The smarter the girl, then the stronger our world

A song about Malala Yousafzai

Hi all,

Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “I am Malala”, sung by Girls of the World. If you’d like to hear the song before you read the background, I’ve included a YouTube video below the article.

Below, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics (written in italics). Comments and questions are welcome. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEFL (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1. Download a worksheet for this song here.

Malala’s story*

(230 words)

Malala Yousafzai was born in July, 1997, in Pakistan. Not everyone in Pakistan celebrated girls being born. Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was happy to have a daughter and wanted her to have the same chances as a boy. He ran a school for girls in her village, and Malala loved to learn.

The Taliban took over the place where Malala and her family lived. They stopped girls from going to school and banned things like watching TV or listening to music. She was forced to leave her school at the age of 11. 

Malala started to speak up for girls' rights to go to school. That made some people angry. One day, on her way home from school, a man shot her. She woke up in a hospital in England. Doctors told her people all over the world were hoping she would get better.

Malala started the Malala Fund to help girls go to school. She won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was only 17, the youngest person ever to win the award.

She graduated from Oxford University in 2020 where she studied philosophy, politics, and economics. Now, she meets girls around the world who want to go to school but face problems like poverty or being forced into marriage. Her fight isn't over, and she has vowed to continue to fight for the rights of girls to learn.

(Pete Souza, Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

The Song

(889 words)

The rap lyrics of the song are sung/spoken to upbeat music. The version in the video below was sung at the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Concert. Because the lyrics are sung quite fast, I suggest that you read them carefully before watching the video.

The song begins with a young woman who might be speaking as though she were Malala. She knows that it is important to speak out about issues in order to change them.

Look, I wanna make a nation proud / One day, we'll say things loud and be free

With the power of our speech / We can change our world and how it's perceived 

Even though the road might be difficult, if we persist, we can create the changes we want to see.

We've got doubts and beliefs / but not one thing's truly out of our reach

Don't tell me the sky's the limit / ‘Cause nothing can pull me down when I dream

She wants to talk with people in order to make the realize that, for example, educating women and girls can benefit society.

I’m working on turning 'em into a reality and opening eyes / And sharing a vision with every person 

Who had choose to be blind / I wanna focus their minds 

To show that despite we're broken inside / We can stand powerful together without a cloak or disguise

Those who came before us

In the next few lines, the song talks about young people today. Their opportunities have come about because of the actions of the people who lived before them. 

There is some word play here. The lyrics mention paint and easel, things we imagine an artist would use. Then we see the words “picture perfect” and “drew” our attention. The singer is linking these ideas and placing them in a context that isn’t just about art. It is creating an image of people making an impact on society through protest (carrying painted signs) and drawing people’s attention to the problems in society. we picture perfect is an interesting line. Could it be interpreted as “We (who are) picture perfect” or possibly “We (subject) picture (verb) [something] (in a ) perfect (way)? What do you think?

I hope in the future that I can look back / On a new generation that's peaceful

That's grateful they're equal / ‘Cause those before made a change for the people

With paints and an easel we picture perfect

Drew our attention to making the most of our time / Creating more than useless inventions 

.

Who will carry the flag?

Who will take up the challenge of making a better world?

I’m only young, so I guess it's down for you to decide

Would you choose to fight for what you believe in?

Would you do what is right if I needed you?

Would you stand tall with me right here by my side? 

Be the change you want to see, take a look through my eyes

.

I am Malala / I am infinite hope

I am Malala, I am, I am, I am

I am Malala / I am infinite hope

I am Malala, I am, I am, I am

I am Malala

(Pete Souza, Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

The second verse is sung by another young woman. She is expressing the impact that Malala has had on her.

They say the harder the culture, they say the harder the girl  

I say the smarter the girl, then the stronger our world 

It is possible to think that the young woman who sings the next few lines is from a high-income country, the U.S. for example, whose rich became rich by using labor that they didn’t pay for as in slavery, or by using the labor of low-paid workers in factories, or by using the unpaid labor of women.

From a country where we made fortunes / Of others misfortunes and betray our own people 

Then we mourn for a portion of time / (I was) Always taught to fight for my rights

.

Treated as a second-class citizen

The young woman sees similarities between Malala and herself because Malala was treated as a second-class citizen by the men who were more powerful.

Malala fought for education then she fought for her life 

It's hard to strive to be better / When oppressed by the suppressors 

Treated like the lesser, just be clever / Ignore the ignorance from the ignorant 

Society is ridiculous but it's the world that we (are) living in 

The next line also has some word play. Chauffeur can be a person (noun) or a verb meaning to drive someone somewhere. Drive has a couple of meanings as well. Drive as a verb and drive meaning determination/decision to achieve something. Here, she may be saying that society tries to make us believe we want certain things, but it does not let us try to get what we really desire.

Chauffeurs our drive and denies our desire / Being silent doesn't help, it adds fuel to the fire

How can somebody young like me even find any truth / When nobody's looking for truth in the youth?

Society often limits us. Do we have the right to say that something (ex. our desires) isn’t reasonable or acceptable (void)?

Life isn't a choice, so who are we to say what's void

And Malala gave a voice to me cuz...

.

Hard work and talent equals infinite growth

In school a child and a teacher equals infinite hope

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Question:

1. What do you think the line “We can stand powerful together without a cloak or disguise” means?

2. How does a person show drive?

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Vocabulary

philosophy 哲学

vow 誓い

be perceived 知覚される

persist 持続する

cloak マント

disguise 変装

be interpreted 解釈される

misfortunes 不幸

mourn 嘆く

strive 努力する

oppressed 抑圧される

suppressor 抑圧者

lesser 従,地位の低い人

ignorance 無知

ridiculous ばかげている

deny 拒否

There is also a song about Malala that is sung in Pashto. If anyone can help me with the lyrics, I would be happy to include them here:

SOURCES

* summarized from https://malala.org/malalas-story