Joe Dean

Betsy Natter
Design and Society
10/22/14
Kamkwamba Diversity: Stereotypes
Stereotypes are how humans efficiently group information. However, they can prevent us
from seeing the differences in individual people. The book, The Boy Who Harnessed the
Wind, written by William Kamkwamba, gives us an opportunity to look at the details of
individuals lives, and discern whether these stereotypes can interfere with our judgment of
others.
There are quite a few stereotypes prevalent about Africa, and some of them are based on
truth. For example, everyone in Africa is poor is a common stereotype, and many people in
Africa are indeed poor. Being uneducated and having HIV or AIDS are others that have some
basis in truth. Another stereotype is that all Africans are primitive; that they possess little to no
technology and have barbaric behaviors.
These stereotypes wouldnt exist if they werent based on some kind of truth. They have
to have originated from somewhere, and they have to continue to be believed. In the book,
Kamkwambas father is a farmer because he didnt have enough education to get a better job. He
knows that school is important for his son, because life as a farmer doesnt provide a lot. Yet a
large part of the population consists of farmers, which we can use to infer that most of these
people are uneducated to a degree. The book also shows that most, if not all, of the people in
Kamkwambas village believe in magic. Malawi as a whole believes in magic, according to him.

This does add some truth to the all Africans are primitive stereotypedepending on your view
of what primitive is. Not to mention the lack of modern housing and technology.
However, there are plenty of examples of individuals who dont conform to these
stereotypes. Kamkwamba himself, is the most obvious example. The fact that he learned about
physics all on his own, and applied his learnings in his life, goes against the idea that everyone in
Africa is uneducated or primitive. The creation of the Wimbe Youth Friendly Health Services
Club proves that some Africans have learned about or want to learn about HIV. And they work
to educate others about such topics as well, trying to change the currentand what one might
call primitiveviews on HIV. Technology isnt all that uncommon either, according to the book.
Its not particularly what we might consider modern, but cell phones, televisions, computers, and
other electronic devices can be found all throughout Malawi.
Stereotypes are a natural human behavior, and are great for making generalizations since
we cant possibly remember every individual detail. But when we apply stereotypes to
individuals, we dont really see the person as they are. We see them as their stereotypes. And if
thats all we see, then the real person, and everything they have to offer, will be ignored.