Summary
When William arrived in Arusha, he found himself comparing the city to Lilongwe in Malawi. Many things were the same, from children hawking cigarettes on the road to minibuses full of people, but there was also Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance, which William observed with awe. Once William entered the TED conference room, he discovered even more. The person signing him in was Tom, and he showed him a laptop, making a presentation for William's talk based on pictures he carried on a USB stick. William discovered the wonders of the internet and email. He found himself faced with bounties of food. He also came into contact with some of the most influential people of Africa. He was nervous for his own presentation, but many were inspired by his story, and told him so.
Because of his presentation, William garnered the attention of certain investors, who Tom approached with hopes of funding his education. All offered their resources to him, and when William returned to Malawi, he was also offered a place at African Bible College Christian Academy, where he continued his education alongside people from all over the world. He also met Mike McKay, who had first boosted his story, and learned about Baobab Health, founded by Soyapi Mumba. This system made administrative tasks in any hospital more technologically updated and changed the organization of the hospital.
While in school, he fell under the tutelage of Blessings Chikakula, who aided William's English education greatly. His presence was a motivating factor for William, and when he returned home after talking to so many worldly people, he was able to give back to the people who helped him along his journey, such as by repaying Gilbert for his parts purchases and making a water pump for his mother and all the women of the village.
In 2007, William visited the United States with Tom for the Christmas holidays, and there faced the technologies and innovations of New York City. He went sightseeing, and flew to the West Coast as well to visit, among other things, a zoo, a casino, and an electronics show. The excess of American cities was shocking to William, especially when he compared it to his home, which lacked many basic necessities.
The final stop of his trip was the windmills outside of Los Angeles, and there, William was struck by how different they looked to his windmill. Seeing these, William felt a great hope for the future, and reflected on how his simple desire to try led him to this place, so many miles from home and with many more to go.
In the epilogue to this book, William describes some of his activities following the international community's discovery of his windmill. At the World Economic Forum on Africa conference, for example, he met President Bingu wa Mutharika, and because of his favorable policies towards farmers, approached him and was able to get a picture. Following his global fame, William took part in the inaugural class of the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, a rigorous academic setting that continued William's education, but also introduced him to many other important young people in Africa, fellow students doing their part to progress the African continent in any way they can. Despite his fame and activities around the world though, William still goes home to Malawi to do repairs on his windmill and visit his family.
Analysis
Chapter 15 mainly deals with the difficulties of adapting to a new environment, and the reflections that come with that. William is exposed to many new technologies, some of which are not necessarily recent but still new to him. From his new email account to his experience at a casino, William discovers many new machines in a relatively short amount of time. Of course, the introduction of these objects is wonderful and delightful, especially since he can introduce them in turn to his hometown and elevate their standard of living. For example, William endows every home in Wimbe with solar panels, which literally and figuratively places Malawi on the international map.
However, one of the main thoughts that William has in reaction to his international fame is the fact that countries like the US can erect tall skyscrapers in short amounts of time, yet Malawi cannot provide clean water to its residents during decades of independence. The irony of this situation does not escape William, and his frustration is clear in this quote, "Americans could build these skyscrapers in a year, but in four decades of independence, Malawi can't even pipe clean water to a village" (277). The phrase "can't even" reveals some of William's frustrations with the government of Malawi, but also a lack of foreign aid.
The resourcefulness of Africa is also seen in the quote, "Where the world sees junk, Africa sees rebirth" (267). Thinking critically about this quote will result in the realization that Africa has all the junk of the world because the Global North gave it to them. Africans must "think creatively" because they have to, which is both inspiring and frustrating. Africans are doing well, and reusing the world's trash, but the world should not continue to dump its trash on Africa.
In his trip to America, William sees a far more advanced version of his windmill from back home, and reflects on his journey to get there, to that vast place of wind. The book ends on a note of uncertainty, but not indecision. "They seemed to be telling me something—that I didn't have to decide just then" (281). In many ways, the windmill project came out of necessity, but now that William's basic needs are being met, he no longer needs to worry about electricity and water in the same way as before. Instead, he can start thinking about larger change, such as teaching others, getting an education, and improving the lives of more people in Malawi than before.
