Malala Yousafzai's interview at Ellen
In September 2015 Ellen DeGeneres had as a guest Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai for premiere week to share her story and discuss her continuous fight for education. An inspiration for all women of any race, age, religion, this young lady speaks gracefully and with knowledge of the world and her own trials as nothing.
Shot in the head at 15, in a coma for a week, then under rehabilitation, back to school, and then the Nobel Peace Prize, and she met Obama, Queen Elizabeth, celebrities, spoke at the United Nations, and through all this she is still hated by a relevant part of the Muslim world, because she has courage, is independent, wants all children to go to school... and she can't go back to Pakistan because she and her father have death threats against them.
- Language Notes and Explanations
- premiere week= the movie telling her story was first released that week
- quite a story= a great story
- would bring= continued to bring - "would" here is similar to "used to"
- to empower= to give power
- well put= expressed in words perfectly
- and stuff= and things of this kind
- to take something for granted: to think something is normal
- unfortunately= purtroppo
- Yep= non-standard, informal spelling of yes (such as yeah, yea, or yup).
- at your fingertip= a portata di mano
- is in theaters= "theaters" here means "cinemas"
- we'll be right back= (on tv) we are coming back in a couple of minutes or so
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[0:00] You really are so impressive and so inspirational, and I am so happy to have you here. I watched the documentary, I have read your book, and if you haven't, you must read this. It's quite a story.
[0:12] So you were shot in the face at 15 years old, and you have no anger towards the man who shot you. How is that possible?
[0:24] I think they made a big mistake, because I was fighting for the right of education right from the beginning when the Taliban stopped girls from going to school.
[0:33] But I had this little bit of fear that what would happen to me, how would I feel if someone attacked me, but after that incident when I was attacked, that fear just went away.
[0:42] And as I said in my speech at the United Nations that my weakness, my fear, and my hopelessness died on that day. And I became stronger than before.
[0:52] And now I strongly believe that nothing can stop me, in this mission and this campaign of education, to say that girls deserve the right to go to school, and I... it's the love of people as well, that has encouraged me and helped me not to think about what I have been through in my life.
[1:12] When I see people praying for me, taking care of me and sending cards and letters every day, it makes me stronger. It makes me stronger every day, and I feel that, whatever happened to me, I should now forget about it and continue my life with more courage and more work.
[1:40] - Well... I am so glad that you came out of that experience as this person, we are lucky to have you in the world, because you're making such a difference. You were in a coma for how long? 1:52] - At least a week.
- And then it took you a long time to learn how to...
- Yes. - Speak and walk and everything again.
[2:01] - Then my parents came, and the doctors, they would bring the cards that I had received, and I just could not believe it. It was astonishing that- I'm going through this difficult situation but there's so much love out there, and it's helping me to forget about all the pain that I'm going through.
[2:18] Yeah, there was a lot of love, a lot of people, and it really did raise awareness in a way that never - never had happened before. Your parents are in the audience right now, and I know that your dad empowered you tremendously. How did he do that?
[2:35] Well, my father always says, "Ask me what I did but ask me what I did not do, and I did not clip her wings." So he has not clipped my wings. He has allowed me to fly, high as I can, and this is how we want parents to be, to allow their children to fulfil their dreams, to achieve who they want to be.
[2:55] It's not that girls don't have the skill or don't have the talent to do something in their life. It's that they are stopped in society. So my father did not do that. He did not stop me, and I'm really thankful to him;
[3:06] Also to my mother for giving me this strength and this courage to go forward. A little bit to my brothers. A little bit.
- A little bit.
[3:23] That is so well put, in every one of those things. I love your brothers, by the way. It was good dancing with you. It was really fun. So you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and how did you find out you won?
[3:35] - So I was in my chemistry lesson in school, and--just studying about atoms and those things-- and suddenly my teacher came and she surprised me. She said that "You have won the Nobel Peace Prize." And I said, "Okay." And then I said, "I want to finish my school,"
[3:53] And because I am standing up for education, and I have been given this award because I am fighting for children's rights to go to school, so I deserve this right to study today in school, finish my school day, and then I'll go and have press interviews and stuff.
