A hero: a character who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, displays courage and self sacrifice for the greater good of humanity. All lyricism aside, Malala is indeed, a true hero. Her story has nothing to envy to the greatest heroic trajectories of Mandela, Parks or Ghandi. More than that, she is well set on track to become a symbol, an icon, a model for a whole generation.
The book that she has co-written with Christina Lamb traces back the story of her activism in favor of girls education in Pakistan before she was shot by the Taliban. The writing is very smooth and simple, and the story is simply exciting. A girl, born in a modest family of Swat, Pakistan, gets transmitted the love of education by her dearest father, a fervent defendant of education himself.
The story also includes, obviously, some accounts of late Pakistan’s history, some features of Pakistani culture, traditions and people. In order to tell her story, she describes the political situation of Pakistan before the Taliban took power and the political tension in her valley and the threats she and her father had to face.
The highlight of her story is of course the moment she is shot by a Taliban while she was on a school bus. This event has dramatically increased her notoriety in the national level, and also in the international level. Heads of state, politicians and celebrities became concerned by her situation and she received support from all around the world.
It is very heart-warming to see how human beings get together in support of a noble cause and show a weakened person love, compassion and encouragement. Malala still continues her campaign for education and she received a number of awards; she was also nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, making her the youngest ever to be nominated.
The young lady is a model in every kind of way for all girls her age, because while most teenage girls are busy discussing their boyfriend and make up stories, Malala is fighting for the greater good and she is contributing to make the world a better place to live. She is building her personality and developing her skills. I was thrilled to hear her speak at the United Nations, in front of a very wide audience including the General Secretary of the United Nations, politicians and people from all horizons. She had the grace and the charisma of a peron who is going to become someone. And you’d better remember her name because in few years, she’ll probably become the second female prime minister of Pakistan.
Z Wonderland 