Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai0:01

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.

Presenter0:04

Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast. Every week I ask my guests to choose the eight tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. And, for rights reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast. I hope you enjoy listening.

Presenter0:43

My castaway this week is the activist Malala Yousafzai. Her status is such that she requires no surname, let alone an introduction, but for tradition's sake, here goes. She's the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history, and she jokes the only recipient of the Peace Prize who still fights with her younger brothers. She was already a prominent campaigner for girls' education in her home country of Pakistan when, nine years ago, a Taliban gunman boarded her school bus and shot her. She was fifteen.

Presenter1:11

Who is Malala? he asked, before he opened fire. At twenty three she is still standing up and telling the world who she is, and how that's changing.

Presenter1:20

Today, she's an Oxford graduate as well as a Nobel laureate, a best-selling author, and co-founder, along with her father, of the Malala Fund, which campaigns for girls' education around the world. In 2017, the UN designated April 10th Malala Day in honour of her birthday. She says, Since I was 10 years old, the principle of my life has been to stand on the right side of history and to ensure that we fulfil our responsibility to make this world a better place. Malala Yousafzai, welcome to Desert Island Discs. Uh

Malala Yousafzai1:51

Uh

Presenter1:51

Thank you so much for Dob. China.

Malala Yousafzai1:53

Yeah.

Presenter1:53

Yeah.

Presenter1:54

And congratulations, belatedly. You graduated from Oxford University last year with a degree in PPE, Politics, Philosophy and Economics. And I think, if I'm right, you enjoyed studying philosophy most of all. What did you love about it?

Malala Yousafzai2:08

For me, I think I am more attracted towards like virtue ethics, and I think it's important to be virtuous. And sometimes virtues like kindness, generosity are taken for granted. And small deeds, though they are they're small, they look small, you know, just be kind, just smiling at someone, they can have a real impact and they can actually bring joy and happiness to your life and to the lives of others. So I am sort of more on that side. You know, it tells you how to be than focusing more on how to act.

Presenter2:40

When you were younger and contemplating possible career paths, you did think you might become a politician.

Malala Yousafzai2:45

Is that still what lies ahead for you, do you think?

Malala Yousafzai2:48

I wanted to join politics, and I, you know, when I was 11 years old, I said it straight away that I want to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan because I believe that that is something that could fix the country. It was quite simple for me then. I just realized that, you know, why is it that you sit in a seat of responsibility? You have the responsibility to look after the whole country and you still don't do anything. So for me, I was like, okay, nobody's listening to me right now, but one day when I'll become the Prime Minister, I'll fix everything. But what I have learned is things are quite complicated. And right now, my focus is to work on girls' education. And then I don't know, I could consider politics in 20 years or something. Yes, time for that.

Presenter3:34

So long time lies ahead.

Malala Yousafzai3:35

PS

Presenter3:35

There is a tradition at Oxford that students get trashed at the end of their final exams, and that means being doused in food and champagne, confetti. Now, because of coronavirus, you finished your exams at home in Birmingham, but anyone who follows you on social media will have seen that you were trashed. I wonder who did the honours, who trashed you.

Malala Yousafzai3:39

Their final

Malala Yousafzai3:53

I wonder who

Malala Yousafzai3:56

Uh so actually I asked my family to trash me.

Malala Yousafzai4:00

And I ordered everything that was needed, confetti, shaving foam, glitter, holy powder, all the different colours.

Presenter4:06

As I mentioned, you know, you've had the odd argument with your little brothers in your time, so this was their chance for payback, perhaps.

Malala Yousafzai4:13

Oh yeah, they were they were just cheeky in this as well. They were throwing their shoing foam on me. I was like, you know, you need to stop it now. But they were just not stopping. It was a great opportunity for them, yeah.

Presenter4:24

So, Malala, we're going to hear the music that you've selected today, of course, starting with your first disc. Tell us, what are we going to hear?

Malala Yousafzai4:33

So I started listening to Sufi songs which are mostly sung in the form of Kawali. I used to listen to these songs in university especially. When you are sort of on your own, it's your first time that you have left your home. You are not under the supervision of your family and you are learning what it means to be independent and you are learning more about yourself. And with Sufi songs, it talks a lot about the connection to God, the connection to that being, the connection to yourself. And these songs are very powerful. And you don't even need to understand the words and you don't need to understand the poetry. There's just something about it that touches your soul.

