NOBEL PEACE PRIZE ACCEPTANCE SPEECH - MALALA YOUSUFSAI

 

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE ACCEPTANCE SPEECH- 2014

MALALA YOUSAFSAI

Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Pakistan, located in the country's Swat Valley. Early years of her childhood was calm and peaceful. She attended the school founded by her father, an educator, and was an intelligent and smart student who loved learning and reading. Her life changed when Taliban took over her place in the year 2007. A place that was popular for its scenic beauty and summer festivals was no more the same after the Taliban invasion.

Malala could not agree with the policies of Taliban which prevented girls from acquiring education. She chose to protest against the school closings and in September 2008, she delivered her first public speech "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?" In 2009, when she was just 11 years old, Yousafzai began blogging for the BBC under the name Gul Makai about her experiences during the Taliban’s growing influence in the region and about living under the Taliban's threats denying her an education. The outspoken girl became the voice of girls/women fighting for education. Her activism resulted in a nomination for the International Children's Peace Prize in 2011.

She was soon targeted by Taliban and on October 9, 2012, on her way back home from school she was shot by a masked gunman in the left side of her head; the bullet then travelled down her neck. The shooting left Malala in a critical condition and she was flown to a military hospital in Peshawar. She survived the attack and was flown from Peshawar to Birmingham, England, for surgery. Malala recovered, staying with her family in Birmingham, where she returned to her studies and to activism.

She was not among the ones who were ready to give up. On July 12, 2013, on her 16^th birthday, she addressed the audience at the united Nations in New York. She won the United Nations Human Rights Prize the same year. She published her memoir later this year which is entitled I am Malala: The Girl who Stood up for Education and was Shot by Taliban. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 with Kailash Satyarthi and she made history being the youngest Nobel laureate.

MAIN POINTS OF THE SPEECH

She delivered a powerful and passionate speech after receiving her Nobel Prize at the Oslo City Hall in Norway. Her specific purpose statement in her speech was the importance of education. She commences her speech by addressing the audience and expressing gratitude to everyone for their continued love and support. She thanks her parents and her teachers who inspired her to believe in herself and be brave. Malala says that the prize is not just for her. It is a prize for all children who want education, peace and change. She places herself as a representative of all the children who are denied education and a peaceful atmosphere to grow. She claims that she is there to stand up for these children's rights, to make people take action and make the world a better place for all children.

She believes that education is the future and she want to see every child in a classroom, able to learn peacefully and make progress in life. She takes us back to her own life in Pakistan to convince us of her credibility to represent the children who are denied education. We get to see her happy days in Swat Valley and a group of children with quest for education. They were mature enough to realize that their future lies in the classrooms. Malala narrates how Swat suddenly changed into a place of terrorism after the Taliban invasion and how schools were destroyed. She could not agree with the Taliban idea that education is not necessary for girls. She says that they are misusing the name of Islam, because Islam is against killing and as the first word in the Quran is "read", she believes that knowledge is important for all people.

 She believes that it is important for children all over the world to be given the right to obtain education. She asserts the idea that when we are fortunate to see rapid progress and development in one half of the world, the other half is still suffering from war, poverty and injustice. She identifies all these as barriers that prevent children from getting education. She dedicates the Nobel Peace prize money to the Malala Fund and hopes that the world leaders will take action to help children around the world. She believes that the leaders are aware of the necessity and it is time that they act. She wants every child to be able to acquire not just primary education, but secondary and higher education as well. Malala does not think that the effort of the world leaders will be enough to change this, so she also asks everybody, and especially young people, to work for this goal. She says that she will continue the fight until she see every child in classroom. She concluded the speech with the hope that this is the last time one has to fight for education. "Let’s begin this ending … together … today … right here, right now. Let’s begin this ending now."

                                                                                                                 Prepared by,

                                                                                                                Anju Susan Kurian

                                                                                                                Assistant Professor

                                                                                                                Department of English

                                                                                                               CMS College Kottayam