[4:07] - Right.
- So I finished that day.
- Instead of going to talk to the press, you finished your school day. You just decide--well, and that's why you are who you are.
[4:15] So your big--I think that what's important here is that we take it for granted here, that girls go to school, and that we are able to be educated, but I think that that is really important for young girls here to understand that that's not... that women and children are not treated the same way in other countries.
[4:38] - Well, I see children having this quality education, having all the facilities... classrooms, science labs-- but unfortunately, around this world there are countries where children do not even have desks to sit and they do not even have chairs.
[4:54] Some do not even have teachers in their schools, and some do not even have schools at all. And I really think that education helps you to get an identity.
[5:03] It helps you to know about your basic human rights. It helps you to discover about yourself, about your talents, about your skills, and how you can help your community and your society.
[5:12] So I did not want to be deprived of that, of that opportunity myself, and I want this for every child, that no child should be deprived of the basic human right of education.
[5:25] Yep. Amazing. One thing that I love about you, you're meeting all these world leaders, and you're not shy. You're meeting all these world leaders and you say exactly what you think they should be doing.
[5:39] You met with President Obama, and you told him he should stop flying drones. You just said that to him.
- Well, him, as well as two... the Congress members I met in my last trip in June, and it's very important that you deliver your message to the right people. And if you say-
[6:04] - Remember that, so y'all go to him next time, okay?
- So if I, like... if I feel shy and if I think he would mind it, then these issues would never get highlighted.
[6:13] So it's telling the world, just reminding them of their duties. You're not asking to do something extra, but you're reminding them that these are their responsibilities.
[6:22] They need to listen to their peoples' voices. We want them to take action. We want them to do something, and it's important that you highlight it to them.
[6:30] - Yes, exactly. 18 years old. 18 years old, I was very similar to this. The problem that I see, because I've watched the documentary, and I've seen how many different places that you go to speak. Because you're 18 and you're shorter... you're not an adult-sized person yet.
[6:53] There's podiums they are too tall for you, so I got you something. So it has a quote of mine, that says: "Under every great woman is a tiny stepstool." And so... Now...
Thank you. Thank you. - Sure.
[7:11] Also, I know for your 18th birthday, there was something more important for you than gifts, and you wanted to give money to a school that you started, right?
[7:21] Well, I would like to-- this is an amazing thing. This is an iPad Air 2, and it has over 100,000 educational apps, and tens of thousands of textbooks at your fingertips in here, and I want to make sure all of your students in Lebanon have the best possible head start, so they're going to get this as well. They're going to give you 200 of these.
[7:42] - Oh, thank you. Thank you so much.
- For more information on how you can donate to the Malala Fund, go to malala.org. "He Named Me Malala" is in theaters October 2nd. We will be right back. Malala, everyone.
[0:12] So you were shot in the face at 15 years old, and you have no anger towards the man who shot you. How is that possible?
[0:24] I think they made a big mistake, because I was fighting for the right of education right from the beginning when the Taliban stopped girls from going to school.
[0:33] But I had this little bit of fear that what would happen to me, how would I feel if someone attacked me, but after that incident when I was attacked, that fear just went away.
[0:42] And as I said in my speech at the United Nations that my weakness, my fear, and my hopelessness died on that day. And I became stronger than before.
[0:52] And now I strongly believe that nothing can stop me, in this mission and this campaign of education, to say that girls deserve the right to go to school, and I... it's the love of people as well, that has encouraged me and helped me not to think about what I have been through in my life.
[1:12] When I see people praying for me, taking care of me and sending cards and letters every day, it makes me stronger. It makes me stronger every day, and I feel that, whatever happened to me, I should now forget about it and continue my life with more courage and more work.
[1:40] - Well... I am so glad that you came out of that experience as this person, we are lucky to have you in the world, because you're making such a difference. You were in a coma for how long? 1:52] - At least a week.
- And then it took you a long time to learn how to...
- Yes. - Speak and walk and everything again.
[2:01] - Then my parents came, and the doctors, they would bring the cards that I had received, and I just could not believe it. It was astonishing that- I'm going through this difficult situation but there's so much love out there, and it's helping me to forget about all the pain that I'm going through.
