Documental film about Malala Yousafzai
Who is Malala? Who is Malala?
I was ten when the Taliban came to our valley.
First, the Taliban took our music,
then our Buddhas,
then our history.
The Taliban took over the Emerald Mountain with its mine and
began selling the beautiful stones to buy their ugly weapons.
Finally, the Pakistani government sent soldiers to confront the invaders.-
Twice bombs went off so close by that
the whole house rattled and things fell from the shelves.
A holiday paradise, which The Swat Valley was before,
turned into a hell.
The terrorists decided to ban us from studying, and
by the end of 2008, around 400 schools had been destroyed by the Taliban.
We, kids, liked school,
but only after that we start to really appreciate learning.
My father, a politician, the founder of our school, used to say that
schooling would go on no matter what.
The Taliban could burn our books, blew up schools,
but they couldn’t stop our minds from thinking.
It was during one of those dark days that my father
received a call from a BBC radio correspondent.
He was looking for a schoolgirl to write a diary
on the Internet about life under the Taliban.
I really wanted to defend my right to education,
so I seized that opportunity immediately!
My first diary entry appeared on 3 January 2009 under the heading I AM AFRAID.
Often I accompanied my father to meetings with human rights activists and reporters.
They wanted to talk to the schoolgirls,
and I wasn’t going to say no because I was afraid of revenge from the Taliban.
The more interviews I gave, the stronger I felt and the more support we received.
But my fears were growing increasingly.
Whenever I went out I was afraid that
Taliban with guns would leap out at me or throw acid in my face.
But will they come for a little girl?
Who is Malala? Who is Malala?
My friends say he fired three shots.
The first bullet hit my forehead above my left eyebrow.
Two other bullets hit girls.
Where is my father? Tell me, where is my father?
The gunman’s hand was shaking as he fired.
Who is Malala?
I’m Malala.
We carried out this attack,
and anybody who speaks against us will be attacked in the same way.
Malala has been targeted because she was speaking against the Taliban.
I woke up a week after the shooting.
I was thousands of miles away from home, I was in England.
My head was aching so much and my left ear kept bleeding.
I could feel that the left side of my face wasn’t
working properly. And it really bothered me.
In addition, I couldn’t talk.
Later, the doctor brought me a notebook and a pencil.
Where is my father? Tell me, where is my father?
I repeated the questions to anyone who came in.
They all said the same.
Your father is safe. And don’t worry about payment.
The day my parents flew to Birmingham I was moved out of intensive care and into room.
I couldn’t control myself and wept as loudly as I could.
All that time alone in hospital I hadn’t cried.
But now I could not stop.
My father and mother were also weeping.
It was as if all the weight had been lifted from my heart.
I realized what the Taliban had done was make my campaign global.
I’ve had letters from heads of government, ministers and movie stars.
There was even a message from
my favourite actress and social activist, Angelina Jolie.
Rehanna told me that thousands and millions of people
around the world had supported me and prayed for me.
I realized that the support and help these people gave me saved my life.
And now, on my sixteenth birthday, I am in New York to speak at the United Nations.
Standing up to address an audience in the vast hall where
so many world leaders have spoken before is daunting,
but I know what I want to say.
I wanted to reach all people living in poverty,
those children forced to work
and those who suffer from terrorism.
Let us pick up our books and our pens
They are our most powerful weapons.
One child,
one teacher,
one book
and one pen
can change the world.
That is why I have set up the Malala Fund.
The Fund aspires to develop innovative solutions
and deliver the tools, ideas and networks
that can help children create a better tomorrow.
I have spoken to world leaders and encouraged them
to raise the education budgets of their countries.
At Barack Obama’s reception I told him
that instead of focusing on eradicating terrorism through war,
he should focus on eradicating it through education.
My world has changed so much.
The borders have spread.
On the shelves of our rented living room are awards from around
the world – America, India, France and many other places.
I’ve even been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the youngest person ever.
When I received prizes for my work at school I was happy.
but these prizes are different.
Of course, I am grateful for them,
but they only remind me how much work still needs to be done.
Now
it’s my life-work,
my mission
and my dream!