The role of men is crucial for female empowerment: Malala Yousafzai

In a chat with India's Twinkle Khanna, the Nobel Peace Prize winner revealed what kept her going

Malala Yousafzai, who recently graduated from Oxford University, participated in an online interview with former Bollywood actor Twinkle Khanna. The conversation was part of a virtual Tweak India Summit that was organised to mark the actor-turned-author’s initiatives’ first anniversary.

The one-day summit featured women from various fields including Vidya Balan, Tahira Kashyap, Chetna Singh Gala, Sudha Murty, Revathi Roy among others.

Malala, who juggles multiple roles of an activist, student, and manages her own organisation, the Malala Fund, shared her empowering story and discussed what kept her motivated despite the criticism. “I was never a celebrity so I never took my fame like celebrities do,” said Malala. “If someone appreciates me I’m grateful, and if someone wants to take a picture with me, I’m like, ‘why not?’”

She then reiterated how for a woman, to be deprived of education meant that she’d be vulnerable to early marriage, sexual abuse, domestic violence and becoming a mother when she herself was a child. “It means her dreams would be taken away from her and that was the worst life I could imagine,” Malala exclaimed.

Malala also recalled the time she’d write blogs for the BBC, anonymously highlighting the situation. But why would she take that risk despite the death threats? “I never thought that I was taking a risk because we were already living in a risk, in a conflict. Every night I’d sleep in the fear of the Taliban, because they could just knock on your door and kill anyone,” she remarked.

Bewildered, Twinkle continued to reinstate how coming to that realisation, for an 11-year-old, had to be a quantum leap. “So there must’ve been someone in your life who guided you towards that space,” she asked. “My father was my inspiration,” responded Malala.

“He had five sisters and none of them could go to school. So he believed that education is empowerment for women. Like a feminist man in action, he would always pay full attention to what I said. He would tell all the elders to keep quiet when a child is speaking, instead of the other way around,” Malala recalled.

 

Using your voice to help others, with Malala Yousafzai and Twinkle Khanna

For the first session of the #TweakSummit, @twinklerkhanna and Malala Yousafzai @malala discuss using your voice to help others. They take on overcoming hardships, finding the inspiration to keep going and risking it all to take a stand. Tune in at 12:30 PM IST to watch Tahira Kashyap Khurrana (@tahirakashyap) and Chetna Gala Sinha's (@manndeshi) talk about women supporting other women. #Tweakturns one

Posted by Tweak India on Tuesday, September 29, 2020

She continued to emphasise on how the role of men was crucial when it came to female empowerment. “The role of men is crucial for female empowerment, because that’s where the problem lies,” quipped Malala. “And he’s [her father] been making sure he proves that if you give a woman education, you not only help her but her whole community.”

Malala, however, added: “Becoming well-known at a young age was challenging. I really did not have anyone to guide me, so I had to learn everything myself.” Twinkle then asked her how, even though she did not seem to be intimidated by anybody, were world leaders intimidated by her?

“I’m not sure about that, but all I know is when I go meet them, I need to highlight the issues that girls are facing around the globe. And that has been challenging because some leaders are not willing to meet you because of how you may challenge them.”

Asked about the day she became the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the Sitara-e-Shujaat recipient hinted at her dedication to her own cause by pointing out how she was in school when she found out about her achievement, but refused to leave without finishing her lessons.

“My school’s deputy principal just walked into our class during my Chemistry lesson and took me out. I was worried. But she gave me the news and I was like, ‘Thank you!’ Then she called an assembly and I gave a speech. But then I went back to my Physics class, I said I have to finish my school day and after school we did a press conference.”

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