Speaker 15:17

I do mean I

Speaker 25:24

Ah

Malala Yousafzai5:35

Uh

Speaker 15:36

Ajiranga Hari Maranga Hari Ajirang Hari Maranga

Presenter5:47

Runga, Colour by Rahut Futioli Khan and Umjud Sabri. Malala Yousafzar, you've been delivering your message about girls' education for over a decade now, and of course you are recognized around the world.

Presenter6:01

Do you need to have a certain amount of separation between the public perception of you and who you are at home?

Malala Yousafzai6:08

There is that other sort of malala that is in the house and I am quite bossy in a way, in a positive way, in a very positive way. I lecture my brothers all the time, do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that. They probably need it. Boys need a lot of lectures, so which is good, you know. It's gonna help them in future.

Presenter6:28

One of the big problems that we're facing at the moment is, of course, the amount of disinformation that's out there. And people might be surprised to hear that there's a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there about you. How do you feel about that?

Malala Yousafzai6:42

Initially, when this started, and it started back in 2012 when the incident happened, within I think a month or so, people started spreading this misinformation that this attack was all planned or that blaming my father for it, or then soon this narrative started that this incident had never even happened and it's all sort of a fake thing. And it's so hard to process that because you are like, you know, what do I say?

Speaker 17:09

Uh

Malala Yousafzai7:13

And it also would look silly if you say, okay, shall I show you the scars on my body? Or shall I show you the medical documents from the hospital? But we have reached a point where people would not even believe that.

Malala Yousafzai7:27

In my real life, I have not met anyone who has been disrespectful to me or who has called me fake or anything. So that is something that gives me hope. And I do hope that when they meet you in person, their views will change. But maybe I'm just a bit too optimistic in that.

Presenter7:44

Do you have to find time to have fun, to take a break and just be silly every now and again?

Malala Yousafzai7:50

I wasn't having much fun before university, but when I went to university and when I connected to people of my age, friends of my age, that is when I realized that, okay, I am actually not that old and I can still have those experiences of youth that I deserve, that everybody else is having. So I started hanging out with friends. I started going to college balls, you know, music events. And just spending time with friends, it is just so hard to explain it. But when you are with your friends, you are just having one of your best times ever. So that childhood sort of has come back in me and I'm really happy for that.

Presenter8:31

It's time for some more music, Malala. This is your second disc today. Tell us about it. Why have you chosen it?

Malala Yousafzai8:37

So the second song is Shiniwari Lavangina, Where the Waters Meet, by Zarsanga. She is a well-known folk singer of Pakistan. She comes from a very small village and music was banned during Taliban times. You would be stopped at the checkposts that were created by the Taliban and they would stop your car and they would check for music cassettes, DVDs, CDs to ensure that you were not listening to music. So this Pashto song is very close to my heart because this was something that was taken away from us at that time.

Presenter9:41

Shiniveri Loangina, Where the Waters Meet by Zar Sanga. And Malali Yousaf Said, you were born in the town of Mingora in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan, and it's in the northwest, very near the Afghanistan border. Sometimes referred to as the Switzerland of Asia. How would you describe it?

Malala Yousafzai9:59

It is one of the most beautiful places that I have seen in my life. It is a valley surrounded by these tall mountains, and there is peace there, peace that you are just in this beautiful part of nature.

Presenter10:13

Your father was and is still a great inspiration to you, and in your Nobel lecture you thanked him for not clipping my wings and letting me fly. Tell me a bit more about him.

Malala Yousafzai10:20

We fly.

Malala Yousafzai10:23

I am lucky that I have an amazing feminist father. And I say that he was a feminist before he even knew the word feminist. He was not just preaching about the equality of women, he was actually doing it. He ensured that I get my education, that I get treated the same way as my brothers get treated. And there were so many other young girls in Swat Valley who wanted to speak out and who were speaking out initially, but their brothers and their fathers stopped them from speaking out. And what's different in my story is that my father did not stop me. It's as simple as that. What made him different, do you think?

