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Alistair Nwachukwu as William Kamkwamba and cast. Picture: Tyler Fayose The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind The Royal Shakespeare Company The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
William Kamkwamba’s incredible true
story deserves to be shared far and wide and just as the wind blows the
windmill sails, so too should the remarkable power of a young teenager's
dream to save his community be carried in strength and direction at the
RSC this March as we drift ever closer to Spring Equinox. We as humans should be
guided by nature and energy, which envelops a multifaceted concept
across philosophical, ecological and psychological dimensions
highlighting the interconnection between humanity and the natural world,
we just need to listen, learn and be inspired by
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. ‘Why show a child the sky, then tell him not to
fly?’ William, (Alistair Nwachukwu), from a small
village in Malawi called Wimbe, lived with his father Trywell, (Sifiso
Mazibuko) and mother Agnes, (Madeline Appiah), and at the grand old age
of 14, built a wind turbine out of discarded scrap parts to power first
electrical appliances in the home but to then pump water from deep
underground to irrigate the fields during drought to bring his community
out of starvation and desecration with a dynamo. Fighting against the odds, with a Hyena stalking
for failure, William kept going and with tenacity and inventiveness
provided a foreseeable and sustainable future. This story is not from 100s of years ago, William
was born in 1987, he is 38 years right now and it was only in 2001 that
he gained renown in his country for building his life saving wind
turbine. A flight from the UK to nearest airport to Wimbe,
being in Lilongwe, takes on average 14-15 hours and in Wimbe right now
extreme poverty, chronic food shortages due to drought and flooding,
barriers to education and high rates of HIV/AIDS. This moving
performance at the RSC brings the emotion through dance, powerful choral
and hope. Songs of lamentation and celebration lift the spirits high and
ooze positivity and light while sharing the hardship and struggles, like
Spring, there are new shoots of growth and fresh beginnings. The powerful, stormy, relationship between father
and son really tethers the whole play together and pulls at the heart
strings with veracity and what a voice from Mazibuko. High energy, high
stakes and high emotion leave your senses buzzing with excitement for
what can be achieved against all odds and a wave of awareness that this
is just the beginning of the story. Focus on a high-energy
celebration of one boy's ingenuity and resilience in the path of drought
and starvation and discover inspiration at the RSC until March 28, where
The Swan Theatre is transformed into Masitala Village in Malawi. Tickets
are available over the phone on
01789 331111 or check
out the website rsc.org.uk Emma Trimble 28-02-26 |
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