A Cameroonian teen, Awa Chi Blaise, has distinguished himself as a self-taught engineer by constructing toys that can be controlled with a remote.
Blaise, who is 17, hails from Cameroon’s northwest region where the populace predominantly speaks English. The area has been faced with conflicts and Blaise now has to live in southwest Douala.
Africanews.com reports that Blaise usually takes about two months to finish a build. But that even depends on the availability of materials.
The young prodigy uses materials disposed off by others that include batteries, raffia palm, plywood, paper among others.
“I get some of the material in dust bins, in scraps, radio, and deck (DVD player) because I don’t have money to get the right ones so I decided to work for some dust bin and get the scrap deck, scrap radio and I pick cartons and some plywoods to combine them in my own way to have what I want like to have the caterpillar machine,” Blaise said in an interview.
He explained his creative process where he employs bits of crude knowledge from electronics.
Despite being undoubtedly talented, Blaise has had to drop out of school because of the conflicts in his hometown of Bamenda.
Currently, Blaise says he builds his toys under the “business name” Chi Style. However, he hopes Cameroon’s Ministry of Scientific Innovation and Technological Development can come to his aid.
The audience on the streets to whom Blaise shows his toys are left impressed but wonder what the future might hold for the young man.
