For Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, long before she became an inspiration to the world, it was music that made her “feel confident and free”. However, it all changed when the Taliban took control of her town in Swat Valley in 2008.
The group had banned owning a television or playing music and enforced strict punishment for anyone who defied the orders. Taliban also forbade girls from attending school, a diktat Ms Yousafzai wasn’t ready to accept. The same year, she moved to a place where she could attend school.
In October 2012, Ms Yousafzai, then just 15 years old, was shot on the left side of her head by a masked gunman. She woke up in a Birmingham hospital 10 days later and was told by the doctors that the world was praying for her recovery.
Ms Yousafzai had a “magical” full-circle moment when she attended singer Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at the Wembley Stadium in London last week. And she used the moment to recall her childhood.
She shared some photographs on Instagram, featuring her with her husband Asser Malik and a few friends. Besides this, the photo series also depicts a few throwback images of Yousafzai and her best friend Moniba during a childhood trip in her hometown of Swat Valley.
In her post, she highlighted how the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan and once again “music no longer plays on the streets, and girls and women are barred from school, work and public life.”
“In Swat, music made my friends and me feel confident and free. And one day I hope we will live in a world where every girl will be able to enjoy music and live out her wildest dreams,” she added.
The 27-year-old also narrated a story about Swift’s significance.
“One of my favourite memories from Swat Valley is a field trip I took in middle school with my best friend, Moniba… Giggling, we went to a waterfall hidden away in a lush green mountain. We were so excited because we were finally allowed to go to school again and could be outdoors with our friends, laughing and singing together,” she wrote.
‘My Swiftie Journey’
The youngest Nobel Prize laureate then recalled the time she and her best friend climbed atop a rock and announced they would perform Swift’s single, Love Story.
“Having lived through a time where music and art were banned, music felt like a gift. Moniba and I found the highest rock we could, climbed on top of it and announced to all of our classmates and teachers we were going to perform our new favourite song called LOVE STORY,” she wrote.
She added, “We sang with all of our heart, taking in the joy we felt every second. That’s where my Swiftie journey began. It feels magical that my first-ever proper concert would be to see @TaylorSwift, singing along to every song surrounded by friends.”
