Malala Yousefzai

Malala
Yousefzai

Malala
Yousefzai

Leadership with storytelling: Malala Yousefzai changed the world

Imagine. 

Stories written by an eleven year old girl that threaten the success of a global terrorist regime so powerful and perilous, that killing her is the only endgame.

Fear of her words. Fear of her voice. Fear of her stories. 

Her-story is true.

On October 9th 2012 in Pakistan, a masked gunman boarded a school bus full of chattering children and asked, ‘who is Malala?’

Three bullets were shot. One entering Malala’s skull.

Fighting for life, Malala Yousefzai’s stories documenting her life without access to an education under the Taliban rule, ignited the global community.

Against all odds, she survived.

In 2014, Malala became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her fearless advocacy for every girl’s equal right to an education across the world.

Today, using the power of storytelling Malala continues this pledge with her charity MalalaFund.

A leader needs a leader.

Born in 1997 in the Swat Valley of Mingora, Pakistan, life changed dramatically for Malala when the Taliban took control of the region destroying 400 schools and banning girls from access to an education.

Women and girls were forbidden to undertake any roles within society. All girls were forced into silence, forced to stay inside their homes for fear of retribution and forced to abide by Taliban laws to protect them. 

Malala loved going to school, loved reading books and loved writing stories. How is a young girl meant to comprehend widespread discrimination and injustice based on a gender? 

At the time, Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousefzai, established and managed several local schools. A known social advocate for equal rights, he believed that the voice of a child would not be a threat or risk to an organised terrorist operation and supported his daughter to speak out against the injustice.

Malala’s indignation became a catalyst for courage and at age eleven, addressed an audience of local newspapers & television channels at a press club:

How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to an education?’

Malala’s speech was publicised throughout Pakistan, yet her public plea remained futile. 

Unrelenting violence continued at the hands of the Taliban ensuring compliance at every level. Bodies of beheaded people littered the valley, forcing large communities to flee the region for safety. 

Alongside thousands of people, Malala’s family reluctantly left their home becoming displaced amongst a sea of migrants.

Freedom of speech was no longer a right for her people. 

Censorship and devastation followed; television stations, radio stations and news agencies shut down. Schools blown to smithereens. The use of smart phones and social media banned to restrict any access to independent information. More than twelve Afghan journalists murdered for crimes of ‘one sided propaganda’ and threats were made to anyone deemed critical of the Taliban. 

By 2008, the global media were banned from access to occupied Taliban territory. The world became shut out of the atrocities and deadly human cost dealt by the regime.

Journalists at local BBC Urdhu however, did not give up hope. 

Leading secret talks they reached out to Ziauddin Yousefzai hoping to find a teenager from one of his schools. Perhaps one of them would be willing to document their stories?

A brave young girl stepped forward.  

Malala took pen to paper and wrote about her life on small pieces of paper. Passed on during the night like hidden war dossiers, Malala’s small handwritten notes made their way to BBC Urdhu. 

Where there is a will, there is a way.

With an unwavering commitment from BBC Urdhu to bring Malala’s true stories to the worldwide stage, on the 3rd January 2009 under the alias of ‘Gul Makai’,  her first blog was published titled: I am afraid.

Life under Taliban rule through the eyes of a child gave a raw perspective accounting devastating human rights violations. From behind the lines, Gul Makai’s journals swiftly became newsworthy stories for local papers and television programmes. More than 35 blogs were translated into English for the world press to reprint.

Malala found her voice and an audience.

As a proud father, Ziauddin Yousefzai continued to openly champion for the right to his daughter to attend school again. Deemed a rebellious and direct insult to the Taliban, Ziauddin received his first death threat.

This moment. 

This action against her father, defined Malala’s unwavering will and determination to fight. It was no longer an adult war but a call to arms for the rights of all girls in Pakistan.

Malala came out of the shadows and publicly denounced the Taliban.

“A girl’s education is a matter of life or death.”

Catching the attention of New York Times reporter and human rights advocate, Adam B.Ellick, he approached Malala and pitched to film a documentary about her life. 

Herstory of inequality, repression and courage catapulted beyond the walls of Pakistan and captivated an International television audience.

