The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Characters

Chief Wimbe’s second in command and bodyguard.

Trywell’s brother who established a farm in Malawi and convinced Trywell to join him in the countryside. John has two sons, Jeremiah and Geoffrey.

Uncle John’s oldest son and Geoffrey’s older brother. Jeremiah inherits John’s farms, but is too irresponsible to correctly manage them and loses much of his family’s wealth. Jeremiah provides a vision of the type of life that William would like to avoid.

Trywell’s brother and William’s uncle.

Trywell’s brother and William’s uncle, as well as the original owner of Khamba.

William’s oldest sister, who eloped with a teacher named Mike during the famine.

William’s sister.

William’s sister.

William’s sister.

William’s sister.

William’s youngest sister and the baby of the Kamkwamba family.

William’s grandfather and Trywell’s father. Grandpa lived in a time when Malawi was still wild and the influence of magic was far more pronounced.

William’s older cousin who lives in Mzuzu town and has a cell phone.

William’s older cousin who lives at the Mphala, a home for unmarried boys.

One of Charity’s friends, a fellow boy at the Mphala (home for unmarried boys).

Agnes’ older brother, who helps arrange the marriage between Trywell and Agnes though he is not in favor of the match.

A teacher in Mtunthama who falls in love with Annie and convinces her to elope during the 2000-2002 famine.

The president of Malawi from 1971 to 1994, who freed Malawi from British rule but turned the government into a dictatorship. Banda put harsh restrictions on everyday life in Malawi, but did try to support Malawian farmers like Trywell.

The president of Malawi from 1994 to 2004. Muluzi is a businessman who attempts to revitalize the Malawian economy but puts harsh burdens on the rural Malawian farmers. Muluzi sells off the surplus of maize and ignores the Malawian famine, causing huge devastation to many Malawian communities.

The president of Malawi from 2004 to 2012. William admires Mutharika for the subsidies he offered to Malawian farmers and the aid he gave to rural communities in times of hardship. William met Mutharika in 2007.

One of the most famous Malawian Reggae singers, and Trywell’s favorite musician.

A legendary chief of the Chewa people in Malawi, the focal point of one of William’s favorite stories.

the head prosecutor in Dowa who convinces Trywell to stop living a life of drinking and fighting and rededicate himself to the Christian faith.

A worker on Uncle John’s farm who supposedly has super strength through a magical ritual called mangolomera.

Phiri’s nephew who tricks William into going through a magic mangolomera ritual to give him super strength.

William’s neighbor who has many mango trees.

A trader in Malawi who sells maize.

William’s teacher at Kachokolo Secondary School until William no longer has the money for the school fees.

The Headmaster at Kachokolo Secondary School where William attends for a few weeks.

The librarian at the small library in the Wimbe Primary School.

A welder who helps William weld together the parts for his windmill.

The owner of a hardware shop in the trader center where William wants to buy parts for his windmill.

The owner of a barber shop in Wimbe.

The owner of a convenience store in Wimbe.

A professor with the Malawi Teacher Training Activity who took interest in William and his windmill, and helped spread William’s windmill story to innovators around the world.

A software engineer and coder at Baobab Health who works to computerize Malawi’s health care system and brings William’s story to Mike McKay.

An American engineer and coder who works at Baobab Health with Soyapi Mumba and wrote about William’s story on his blog Hacktivate.

A Nigerian blogger and entrepreneur, as well as the program director of TEDGlobal 2007. Okafor invited William to apply to be a fellow at TEDGlobal.

A fellow at TEDGlobal who helps William start raising money to improve conditions in Wimbe.

The TED curator at TEDGlobal 2007 who interviews William about his windmill.

A British-Canadian computer scientist who lives in Lilongwe and offers William a place to stay while William attends the African Bible College Christian Academy.

William’s tutor at the African Bible College Christian Academy, who himself overcame poverty and famine to gain an education.