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: Cum am valorificat vântul

Filmed:
2,717,871 views

La vârsta de 14 ani, în sărăcie şi foamete, un băiat Malawian a construit o moară de vânt pentru a-şi alimenta casa familiei lui. Acum, la 22 de ani, William Kamkwamba, care vorbeşte la TED, aici, pentru a doua oară, împărtăşeşte cu cuvintele lui povestea emoţionantă a invenţiei care i-a schimbat viaţa.
- 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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Vă mulţumesc.
00:15
Two yearsani agoîn urmă, I stooda stat on the TEDTED stageetapă in ArushaArusha, TanzaniaTanzania.
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Acum doi ani am stat pe scena TED în Arusha, Tanzania.
00:19
I spokevorbit very brieflyscurt about one of my proudestcel mai mandru creationscreații.
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Am vorbit foarte pe scurt despre una din cele mai însemnate creaţii ale mele.
00:24
It was a simplesimplu machinemaşină that changedschimbat my life.
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Era o maşină simplă care mi-a schimbat viaţa.
00:28
Before that time,
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Înainte de acel timp
00:30
I had never been away from my home
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nu mai fusesem niciodată departe de casa mea
00:33
in MalawiMalawi.
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din Malawi.
00:36
I had never used a computercomputer.
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Nu folosisem niciodată un calculator.
00:38
I had never seenvăzut an InternetInternet.
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Nu văzusem niciodată Internet-ul.
00:42
On the stageetapă that day, I was so nervousagitat.
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Pe scenă, în acea zi, am fost foarte emoţionat.
00:47
My EnglishEngleză lostpierdut,
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Engleza pierdută,
00:51
I wanted to vomitvoma.
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îmi venea să vomit.
00:53
(LaughterRâs)
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(Râsete)
00:57
I had never been surroundedinconjurat by so manymulți azunguazungu,
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N-am mai fost niciodată înconjurat de atâţia azungu,
01:01
whitealb people.
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oameni albi.
01:03
(LaughterRâs)
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(Râsete)
01:06
There was a storypoveste I wouldn'tnu ar fi tell you then.
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A fost o poveste pe care nu v-am spus-o atunci.
01:09
But well, I'm feelingsentiment good right now.
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Dar, ei bine, mă simt bine acum.
01:12
I would like to shareacțiune that storypoveste todayastăzi.
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Aş vrea să vă împărtăşesc povestea aceea astăzi.
01:15
We have sevenȘapte childrencopii in my familyfamilie.
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Suntem şapte copii în familia mea.
01:17
All sisterssurori, exceptingcu exceptia me.
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Toate surori, cu excepţia mea.
01:21
This is me with my dadtata when I was a little boybăiat.
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Acesta sunt eu cu tatăl meu când eram un mic copil.
01:26
Before I discovereddescoperit the wondersminuni of scienceştiinţă,
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Înainte de a descoperi minunile ştiinţei,
01:29
I was just a simplesimplu farmeragricultor
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am fost doar un simplu fermier
01:31
in a countryțară of poorsărac farmersagricultori.
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într-o ţară de fermieri săraci.
01:34
Like everyonetoata lumea elsealtfel, we grewcrescut maizeporumb.
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Ca toţi ceilalţi, creşteam porumb.
01:38
One yearan our fortuneavere turnedîntoarse very badrău.
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Într-un an am avut un ghinion foarte mare.
01:43
In 2001 we experiencedcu experienta an awfulîngrozitor faminefoamete.
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În 2001 a fost o foamete grozavă.
01:48
WithinÎn cadrul fivecinci monthsluni all MalawiansMalawians begana început to starvemor de foame to deathmoarte.
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În cinci luni toţi Malawinienii au început să moară de foame.
01:55
My familyfamilie atea mancat one mealmasă perpe day, at night.
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Familia mea mânca o singură masă pe zi, seara.
01:59
Only threeTrei swallowsÎnghite of nsimamiru for eachfiecare one of us.
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Doar trei înghiţituri de nsima pentru fiecare dintre noi.
02:03
The foodalimente passestrece throughprin our bodiesorganisme.
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Mâncarea trecea prin corpurile noastre.
02:05
We dropcădere brusca down to nothing.
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Noi rămâneam cu nimic.
02:09
In MalawiMalawi, the secondarysecundar schoolşcoală,
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În Malawi, la şcoala gimnazială,
02:12
you have to paya plati schoolşcoală feestaxele.
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trebuie să plăteşti taxe de şcolarizare.
02:14
Because of the hungerfoame, I was forcedforţat to dropcădere brusca out of schoolşcoală.
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Din cauza foametei, am fost forţat să renunţ la şcoală.
02:20
I lookedprivit at my fatherTată
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M-am uitat la tatăl meu,
02:22
and lookedprivit at those dryuscat fieldscâmpuri.
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şi m-am uitat la acele câmpuri uscate.
02:24
It was the futureviitor I couldn'tnu a putut acceptAccept.
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A fost viitorul pe care nu puteam să-l accept.
02:28
I feltsimțit very happyfericit to be at the secondarysecundar schoolşcoală,
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M-am simţit foarte fericit cât am fost la şcoala gimnazială.
02:32
so I was determineddeterminat to do anything possibleposibil
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Aşa că eram hotărât să fac tot posibilul
02:37
to receivea primi educationeducaţie.
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pentru a primi educaţie.
02:39
So I wenta mers to a librarybibliotecă.
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Aşa că m-am dus la o bibliotecă.
02:41
I readcitit bookscărți, scienceştiinţă bookscărți, especiallyin mod deosebit physicsfizică.
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Citeam cărţi, cărţi de ştiinţă, de fizică în special.
02:45
I couldn'tnu a putut readcitit EnglishEngleză that well.