Malala Yousafzai11:03

My father always shares this story that he had five sisters and there were two brothers, and he noticed the discrimination with his own two eyes. When his parents would serve food to all the children, the boys will get the bigger piece of meat than the girls. The girls would not be prioritized. My grandfather, he educated both the boys, but he did not send the girls to school. So, for my father, the question was like, why is it that just because he's a boy, he's getting all these privileges?

Malala Yousafzai11:35

And he decided that, you know, when he will have his own daughters or daughter, he will make sure that they are not discriminated, that she gets equal amount of food and chicken and everything that she wants, and that she is sent to school and that she gets her education. For him, it was witnessing that gender discrimination with his own eyes that changed him.

Presenter11:55

And tell me about your mother too. She's got less of a public profile than than your father has.

Malala Yousafzai11:59

Your father has, he's a

Presenter12:00

A campaigner and activist like you, but she sounds like a very strong, very grounded person. How would you describe her?

Malala Yousafzai12:07

She's a wise woman, and even though she did not get her education, she was only five or six years old, and she sold her books and she got some candies in return, and she never went back to school. And nobody in her family even asked why was she not in school because it was never a priority for them. And then my father and my mother, you know, their stories are quite cute right now because they didn't have Tinder or these dating apps or anything and they couldn't even meet properly. They couldn't go on a date or anything. My father would be in this field and my mom would be going on the road with her friends and he would sort of see her from a distance. And they were also like distant relatives as well. So my father, my mother would sometimes visit their house and they would just look at each other from a distance. That is sort of their love story. That's what they have told us.

Presenter13:01

Uh

Malala Yousafzai13:01

So devotee.

Presenter13:01

So devoted from the off. Yes. You've described some different attitudes to the birth of girls and boys in Pashtun culture when you were small. Some of your relatives even sympathised with your mother, I think, for having a daughter and not a son. But your father had other ideas. How did he celebrate your arrival?

Malala Yousafzai13:19

Uh

Presenter13:19

When I was

Malala Yousafzai13:19

was born, my father's cousin, he had been working on our family tree. And when my father looked at it, it had the names of all the men who had been in our family going back to you know to three hundred or something years.

Malala Yousafzai13:34

But there was no name of a woman in there. It's not that we didn't have women in our family yes, we did, there were women, but it's just their names are not on the family tree.

Malala Yousafzai13:43

And my father, he took uh a pen and he wrote down my name. He was not accepting a society where women's names and their identities and their presence is erased.

Presenter13:55

Let's take a moment for some more music. This is disc number three. Tell us about this choice.

Malala Yousafzai14:00

So this song is called Never Say Never by Justin Weaver.

Malala Yousafzai14:04

And I used to listen to these songs in Pakistan and I was very new to pop culture but it was trending at that time, so here's the song.

Speaker 114:13

Never say never

Speaker 114:23

Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever

Presenter14:26

Uh

Speaker 114:26

See, I never thought that

Presenter14:31

I never thought that I could take a bun.

Presenter14:36

I never had the strength to take it higher.

Presenter14:41

Justin Bieber and Never Say Never. Good to confirm that you are a believer on the programme today, Malala.

Presenter14:51

Thank you. So your father was a prominent activist in your district, and he believed that boys and girls should be educated side by side and have equal access. He co founded a school in Swap Valley, which you attended. What kind of student were you?

Malala Yousafzai14:57

Yeah.

Malala Yousafzai15:00

The f

Malala Yousafzai15:05

I was a really good student. When I look back, I'm like, Malala, you are doing great. You are an outstanding and excellent student. I was academically, I was doing well. I was participating in every co-curricular, extracurricular activity, doing speeches and performing in any school event and going for anything. And my father's philosophy was that if you can run a good school and if you can give quality education to these children, if you can inspire them to become change makers, that way you will produce 10, 20 more doctors and 10, 20 engineers and leaders and change makers for the society that we are living in.

Presenter15:46

From an early age, you were keen for your father to do more to help children, especially those growing up alongside you from poorer backgrounds. Who were you trying to persuade him to help back then?

