Malala Yousafzai, 16, a Pakistan teen activist. She speaks firmly on the need for empowering children.Photo/Tribune.com |
Hours before Kenyans descended on each other in the infamous
2007 post election violence, the world lost a leader: Benazir Bhutto. Bhutto,
the firebrand leader of the leftist Pakistan Peoples Party, fell to an assassin's
bullet as she addressed a political rally in readiness for elections slated for the January of 2008. From CNN, I followed this story closely.
Unfortunately, Kenya’s post election violence swept away the
story of Bhutto. Mainstream media was engrossed in the story of democracy gone
sour. Recently enough, in May 2013, Bhutto’s story resurfaced, this time with the
assassination of Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, the chief prosecutor in the 2007 murder
case. The next time I would hear anyone mention Benazir Bhutto was during this
year’s Malala Day.
What is Malala Day? Malala Day is a United Nations day set
aside to commemorate the call for educating children. Named after Malala Yousafzai, a 16-year old Pakistan teen
activist, Malala Day is commemorated every 12th day of July. In this
year’s event, that saw Malala address a UN youth assembly, the clamor for
educating children was louder than it has ever been.
Before the packed
assembly, that had UN’s Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in attendance, Malala continued
with her spirited agitation for empowerment of Pakistani children. She appealed
to those opposed to the empowerment of young women to reconsider their hardline
stances.
“I am here to speak up for the right of
education of every child. I want education for the sons and the daughters of
all the extremists, especially the Taliban,” said Malala in the address. In October
9 2012, hooded gunmen almost killed Malala. They boarded a school bus in
which the teenager and school mates were traveling, shouted her name,
frightening the passengers to identifying her, then shot her at the head.
These were the Taliban determined to
silence pro-empowerment voices in Pakistan. To the Taliban, Malala reiterated
that she did not harbor any bad blood. She owned that the pink
shawl she was wearing belonged to the slain Benazir Bhutto. Malala is determined to talk of the challenge the Taliban philosophy.Unwaveringly.
Malala draws inspiration from Muhammad, Jesus Christ, Lord
Budha, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mohandas Gandhi, and Mother Teresa.
In this light, it is clear that
nothing is stopping Malala from getting what she deserves. She has redefined
determination across children in Pakistan. In a 2011 interview with CNN, Malala
said unequivocally that she is fighting for the rights of children. Children,
according to Malala, have the right to education, right to play, right to sing,
right to go to the market, and right to speak up.
It is the last right, the right to
speak up, that I prescribe for all across the age continuum. Everybody should
learn to speak up. In any society, nobody should allow the subjugation of his
right to speak up. By speaking up, individuals get their feelings, fears and
aspirations known. Speaking up initiates discussions and fertilizes
development.
And it does not matter in what forum
one is speaking. It
does not matter whether the media is training its cameras on you. Do not wait for a UN assembly to start your speaking up. The wait may
be long.
Mainstream media has been trained to
focus on the bourgeoisie. Issues affecting the haves in the society cannot pass
the editor’s eyes. Obesity is more newsworthy than starvation. Forgive the
commercial orientation of the mainstream media and the successful conditioning of
the media consumers. With social media, everyone should just speak up.
Social media gives individuals unparalleled
power to speak up on issues affecting them and the larger society. This
explains the need for exercising caution when judging on the diversity of topics, frames and
orientations characterizing the conversations on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp
and blogs.
Chief Francis Kariuki, a popular Twitter
handle in Kenya, updates on topics that scores take for banter. If not reporting
on lost cattle, this handle would be reporting on the triumph of villagers in
Nakuru against a chicken thief. Sometimes,
the administrator would report on a lost and found identity card. Chief Francis
Kariuki’s conversations land into some ears:
multiples of 22, 935 to be precise.
Retweets often come from people finding the updates comical. Individuals are conditioned to believe that worthwhile conversations
should wear a certain face. This is wrong.
Conversations are relevant to the worlds
of the initiators. Threads emerging from a single update can be informative and
can influence decision-making. The implications to the audiences cannot be
underestimated. They also give the initiators massive powers to define their destinies.
From this, comes the need for consistency when talking on any of the forums.
Malala came to the limelight after she penned a blog
bemoaning the challenges she was undergoing accessing education under the Taliban
regime in Pakistan. She
personally urged the United States to intervene in ensuring that children had
access to education. She was 11 years old. She kept on talking.
From this, comes the need for consistency when talking on any of the forums.
Consistency is what those extolling the
appointment of blogger Dennis Itumbi to the president’s communication machinery
refer to as branding. It should be easy for audiences to associate an individual with a particular line of thinking. Malala would always speak along the lines of promoting the rights of children. It would not be surprising that even
in her wildest dreams, Malala did not behave contrary to this line of thinking.
Malala Day may be gone, at least for this year. However,
it leaves behind serious inspirations. The determination portrayed by Malala Yousafzai
would go to waste unless it is replicated in diverse forums. To make the world
more habitable, individuals and groups should learn to keep talking.
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