Malala Yousafzai to deliver Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture

As South Africa marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of Nelson Mandela, one of the country’s greatest icons and freedom fighter, Pakistani education activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai will be the youngest Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture speaker.

The lecture is expected to be delivered on Tuesday night in Johannesburg.

This lecture comes as the world grapples with several challenges including wars in Israel and Ukraine, which have killed thousands of innocent women and children. 

Madiba as he was fondly known passed away on 5 December 2013.

Oppression

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Yousafzai’ remarks will centre on the Taliban’s systemic oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan and raise visibility of a growing effort to expand the definition of apartheid to include gender-based oppression.

“In Afghanistan, a system of gender apartheid prevents girls from going to school, keeps women from participating in most facets of public life, and threatens their well-being.”

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The foundation said like Madiba, Malala has become a global icon who has championed education and human rights, earning her a Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17.

“In a dialogue following the annual lecture, Malala and a panel of activists will reflect on lessons from South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle and Nelson Mandela’s legacy within it and highlight calls to action from Afghan women and girls for a more robust global response.”

Previous speakers

The foundation said the Annual Lecture Series invites prominent people to drive debate on significant social issues.

“It is an important event on the Foundation’s calendar, and encourages people to enter into dialogue – often about difficult subjects – to address the challenges we face today.”

Previous speakers include the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley; former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Dr Fatou Bensouda; United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres; Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng; former US president Barack Obama; Archbishop Desmond Tutu and  former South African president Thabo Mbeki.

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