewed by Jon Goikolea

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
William Kamkwamba - Inventor
To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap -- starting him on a journey detailed in the book and film "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind."

Why you should listen

William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, is a born inventor. When he was 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, working from rough plans he found in a library book called Using Energy and modifying them to fit his needs. The windmill he built powers four lights and two radios in his family home.

After reading about Kamkwamba on Mike McKay's blog Hactivate (which picked up the story from a local Malawi newspaper), TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor spent several weeks tracking him down at his home in Masitala Village, Wimbe, and invited him to attend TEDGlobal on a fellowship. Onstage, Kamkwamba talked about his invention and shared his dreams: to build a larger windmill to help with irrigation for his entire village, and to go back to school.

Following Kamkwamba's moving talk, there was an outpouring of support for him and his promising work. Members of the TED community got together to help him improve his power system (by incorporating solar energy), and further his education through school and mentorships. Subsequent projects have included clean water, malaria prevention, solar power and lighting for the six homes in his family compound; a deep-water well with a solar-powered pump for clean water; and a drip irrigation system. Kamkwamba himself returned to school, and is now attending the African Leadership Academy, a new pan-African prep school outside Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kamkwamba's story is documented in his autobiography, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. A  documentary about Kamkwamba, called William and the Windmill, won the Documentary Feature Grand Jury award at SXSW in 2013 (watch a trailer ). You can support his work and other young inventors at MovingWindmills.org.


More profile about the speaker
William Kamkwamba | Speaker | TED.com