Malala Yousafzai15:59

When I used to walk to school, I used to see many young girls who were not in school. They would be going to other people's houses for the domestic labor that they had to do. Many of them would be there on the garbage doms and they would be collecting metal pieces from the garbage. And I always had this question that, you know, why is it that I can go to school but they can't? I started to realize that, you know, this this is not the world we should be living in. If I can go to school, so should everybody else who's around me. And I wanted to do this activism for all children then to go to school.

Presenter16:37

It's time for some more music from you, Malala. This is disc number four. What does it mean to you? And where would you usually listen to this?

Malala Yousafzai16:45

So, this is a song called Hamde King, we will see by Kpal Bano, and the poetry is written by.

Malala Yousafzai16:53

Faiz Ahmad Faiz, he is a well-known poet in Pakistan and he wrote this poetry during the time of Ziaul Haq, who was a military dictator. And he brought a military coup against Ziaul Haq, who was a political leader. And this song was actually censored. And this brave woman, Iqbal Bano, she goes to the stage in 1986 and she sings this song. And the whole room are just in this sense of revolution.

Malala Yousafzai17:22

Whenever I feel there is a bit of hopelessness in the mission that I'm fighting for or in the change that we all want to see, I listen to this song and that faith, that belief that truth shall prevail, truth shall win, it comes back in me.

Presenter17:40

I'm kicking it.

Presenter17:44

Hambe king Lasim Heke Hambide King Hambe King

Presenter17:56

Wodin Gejiska Wada He Hong De King.

Presenter18:06

Moving

Malala Yousafzai18:08

This

Presenter18:09

Humde Kenge We Will See by Iqbal Barno Malali Yousafzai In the wake of the 9-11 terror attacks and the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban were driven out of the country. By 2008 they were established in Swat Valley. You were eleven then. What do you remember about that time?

Presenter18:30

Uh

Malala Yousafzai18:30

Basically, it was a life in fear. In the Taliban, they would enter into people's houses just because some, you know, they had spoken something or they were just a bit suspicious that these people were against them. And they would kill those people. And they're in this square, which was called the Green Square, and their bodies would be hanging there with a note saying that nobody can remove this body till 11 a.m. or 12 p.m. So they wanted people to even see that. And if anybody removed, they said that your body shall be here too.

Malala Yousafzai19:03

Yeah, it's very difficult to understand that ideology. You know, it's they literally misuse the name of Islam. Who did you think these people were?

Malala Yousafzai19:12

To be honest, I just did not know who they were. Even when I I used when you are young, you have this belief that sort of there's magic and anything can happen and then you make a wish to God and then He will listen to you and you know the world will change and I used to believe in that and I used to pray to God that He just fixes the world and I was like, you know, don't harm these people like I don't want them to be harmed. Just sort of like make them disappear or just make them just better people and just remove all these guns and remove all these weapons from this world so we can all live in peace and everybody is safe and everybody can be smiling and you know walking on the roads and streets again and not be afraid.

Presenter19:51

When did you realize that your father's school was under threat?

Malala Yousafzai19:55

There were writings outside on the wall of the school that said that education is forbidden, and if any girls go, you know, go to this school, that you shall see the consequences. And my father closed the school on the fifteenth of January two thousand nine because that was the official deadline from the Taliban. It was very clear that if anybody kept their school open, their school would be bombed. And I remember like, you know, waking up on that day and just.

Malala Yousafzai20:21

Realizing that I could no longer go to school, and what does that mean for me? What does that mean for my future? It was a really sad day, and I cried a lot. But soon, I think around February, the Taliban then agreed to allow girls till grade four because they said till grade four, the girls are sort of young enough and they have not reached that puberty sort of age, in that age where they should be married. So they said we'll allow girls till grade four. And I was in grade five and we started going to school secretly. We did not go in school uniform. We used to wear our normal home clothes and we would hide our books under our scarves and we kept going to school even in that time.

Presenter21:04

By the time all this was happening you had already started telling your own story, albeit anonymously. You were writing a blog for the BBC under a pseudonym. Was it a case of you were more scared about what would happen if you didn't speak out than what might happen if you did?

Malala Yousafzai21:20

A hundred percent.

Malala Yousafzai21:24

living in that situation forever, for my whole life.

Malala Yousafzai21:27

I don't know, you just feel this strength within you, even though you're tiny. And I'm still tiny, I'm like five foot, I have not grown an inch tall before that.

