Synopses & Reviews
andldquo;A hopeful narrative about a continent on the rise.andrdquo; andmdash;New York Times Book Review andquot;For anyone who wants to understand how the African economy really works, The Bright Continent is a good place to start.andquot; andmdash;Reuters
Dayo Olopade knew from personal experience that Western news reports on conflict, disease, and poverty obscure the true story of modern Africa. And so she crossed sub-Saharan Africa to document how ordinary people deal with their daily challenges. She found what cable news ignores: a continent of ambitious reformers and young social entrepreneurs, driven by kanjuandmdash;creativity born of African difficulty. Itandrsquo;s a trait found in pioneers like Kenneth Nnebue, who turned cheap VHS tapes into the multimillion-dollar film industry Nollywood. Or Ushahidi, a technology collective that crowdsources citizen activism and disaster relief. A shining counterpoint to the conventional wisdom, The Bright Continent rewrites Africaandrsquo;s challenges as opportunities to innovate, and celebrates a history of doing more with less as a powerful model for the rest of the world.
andquot;[An] upbeat study of development in Africa...The book is written more in wonder at African ingenuity than in anger at foreign incomprehension.andquot; andmdash;The New Yorker
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Review
“An inspiring tale of an African Cheetah--the new generation of young Africans who wont sit and wait for corrupt and incompetent governmentsor vampire states to come and do things for them. Here is one who harnessed the wind to generate electricity for his villageon his own.” Professor George Ayittey, Distinguished Economist, American University
Review
“William will challenge everything you have thought about Africa, about young people, and about the power of one person to transform a community. This beautifully written book will open your heart and mind. I was moved by William and his story and believe you all will. Essential, powerful and compelling.” Chris Abani, author of Graceland
Review
“William Kamkwamba is an alchemist who turned misfortune into opportunity, opportunity beyond his own. The book is about learning by inventing. Williams genius was to be ingenious.” Nicholas Negroponte, founder, MIT Media Lab, founder and chairman, One Laptop per Child
Review
“A rare and inspiring story of hope in rural Africa....William represents a new generation of Africans, using ingenuity and invention to overcome lifes challenges. Where so many tilt at windmills, William builds them!” Erik Hersman, AfriGadget.com
Review
“I was moved first to laughter, and then to tears by Williams explanation of how he turned some PVC pipe, a broken bicycle and some long wooden poles into a machine capable of generating sufficient current to power lights and a radio in his parents house. Ethan Zuckerman, cofounder, Global Voices
Review
“This exquisite tale strips life down to its barest essentials, and once there finds reason for hopes and dreams, and is especially resonant for Americans given the economy and increasingly heated debates over health care and energy policy.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“This book is inspirational. What William did took nothing more than initiative and a little learning.... Theres never been a better time to Do It Yourself, and I love how much we can learn from those who often have no other choice.” Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired and author of Free and The Long Tail
Review
“I first met William on stage at TED.... His story, told in just a couple of minutes, was both astonishing and exhilarating. This book proves what those few minutes hinted at: a remarkable individual capable of inspiring many to take their future into their own hands.” Chris Anderson, TED Curator
Review
“This book.... is a testament to the power of a dream and the freedom that comes from accomplishing a sustainable way of life. Read this book, act on its message and pass it on.” Carter Roberts, President & CEO, WWF
Review
“One of the best books Ive ever read.” Mark Frauenfelder, founder of boingboing.net, editor in chief of MAKE
Review
“The book abounds with themes that resonate deeply: the idea that with hard work and persistence comes triumph; that optimism is not a mental state but a type of action, that from grief and loss can come success.” Nathaniel Whittemore, Change.org
Review
“William Kamkwambas achievements with wind energy should serve as a model of what one person, with an inspired idea, can do to tackle the crisis we face. His book tells a moving and exciting story.” Al Gore, former Vice President and Nobel Laureate
Review
“A powerful read. This book takes you on a journey to discover pure innovation and the unfolding story of a natural genius. A true vision of struggle and tenacity to make a bold idea become a reality. This should be required reading for anyone who dares to dream.” Cameron Sinclair, Eternal Optimist, Architecture for Humanity
Review
“This is an amazing, inspiring and heartwarming story! Its about harnessing the power not just of the wind, but of imagination and ingenuity. Those are the most important forces we have for saving our planet. William Kamkwamba is a hero for our age.” Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein and Benjamin Franklin
Review
“Wonderful! I challenge you to read this story of one young man changing his corner of the world with nothing but intelligence and perseverance and not come away more hopeful about the prospects for a brighter, greener future.” Alex Steffen, editor, Worldchanging.com
Review
“Beyond opening the door to a nascent genre of African Innovation literature, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind makes excuses about why Africans cant change their fates untenable. This potent, powerful, and uplifting message is the heart of William Kamkwambas courageous story.” Emeka Okafor, internationally acclaimed author of blogs Timbuktu Chronicles and Africa Unchained
Review