[2:18] Yeah, there was a lot of love, a lot of people, and it really did raise awareness in a way that never - never had happened before. Your parents are in the audience right now, and I know that your dad empowered you tremendously. How did he do that?
[2:35] Well, my father always says, "Ask me what I did but ask me what I did not do, and I did not clip her wings." So he has not clipped my wings. He has allowed me to fly, high as I can, and this is how we want parents to be, to allow their children to fulfil their dreams, to achieve who they want to be.
[2:55] It's not that girls don't have the skill or don't have the talent to do something in their life. It's that they are stopped in society. So my father did not do that. He did not stop me, and I'm really thankful to him;
[3:06] Also to my mother for giving me this strength and this courage to go forward. A little bit to my brothers. A little bit.
- A little bit.
[3:23] That is so well put, in every one of those things. I love your brothers, by the way. It was good dancing with you. It was really fun. So you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and how did you find out you won?
[3:35] - So I was in my chemistry lesson in school, and--just studying about atoms and those things-- and suddenly my teacher came and she surprised me. She said that "You have won the Nobel Peace Prize." And I said, "Okay." And then I said, "I want to finish my school,"
[3:53] And because I am standing up for education, and I have been given this award because I am fighting for children's rights to go to school, so I deserve this right to study today in school, finish my school day, and then I'll go and have press interviews and stuff.
[4:07] - Right.
- So I finished that day.
- Instead of going to talk to the press, you finished your school day. You just decide--well, and that's why you are who you are.
[4:15] So your big--I think that what's important here is that we take it for granted here, that girls go to school, and that we are able to be educated, but I think that that is really important for young girls here to understand that that's not... that women and children are not treated the same way in other countries.
[4:38] - Well, I see children having this quality education, having all the facilities... classrooms, science labs-- but unfortunately, around this world there are countries where children do not even have desks to sit and they do not even have chairs.
[4:54] Some do not even have teachers in their schools, and some do not even have schools at all. And I really think that education helps you to get an identity.
[5:03] It helps you to know about your basic human rights. It helps you to discover about yourself, about your talents, about your skills, and how you can help your community and your society.
[5:12] So I did not want to be deprived of that, of that opportunity myself, and I want this for every child, that no child should be deprived of the basic human right of education.
[5:25] Yep. Amazing. One thing that I love about you, you're meeting all these world leaders, and you're not shy. You're meeting all these world leaders and you say exactly what you think they should be doing.
[5:39] You met with President Obama, and you told him he should stop flying drones. You just said that to him.
- Well, him, as well as two... the Congress members I met in my last trip in June, and it's very important that you deliver your message to the right people. And if you say-
[6:04] - Remember that, so y'all go to him next time, okay?
- So if I, like... if I feel shy and if I think he would mind it, then these issues would never get highlighted.
[6:13] So it's telling the world, just reminding them of their duties. You're not asking to do something extra, but you're reminding them that these are their responsibilities.
[6:22] They need to listen to their peoples' voices. We want them to take action. We want them to do something, and it's important that you highlight it to them.
[6:30] - Yes, exactly. 18 years old. 18 years old, I was very similar to this. The problem that I see, because I've watched the documentary, and I've seen how many different places that you go to speak. Because you're 18 and you're shorter... you're not an adult-sized person yet.
[6:53] There's podiums they are too tall for you, so I got you something. So it has a quote of mine, that says: "Under every great woman is a tiny stepstool." And so... Now...
Thank you. Thank you. - Sure.
[7:11] Also, I know for your 18th birthday, there was something more important for you than gifts, and you wanted to give money to a school that you started, right?
[7:21] Well, I would like to-- this is an amazing thing. This is an iPad Air 2, and it has over 100,000 educational apps, and tens of thousands of textbooks at your fingertips in here, and I want to make sure all of your students in Lebanon have the best possible head start, so they're going to get this as well. They're going to give you 200 of these.
[7:42] - Oh, thank you. Thank you so much.
- For more information on how you can donate to the Malala Fund, go to malala.org. "He Named Me Malala" is in theaters October 2nd. We will be right back. Malala, everyone.