Presenter21:35

Five foot two in your killer heels, I think.

Malala Yousafzai21:38

Yes, well, they should include that. But I just had this belief that if you are on the right path, if you are speaking the truth.

Malala Yousafzai21:46

And if you are speaking out for justice, there is something there are these invisible guards around you, there are these angels protecting you, you know, there's this this power within truth. So I believe that, you know, somehow that we will be safe and we will be fine and that we will win.

Presenter22:05

The end.

Malala Yousafzai22:06

Yeah.

Presenter22:06

Malal, let let's take a moment for some more music. This is disc number five. Why have you chosen this one?

Malala Yousafzai22:12

When I moved to the UK, I was very new to this culture and I was trying to find what I liked and disliked in the music and the art here. And I realized that I really liked musicals, so I watched The Phantom of the Opera so many times and I loved each and every song in this. So it was really hard to pick one, but I chose All I Ask of You.

Speaker 122:32

Let me be your freedom.

Speaker 122:36

Uh

Presenter22:36

Let daylight dry your tears I'm here

Presenter22:41

With you beside you.

Speaker 122:44

To guard you and to guide you

Presenter22:52

Yeah.

Speaker 122:58

Oh, my heart with

Presenter23:02

All I ask of you from The Phantom of the Opera, composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and performed by Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton with the original London cast.

Presenter23:12

So, Malala Yousafzai, October 9th, 2012 was the day that made headlines around the world.

Presenter23:19

It was when what you call the incident happened. What do you remember about that afternoon?

Malala Yousafzai23:25

I remember sitting in the school bus, talking to my friends, just talking to the bus driver, and he was doing some like magic tricks with a pebble, just hiding it. It was appearing and disappearing. And I was just really fascinated by that. I love magic tricks. And

Malala Yousafzai23:41

it you know, it then it started, you know, driving and I just I don't remember anything. And then I wake up in a hospital in Birmingham.

Presenter23:52

So you don't have any memory of of the incident itself. What what did your friends tell you?

Malala Yousafzai23:58

So I asked my best friend, her name is Muneba, and she said that a man at the front, probably a young man, had stopped the school bus and he was talking to the driver. And then one guy sort of came to the back of the bus and he asked who's Malala and everybody was just scared. Some of the girls were covering their faces, some were not. I was not covering my face. And I was like, Muneeba, like, what was I doing? Did I say anything? And she said, no, you were just staring at the person and you squeezed my hand so tightly that I could feel the pain for days.

Malala Yousafzai24:39

And that, you know, suddenly bullets were fired and you fell in my lap.

Presenter24:45

Your injuries were so severe that a few days after the shooting you were airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, and that specializes in treating injured military personnel. You were in a medically induced coma for a week.

Presenter24:59

What do you remember about coming round?

Malala Yousafzai25:02

I remember opening my eyes and I was trying to process whether I was alive or I was still sort of in that dream.

Malala Yousafzai25:11

When you are not really dead and you are trying to get up, but you can't. And I was grateful when I realized I was alive.

Malala Yousafzai25:20

I just cannot.

Malala Yousafzai25:22

Explained.

Malala Yousafzai25:23

Just the thankfulness that I had in my heart. And I was worried about my father. So that was literally the first question in my mind. Where is my father? Because the images that had formed in my brain was telling me a different story, saying, you know, that my father was attacked as well. And initially, I could not talk because I had a tube in my neck for breathing. So whatever I wanted to say, I had to write it on a piece of paper.

Presenter25:49

What did you write?

Malala Yousafzai25:49

Did you write? Whichever doctor entered the room, I would write to them, where is my father? And I remember I called one of the nurses, like, I have to call my dad. There's something important. I have to tell him before he comes here.

Malala Yousafzai26:03

And I called him and I asked him to bring my physics books.

Malala Yousafzai26:07

Because I was worried that I might be a bit behind in my physics revision for my exams in Pakistan. I did not know that the journey and the time that I would be spending in the UK would be longer than that.

Presenter26:21

Let's take a moment for some more music. This is your sixth selection today. Why have you chosen it?

Malala Yousafzai26:27

This song is called Kari Kari which means dark, dark and it is by Kuratulain Baloj.

