economics

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am in Malawi right now and was pleased to stumble upon a copy of “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” at a friend’s house where I was staying in Lilongwe. I hadn't met William Kamkwamba, author of the book, yet, but did know that he had help writing his story. Before reading the book I was a bit concerned that his voice might not come through strongly and that it would be written in the polished English of a native speaker. As I began reading, I quickly started enjoying the sound of William's very Malawian voice coming through clearly. I enjoyed endearing English phrases you hear only in Malawi and the Chichewa words inserted throughout the text.

This is a story of resourcefullnes and ingenuity in the most desperate of circumstances. Malawi is indeed a poor country, but the story that doesn't get told often enough is how rich it is as well. There are many youth like William in Malawi who are bright, talented and creative. Unfortunately, more often than not, they don't have the opporutnity to realize their full potential. I am thrilled that William's story is being shared with the world and that he now finds himself with opportunities that will enable him to fulfill his dreams. My hope is that more of his counterparts will also find ways to see their own hopes become a reality.

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I started sponsoring a child from Haiti with Compassion International as a young college student.  Ever since then, Haiti has always held a special place in my heart.  Today, with news of an earthquake that has devestated the country, affecting at least 1 million people (1/3 of the country's population), I am saddenned.  It has been an upward battle for this poor, developing country, and just as they were making progress in areas like health and political stability, this is an incredibly huge setback to say the very least.  Right now Haiti is in crisis mode and the international community is acting quickly to provide assistance.  I urge you to conssider a donation to World Care which is active in relief efforts in Haiti. 

In addition, Dsenyo is donating 20% of online sales for the month of January to World Care for Haiti.  You can shop online at our Etsy store and we will donate 20% of your entire order.

I fell asleep to the sounds of African drumming and women singing all through the night. Didn't sleep much actually, which is fine, because I rested under my mosquito net, curled up on my reed mat, and loved hearing the sounds of the initiation ceremony in the background.  There is a primal and instinctual connection I feel to the people here.  I feel this especially on days like yesterday when I had the opportunity to dance with the village women as they began the ceremony initiating a young woman into motherhood.  I think about the history behind these traditions and how far reaching...

I moved back to the Boulder area about a year ago, after being away for eight years. As a resident of the City of Lafayette and Boulder County, I have been impressed and overwhelmed by the opportunities to progress my art career. I have found avenues to be part of a studio tour (EBCA), help found a new artist-owned cooperative (pARTiculars), participate in fundraising for a non-profit through my art (Art for a Cause) and gain PR coverage of my activities as an artist (Southwest Magazine, Sept 2008 issue).

Given all of this exciting activity, I was pleasantly surprised to see two recent articles in the Boulder Daily Camera covering a national report by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) which named Boulder/Longmont area the #6 Artsy city in the U.S.. You can read the complete article titled, "It's Official: Boulder's Arty" here.

In response to the NEA article, Malia Thompson with the Boulder County Arts Alliance followed up with an editorial about how economically valuable artist are to our community. Not only does art enrich our spirits and expand our minds, but it is also a healthy economic engine. Art events (gallery shows, plays, concerts, galas, etc.) not only benefit the artists involved, but also the community entities (restaurants, hotels, retail businesses, and more) which support guests visiting the shows. Thank you Malia for sharing this insight. I hope it helps us develop a more complete understanding of the important role that the arts play in our society. Read the full editorial titled, "Art Community Needs Local Support" here.