Malala Yousafzai has said going to university “finally” gave her some time for herself.
The activist and Nobel Prize laureate, 23, made the comments in an interview with British Vogue and features on the cover of the July issue of the magazine.
She completed her philosophy, politics and economics degree at Oxford University last year.
Discussing her time at university, she said: “I was excited about literally anything. Going to McDonald’s or playing poker with my friends or going to a talk or an event.
British Vogue’s Editor in Chief Edward Enninful took to his social media feeds to share the wonderful news along with stunning shots of Malala in brilliant hue of red, white and blue. Sharing the cover, Edward wrote, “When it comes to people I admire, Malala Yousafzai is right at the top. At 23, the world’s most famous university graduate has already lived so many lives. Activist, author, tireless campaigner for girls’ education, daughter, sister, student and survivor. It’s hard to believe it was only a decade ago that she was a young teenager with a passion for learning, living in Pakistan’s Taliban-controlled Swat Valley, blogging about her experience for the BBC and giving a voice to girls denied the right to learn. A near-fatal attempt on her life in 2012 – or what she calls “the incident” – brought her to Britain for specialist surgery. But she didn’t stop there. “
Yousafzai, on her part, spoke about the significance of the red headscarf in the cover. “It’s a cultural symbol for us Pashtuns, it represents where I come from. When we follow our traditional dress, we’re considered oppressed, voiceless, or living under patriarchy. I want to tell everyone that you can have your own voice within your culture…you can have equality in your culture.”
The Pakistan native, who lives in England now, had signed a deal with Apple TV+ in March. About it, she had said, “I want these shows to be entertaining and sort of thing I’d watch. If I don’t enjoy them, I won’t put them on-screen. I also wonder, if a woman in a valley in Pakistan made South Park, what’d that look like?”
Yousafzai is a world-renowned advocate for women’s rights and girls’ education. She co-authored an international bestseller I Am Malala. There is also an Oscar-shortlisted documentary based on her life He Named Me Malala. She won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Kailash Satyarthi from India. Yousafzai has featured as one of the most influential people globally by Time Magazine for multiple years.