“I loved this enchanting story of a humble young hero from an impoverished African village who accomplished a miracle with scrap materials and unstoppable enthusiasm. What an inspiration!” Mark Frauenfelder, founder of boingboing.net, editor in chief of MAKE
Review
“A moving, touching, important story. One more reminder of how small the world is and how powerful the human spirit can be.” Seth Godin, author of Tribes
Review
“ In this book, the spirit, resilience and resourcefulness that are Africas greatest strengths shine through.... The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a remarkable story about a remarkable young man and his inquisitive and inventive mind.” Amy Smith, founder, D-Lab, MIT
Review
andldquo;A corrective to Africaandrsquo;s image as a dark, hopeless place . . . A hopeful narrative about a continent on the rise.andrdquo; andmdash;
New York Times andldquo;The author gives a multitude of examples and a huge mass of fascinating detail. Her case is persuasive . . . for anyone who wants to understand how the African economy really works, The Bright Continent is a good place to start.andrdquo; andmdash; Reuters
andldquo;The Bright Continent will change your view of Africa. Itand#39;s that simple. Dayo Olopade looks with the eyes of a first-generation Nigerian American and sees a landscape of ingenuity, technological innovation, and grit. A lively and enjoyable read.andrdquo; andmdash; Anne-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO of the New America Foundation and professor emerita of politics and international affairs at Princeton University
andldquo;[Olopade] seamlessly traverses the continent, threading a narrative that shows how African innovation is playing a vital role in its own development . . . This book is filled with numerous examples that ought to make you rethink your perceptions of Africa.andrdquo; andmdash; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
andldquo;Together, these maps form a new mental and strategic landscape, one based on possibilities, not merely perils, and we should be grateful to Olopade for her reimagined cartography.andrdquo; andmdash;Cleveland Plain Dealer
andldquo;Dayo Olopade has written a book that bracingly lives up to its title. In it, an Africa we are all too unaccustomed to seeing comes vividly to life thanks to her restless eye and keen curiosity. It is one of local solutions born of necessity and local heroes who arise from even the most fragile soil.andrdquo; andmdash; Howard French, associate professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and author of A Continent for the Taking
andldquo;This book captures the complex thoughts of a whole generation of young Africans. Olopade shows Africa as it is, a complicated space occupied by real people with the desire and the power to shape our futures.andrdquo; andmdash; Uzodinma Iweala, author of Beasts of No Nation and editor of Ventures Africa magazine
andldquo;The Bright Continent is a long-overdue and much-needed corrective to the dominant perception of Africa. It is a book loaded with revelations of heroic, and often ingenious lives, all of which are eloquently and poignantly brought to life through Dayoandrsquo;s brilliant observations.andrdquo; andmdash; Dinaw Mengestu, author of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and All Our Names
andldquo;The Bright Continent is an absolute brightness. Sidestepping dead-end debates, the indefatigable Olopade maps out a contemporary Africa which is vital and self-reliant. Her definition of the Yoruba term kanju as andlsquo;specific creativity born from African difficultyandrsquo; will enter the English language. Through strong reporting and clear thinking, Olopade demonstrates how to improve the lives of African youth stuck in a purgatory of andlsquo;waithood.andrsquo; This is essential reading.andrdquo; andmdash; J. M. Ledgard, director, Future Africa, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and longtime Africa correspondent for the Economist
andldquo;In her debut book, Nigerian-American journalist Olopade finds qualified cause for optimism about Africaandrsquo;s future . . . A refreshingly hopeful argument, well grounded in data and observation andmdash; of considerable interest to students of geopolitics, demographics and economic trends.andrdquo; andmdash;Kirkus Reviews
andldquo;Nigerian-American journalist Olopadeandrsquo;s first book rebuts the view of Africa as mired in poverty, war, and failed aid projects, and instead offers a hopeful perspective.andrdquo; andmdash; Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger. But William had read about windmills, and he dreamed of building one that would bring to his small village a set of luxuries that only 2 percent of Malawians could enjoy: electricity and running water. His neighbors called him misala—crazy—but William refused to let go of his dreams. With a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks; some scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves; and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to forge an unlikely contraption and small miracle that would change the lives around him.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a remarkable true story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. It will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.
Synopsis
The path to progress in Africa lies in the surprising and innovative solutions Africans are finding for themselves
About the Author
Dayo Olopade is a Nigerian-American journalist coveringandnbsp;global politics, development policy, and technology.andnbsp;She consults onandnbsp;frontier market strategyandnbsp;within the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
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Dayo has been aandnbsp;correspondent in Washington and in Nairobi, reporting for publications includingandnbsp;The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, The New York Timesandnbsp;andandnbsp;The Washington Post. andnbsp;
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She holds BA, JDandnbsp;andandnbsp;MBA degrees from Yale University, and currently lives in New York.