Malala gathered momentum.

Living in exile and with a ferocious appetite to learn, Malala was able to study again turning her attention to women’s rights on a political level studying with Aware Girls. Eventually, she was able to return back to Mingora after partial success by the military in reclaiming the region and continued to amplify her condemnation of Taliban law.

Malala’s relentless activism on television and social media increased the magnitude of Malala’s visibility. Popularity took hold. She became a young fearless face of a public fight for a girls right to an education, globally.

In 2011, recognition followed with Archbishop Desmond Tutu nominating Malala for the International Children’s Peace Prize. 

The wisdom beyond her years, the courage as a child to stand up to a regime and the sheer determination to proactively pressure governments to support her mission made Malala Yousefzai a growing risk to the Taliban.

Death threats slipped under her door. Death threats made explicit in newspapers and on the radio. Undeterred, a fifteen year old Malala remained steadfast to her cause and refused to be silenced.

One hot sunny afternoon in 2012, Malala’s school was winding down to a close. 

Exams had finished and young children poured out of the yard to make their way home. Malala hopped onto a tiny school bus packed with chattering children. The bus took the usual route home. 

Turning a familiar corner two gunmen ushered the bus to slow down. The mood shifted. Children paralysed. A young man with a gun climbed aboard. He had one target. One mission to kill. 

He placed the gun to Malala’s face.

Shot at point blank. Three bullets.

Bullets entered her head and exited her skull.

Malala was left for dead, bleeding onto her school uniform amongst her friends.

Malala survived.

In the hours, weeks and months that followed Malala had multiple operations. Parts of her skull were removed and reconstruction to her face and nervous system were performed by the world’s most highly skilled surgeons at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in England. Her fight for life was an epic and agonising journey. The world watched and waited.

Leaders of the world rallied by Malala’s side.

The UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a petition on these terms:

We call on Pakistan to agree to a plan to deliver education for every child.

We call on all countries to outlaw discrimination against girls.

We call on international organisations to ensure the world’s 61 million out-of-school children are in education by 2015.

Outrage and disbelief fuelled 2 million people to sign, leading to the first ‘Right to Education’ bill being passed in Pakistan.

Malala’s voice became a catalyst for change.

Speaking at the UN and at global events alongside leaders such as Barack Obama, Malala recounts her life story tirelessly.

Wherever she goes, people want to listen. And she shares relentlessly. Why?

Malala has the power to speak on behalf of children that will never have a voice. As unimaginable and terrifying as it is, herstory incites others to act.

Malala’s organisation is called MalalaFund, championing 130 million girls unable to attend school due to poverty, war and gender discrimination. 

Advocating for a right to free, safe and quality education, Malala is working to draft new legislation in countries such as Brazil, India, Nigeria, Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon and Afghanistan. 

MalalaFund seeks to support a life of empowerment and choice, rather than a life of subservience, co-dependence and oppression.

Change began by writing herstory on scraps of paper.

Malala made a decision that no matter how young her opinion, no matter how young her voice, no matter how small her local audience and no matter how dangerous her actions of writing, that she will live just one day as a lioness rather than one hundred years as a slave.

Support Malala and donate today: Malala Fund

Three storytelling takeaways:

1.

Stories that move people are the most powerful of all.

From purchase behaviour to a love story threading through an Avenger’s movie, human emotion trumps any other impulse to act.

2.

Find your voice.

Fear is paralyzing. Find the courage to tell someone. Write about it. Talk about it. Form a group about it. No matter what you are going through, someone who is aligned to your plight or cause, will listen. Will read. Will care.

3.

Don’t give up.

My parents told me to never give up and Malala has served to support that affirmation. The reason she is now a leader is because she refused to give up when a regime more powerful could crush her. 

Life isn't a full stop.​

Forage further:

1.

He named me Malala, directed by David Guggenheim.

2.

I am Malala by Malala Yousefzai.

3.

The Magic Pencil for 4-8year olds by Malala Yousefzai.

Shelley Rigg
Editorial for digital, broadcast & video. 
I eat content for breakfast. It’s a twenty five year love affair.

More stories @ www.unscriptedandco.com

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