Malala Yousafzai26:33

This song is in Urdu and it is from a movie called Pink, a Bollywood movie that touches the issue of women's rights and just the stereotype and just the stigma that's been attached to speaking out about these issues and what women have to suffer that they have to make so many compromises in their life and oftentimes they're not given justice when it comes to their physical safety.

Malala Yousafzai26:57

Kari kari rena sawn dere kyun la

Presenter27:07

I'm not sure if I can do it.

Presenter27:17

Gucciotic asset

Presenter27:22

And God it just said

Presenter27:25

Kari Kari, Dark Dark from the soundtrack to the film Pink performed by Kurut Ullin Buloch. Malala Yousafzai, aside from the physical scars left behind by the attack on you, of course there was also the huge emotional trauma. How did you begin to process what you'd been through?

Malala Yousafzai27:46

To be honest, initially I was very strong.

Malala Yousafzai27:50

I realized that this was a second life for me, and this was given to me for a reason.

Malala Yousafzai27:57

And for me, like, I just did not think too much about the attack, and I'm grateful that I don't remember the incident. So when people used to, you know, talk about the story of Malala, I sometimes just could not connect to it. I was like, are they talking about sort of me exactly who this person is right now? Or is

Presenter28:14

Is she somebody else?

Presenter28:16

I know that you've settled into life in Birmingham now, and obviously that must have been a a challenge for the whole family. How long did it take everyone to adjust?

Presenter28:25

Wesley

Malala Yousafzai28:25

We had to

Presenter28:25

Uh

Malala Yousafzai28:25

Understand the accent.

Presenter28:27

I hear that you do a brilliant Romi accent. You know I'm going to ask you to demonstrate, right?

Malala Yousafzai28:30

Yeah.

Malala Yousafzai28:32

So w when I gave the speech at the at the UN, I said Malala Day is not my day, it's the day of every girl.

Malala Yousafzai28:39

Then I started practicing it in my Burmi accent, like Malala Dai is not my dai. Chedai is the dai of every girl. And like Sundai, Mundai, uh, Hawaii. Yeah, so I I I I love this accent.

Presenter28:53

You said not too long ago that you can have more than one home, do you?

Malala Yousafzai28:58

Birmingham has become a second home. But Swat Valley, Pakistan, that is always my first home and that's still in our hearts and there is a sense of attachment to the land, to the soil. And when you put your feet on this on this you know different piece of land, you just feel like you belong to it. I hope.

Malala Yousafzai29:19

to go back to Pakistan soon, to see my home again.

Presenter29:22

And given all that you've been through, do you feel safe today?

Malala Yousafzai29:27

I have seen

Malala Yousafzai29:29

Worse scenarios than this. And I have seen the time when.

Malala Yousafzai29:34

You know, we were in clear danger. There were people walking around in the streets and you could hear their footsteps and you knew that they could just get into your house and target you. So when you see sort of so much and you are still alive and you are still fighting for the cause that you believe in, then you realize that, you know, if it if it has to happen, then it will. But right now, just keep going and keep doing what you want to do.

Presenter30:00

Time for some more music, I think, Malala. What are we going to hear next, and why have you chosen it?

Malala Yousafzai30:04

So the next song is Love Always Comes as a Surprise and it is from Madagascar Three. I am a big, big fan of animation and their songs, their messages are always so important. So I'm sure everybody else will like it.

Malala Yousafzai30:18

Love always comes as a surprise. You don't need to close your eyes'cause

Speaker 130:28

Soon you'll recognize It's colourless life Well it always has a twist Something new that can't be missed And you know I can't resist this

Presenter30:47

Love always comes as a surprise from the soundtrack to the film Madagascar III performed by Peter Asher. Everybody else did love it, I'm sure. How could you not, Malala Yousofsai?

Malala Yousafzai30:56

It's a sign.

Presenter30:57

So Malala, you're known and of course we know you well as a passionate, brave campaigner who can command a world stage. But as you said earlier, there is another side to you. What do you do when you need to take a break?

Malala Yousafzai31:10

Um, so um, you know, I spend time with my friends and especially in this pandemic, I have been on, you know, the house party.

Presenter31:17

We should say house party is an apt to kind of group chat app, right?

