Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate recognised for her commitment to the right to education. This biography traces her story.
Originally from Mingora, in the Swat Valley, Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai is a young woman who has distinguished herself, from a very early age, for her commitment to achieving greater rights to a full and free education for girls. She is the daughter of Ziauddin Yousafzai, himself an activist and co-founder and board member of the Malala Fund and author of the biography about his daughter Libera di volare (published by Garzanti, 2019).
Malala Yousafzai survived a first assassination attempt in 2012, when an extremist militant, Ehsanullah Ehsan, shot her in the head while she was boarding her school bus. The attack was immediately claimed by the Taliban, who wanted to eliminate her as a symbol of the struggle for education. Following the tragic event, Yousafzai was treated in the United Kingdom, where she remained to continue her studies.
In 2013 she gave a speech at the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York. Her address, in which she spoke above all about the contentious state of women's rights in her country, gained widespread international recognition through the internet and major news outlets around the world. Before the assembly, Yousafzai explained that education is the only solution to combating inequality.
One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.
Malala Yousafzai
During the same year, the first book telling the story of her life was published, written jointly by Yousafzai herself and Christina Lamb, an international journalist specialising in Pakistan and Afghanistan, under the title Io sono Malala.
In 2014 came the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, shared with Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi. She was only 14 years old, yet Yousafzai already knew her own mind. It was then that she expressed her desire to become prime minister of her country in order to achieve the goal of guaranteeing the right to education for all children.
Following this event, the Pakistani prime minister awarded her the first edition of the National Peace Prize, a recognition created specifically for her, along with a cheque of approximately four thousand euros. Yousafzai, on this and other occasions, reiterated her wish to create a political party in the future and to work to ensure a future for girls in her region.
During the same period, the Taliban spokesman, after claiming responsibility for the 2012 attack carried out by Ehsan, stated that Malala Yousafzai had made herself guilty of "obscenities" that needed to be "stopped". And she, the victim of these accusations, thus became one of the most widely known figures in civil activism in the world.
One must always tell the truth. Because the truth eliminates fear.
from the book "Io sono Malala"
On 25 September 2015, she became, alongside other figures from the worlds of art, politics, science and culture, an ambassador for the United Nations' 17 Global goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals, to be achieved by 2030.
The initiative includes many other activists and artists such as Stevie Wonder, Kate Winslet, Bill and Melinda Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Jennifer Lopez, Meryl Streep and many others. World leaders committed to meeting 17 global goals within fifteen years, among them three of the most important: eradicating extreme poverty, combating inequality and injustice, and mitigating the emissions causing climate change.
In 2017, following the decree signed by former United States president Donald Trump to bar refugees and people from seven Islamic states from entering the country, she chose to express her dissent publicly. The move by the United States was considered inconceivable for a country that has historically been defined by great waves of migration and by welcoming newcomers, yet was at that moment turning its back on people whose only offence was wanting to begin a new life.
Malala Yousafzai graduated from the University of Oxford in June 2020, completing a degree course begun in 2017 covering subjects such as philosophy, politics and economics. All matters that appear to be in keeping with her intention to pursue a path that will lead her into politics.
On 8 March 2021, Apple announced a programming partnership with Malala Yousafzai for the creation of original content that will include dramas, comedies, documentaries, animated feature films and children's shows, enabling the activist to use her ability to inspire people around the world. world.
She has recently been threatened by the Taliban once again, this time on social media.
Next time, there will be no mistake.
Ehsanullah Ehsan
These were the words in a February tweet by extremist militant Ehsanullah Ehsan, who had already shot her in 2012, leaving her critically injured. The social network subsequently permanently suspended the account containing the threatening post.
The episode prompted Yousafzai to demand explanations from both the Pakistani army and Prime Minister Imran Khan as to how Ehsan had escaped government custody. The jihadist had been arrested in 2017, but had subsequently escaped in January 2020 from a building where he was being held in custody by the Pakistani intelligence agency. The circumstances of his arrest and escape are shrouded in mystery and remain a matter of controversy.
After his escape, Ehsan had been interviewed and had communicated with Pakistani journalists through the same Twitter account that has since been suspended. Despite the serious episode, the activist decided to continue her struggle and on 25 February last took part in a meeting with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, a friend and fellow campaigner on the international stage. On this occasion they spoke about the climate crisis and how it also affects fundamental human rights, such as the right to education.
The life of Malala Yousafzai, as she fights for civil rights, education and women's rights, appears to follow a tortuous path, marked by achievements, international recognition and powerful acts of courage. Yet this continues to provoke violent reactions from the Taliban groups that oppose her. Yousafzai, however, is not afraid to fight for truth and justice.
A courage that also translates into love: on 9 November 2021 came the announcement of her marriage on her Instagram account. A celebration for her and for all the people, the young people, the women who now know they can continue to have a normal life. Despite everything.