19 Malala Yousafzai’s “I Am Malala”
Malala
In This Chapter
Author Background
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist known for her advocacy of girls’ education and women’s rights. She gained international prominence after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012.
Malala was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Swat Valley, Pakistan. She grew up in a region where the Taliban had gained control and opposed girls’ education. Malala began speaking out for girls’ rights to education and started blogging for BBC Urdu under a pseudonym when she was just 11 years old.
In October 2012, when Malala was 15 years old, she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while returning from school. The attack drew global attention and condemnation. After the incident, she was flown to the United Kingdom for treatment, where she underwent surgery and received rehabilitation.
Activism
Malala’s advocacy for education continued to grow while she was recovering. She co-authored the memoir I Am Malala (2013) with Christina Lamb, in which she shared her experiences and her fight for girls’ education. Malala also established the Malala Fund, a nonprofit organization that works to ensure all girls have access to 12 years of free, safe, and quality education.
Malala’s activism and courage have earned her numerous accolades. In 2014, she became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17. She has also been honored with other notable awards, including honorary Canadian citizenship, honorary U.S. citizenship, and being named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
Malala continues to be a prominent advocate for girls’ education and women’s rights. She has spoken at various international forums and has traveled worldwide to raise awareness and promote education for all. In 2020, Malala completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford, where she focused on Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
“The Diary of Gul Makai”
“The Diary of Gul Makai” is one chapter from Malala Yousafzai’s autobiography I Am Malala. This chapter focuses on her BBC blog at age 12 under the pseudonym Gul Makai. Read this chapter and use the following questions to discuss her text.
You can create an account, borrow, and read the text for free through Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/iammalalagirlwho0000yous_y5w6/mode/2up
The following discussion questions can be used to initiate a conversation or writing about Malala’s autobiography.
-
Malala’s work with the diary is compared to Anne Frank. What similarities and differences do we see?
-
In a sense, we could also view Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” as a diary of sorts where she discusses freedoms and education as a female. Similarities here?
-
Where does the pen name Gul Makai originate? How is it a fitting (or not-so-fitting) pen name for Malala?
-
What is the purpose of the BBC blog? What kinds of topics does she write about?
-
How does this chapter strike a balance between ordinary every day life and life at war?
-
What small acts of rebellion do we see in Malala and her family and friends? How does her family provide support?
-
Why is school so important to Malala and her classmates?
-
Even at 12, she links the importance and right of education (p. 154) to her home culture in Pakistan and the Islam religion as well as the greater freedoms of the world. She is at home at Swat, even during war. Why is it important that she’s loyal to her religion and culture while also fighting for freedom of education?
Sources
“Malala Yousafzai, Activist | Biography.” YouTube, uploaded by Biography, 13 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=6by9NEhT9GM
Yousafzai, Malala. I am Malala: the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. Internet Archive, 2014, https://archive.org/details/iammalalagirlwho0000yous_y5w6/mode/2up
