Green maize, somewhat similar to American corn, the first edible crop of the harvest season. Dowe is often cooked in the field as a treat for the start of harvest time after the hunger season in Malawi.
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Dowe Term Timeline in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
The timeline below shows where the term Dowe appears in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8
...crop continues to ripen. William estimates twenty more days before the first green maize, called dowe, will be ready to eat. He dreams about the sweet taste of this plant, likening...
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At the beginning of March, William begins checking the dowe to see if it is ready. Finally, the crop is ripe and William races back...
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As dowe and pumpkins bring people back from the edge of starvation, the village begins to reawaken....
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Chapter 9
During the famine, most students stopped going to school, but the arrival of dowe and pumpkins means that the village has enough energy to resume classes. Sadly, William still...
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