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Nu puteam citi în Engleză foarte bine.
02:47
I used diagramsdiagrame and picturespoze
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Mă foloseam de diagrame şi imagini
02:50
to learnînvăța the wordscuvinte around them.
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pentru a învăţa cuvintele din jurul lor.
02:55
AnotherUn alt bookcarte put that knowledgecunoştinţe in my handsmâini.
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Altă carte a pus cunoştinţele acelea în mîinile mele.
02:59
It said a windmillmoară de vânt could pumppompa waterapă and generateGenera electricityelectricitate.
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Spunea că o moară de vânt poate pompa apă şi genera electricitate.
03:05
PumpPompa waterapă meanta însemnat irrigationirigare,
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Apă pompată însemna irigaţie.
03:08
a defenseapărare againstîmpotriva hungerfoame,
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O apărare împotriva foametei,
03:10
whichcare we were experiencingse confruntă cu by that time.
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pe care o încercam atunci.
03:14
So I decideda decis I would buildconstrui one windmillmoară de vânt for myselfeu insumi.
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Aşa că m-am hotărât să construiesc o moară de vânt pentru mine.
03:18
But I didn't have materialsmateriale to use,
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Dar nu aveam materiale pe care să le folosesc.
03:21
so I wenta mers to a scrapresturi yardcurte
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Aşa că m-am dus la fier vechi
03:23
where I foundgăsite my materialsmateriale.
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unde mi-am găsit materialele.
03:26
ManyMulte people, includinginclusiv my mothermamă,
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Mulţi oameni, inclusiv mama mea,
03:30
said I was crazynebun.
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au spus că sunt nebun.
03:32
(LaughterRâs)
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(Râsete)
03:34
I foundgăsite a tractortractor fanventilator,
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Am găsit un ventilator de tractor
03:36
shockşoc absorberabsorbant, PVCPVC pipestevi.
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amortizor, ţevi PVC.
03:38
UsingFolosind a bicyclebicicletă framecadru
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Folosind un cadru de bicicletă
03:41
and an oldvechi bicyclebicicletă dynamoDinamo,
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şi un dinam de la o bicicletă veche
03:45
I builtconstruit my machinemaşină.
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mi-am construit maşina.
03:47
It was one lightușoară at first.
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Era o singură lumină la început.
03:50
And then fourpatru lightslumini,
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Şi apoi patru lumini,
03:53
with switchesîntrerupătoare, and even a circuitcircuit breakerîntrerupător,
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cu comutatoare, şi chiar şi cu un întrerupător,
03:58
modeledmodelat after an electricelectric bellclopot.
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modelat după un afiş electric.
04:02
AnotherUn alt machinemaşină pumpspompe waterapă
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O altă maşină pompează apă
04:06
for irrigationirigare.
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pentru irigaţie.
04:09
QueuesCozi of people startstart liningcăptuşeală up at my housecasă
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Cozi de oameni încep să se alinieze la casa mea
04:12
(LaughterRâs)
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(Râsete)
04:14
to chargeîncărca theiral lor mobilemobil phonetelefon.
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pentru a-şi încărca telefoanele mobile.
04:16
(ApplauseAplauze)
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(Aplauze)
04:20
I could not get ridscăpa of them.
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Nu puteam scăpa de ei.
04:22
(LaughterRâs)
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(Râsete)
04:24
And the reportersreporteri camea venit too,
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Au venit şi reporterii,
04:27
whichcare leadconduce to bloggersbloggeri
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care a condus la blogheri
04:29
and whichcare leadconduce to a call from something calleddenumit TEDTED.
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şi care a condus la un telefon de la ceva numit TED.
04:34
I had never seenvăzut an airplaneavion before.
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Nu mai văzusem un avion până atunci.
04:36
I had never sleptdormit in a hotelhotel.
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Nu mai dormisem niciodată într-un hotel.
04:39
So, on stageetapă that day in ArushaArusha,
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Aşa că, pe scenă, în acea zi în Arusha,
04:43
my EnglishEngleză lostpierdut,
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mi-am pierdut Engleza,
04:46
I said something like,
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am spus ceva de genul,
04:49
"I triedîncercat. And I madefăcut it."
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„Am încercat. Şi am reuşit.”
04:53
So I would like to say something
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Aşa că aş vrea să spun ceva
04:55
to all the people out there like me
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către toţi oamenii de-acolo, asemănători mie,
04:58
to the AfricansAfricani, and the poorsărac
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Africanilor, şi săracilor
05:01
who are strugglingluptă with your dreamsvise.
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care se luptă cu visele voastre
05:05
God blessbinecuvânta.
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Doamne-ajută.
05:07
Maybe one day you will watch this on the InternetInternet.
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Poate că într-o zi veţi viziona asta pe Internet.
05:11
I say to you, trustîncredere yourselftu and believe.
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Eu vă spun, aveţi încredere în voi şi credeţi.
05:16
WhateverOricare ar fi happensse întâmplă, don't give up.
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Orice s-ar întâmpla, nu renunţaţi.
05:18
Thank you.
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Mulţumesc.
05:20
(ApplauseAplauze)
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(Aplauze)
Translated by Adrian Fita
Reviewed by Diana Hasegan

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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

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