Malala Yousafzai31:21

Yes, but I also watch like the old British sitcoms as well. Black Adder, Fools and Horses, yes, Minister, and I I'm just a big fan of British sitcoms, so I watch

Presenter31:32

I always watch those shows. The idea of you sitting down watching Black Adder is just bringing me so much joy. When are you happiest, do you think?

Malala Yousafzai31:40

So many moments, so many when I'm you know with my family, when we are just you know sharing a joke or something. Those are moments of joy and happiness and you should always value them. When I'm when I'm watching a cricket match between India and Pakistan and Pakistan wins, I am really, really happy.

Presenter31:58

And of course I'm about to cast you away to our desert island. How do you imagine life there?

Malala Yousafzai32:04

I think it would be good. I expect really nice weather there. I hope it would not be too cold, too hot. You know, listening to these beautiful songs that would be reminding me of my moments of happiness, joy, feeling the soul within me and

Presenter32:08

Hi

Malala Yousafzai32:21

Just being grateful for everything and just thinking through life, what is life, why are we here and yeah, enjoying my time, I hope.

Presenter32:30

Well, before we send you there, we're going to hear your final disc, and I know it's got a very special resonance for you, because it was performed at your Nobel Prize ceremony.

Malala Yousafzai32:39

Yes. So this song is called Bibi Shirina, a Brave Girl, and it is sung by Sardar Ali Thakur. And this is a song that talks to young girls, especially Pashtun girls, that is my community. And this song says that, you know, education is your right and you should be able to achieve any dream that you have.

Speaker 233:00

Murika Mirman Kokura Lureko Basmina Elam Khosta Hak de Kochtana Bibishirinai Elam Khosta Hak de Kochtana Bibishirinai Murika Mirman Kokhura Lure Khubas Minai Elam Khosta Hak de Kochtana Bibishirinai Elam Khosta Hak de Kochtana Bibishirinai Tabib

Presenter33:29

Baby Sharina, A Brave Girl, by Sadar Ali Takar. It's time to send you away to the island, Malala. I am giving you the books to take with you, the Koran and the complete works of Shakespeare. You can also take a choice of your own. What would you like?

Malala Yousafzai33:43

Uh

Presenter33:43

Uh

Malala Yousafzai33:43

I'll take Plato's complete works. I studied Plato's Republic in my university and since then I have become a big fan of Plato. So I'll take all of his books with me.

Presenter33:54

What about a luxury item to make your stay on the island more enjoyable?

Malala Yousafzai33:58

I cannot survive without a lip balm, so I'm gonna take my lip balm, which is a slightly colored sort of lip balm, so it gives that beautiful color to your lips, and I will be very happy with that forever.

Presenter34:04

Episode

Presenter34:08

We will send you an inexhaustible supply of lip balm with you. Thank you so much. And finally, if you had to, which one track of the eight that you shared with us to day would you save from the waves?

Malala Yousafzai34:19

Hmm.

Malala Yousafzai34:20

I think I will go with Hamde Kinge. We will see, bite Balbano.

Presenter34:25

Malala Yousafzai, thank you very much for letting us hear your Desert Island discs.

Malala Yousafzai34:29

Thank you so much. I just loved it and enjoyed it. Thank you.

Presenter34:45

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Malala and while I'd love it if she could find some of the answers to life's big questions while she's on the island, I also hope she enjoys some time in the sunshine. Over the years we've cast many activists away including Naomi Klein, Gloria Steinem, Sarah Khan, Raja Shahada and Sinead Burke. You can hear their programmes on the Desert Island Disc's website and BBC Sounds. Next time my guest will be Sophia Loren.

Speaker 135:25

Hello, I'm Greg Jenner, the host of the You're Dead to Me podcast, and I have some good news.

Speaker 135:31

Now that we're all stuck at home again, we are bringing back Home School History. And if you missed out the first time, you don't know what it is, it's our fun, family-friendly, and informative show about well, you can probably guess, yeah, history. And yes, we're bringing back the obligatory sound effects, of course. This time out, get ready to learn about the Great Fire of London, ancient Egyptian religion, the Scottish Wars of Independence, Mary Sea Cole, and one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Then you'll have to tune in to find out which one. So that's Homeschool History with me, Greg Jenner, on BBC Sounds.