Taliban assassination survivor Malala to make rare public appearance in Leeds

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and an advocate for education worldwide, will make a rare public appearance in Leeds this summer.
Malala YousafzaiMalala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai

The teenager, who survived an attempted assassination by the Taliban in 2012, will speak at the First Direct Arena about her life and experiences, and will take part in a Q&A session with the audience.

In October 2012, Malala, then aged 15, was shot by the Taliban while travelling home from school on the bus with her friends in her home- town of the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan.

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Following the attack, she was flown to Birmingham to receive treatment at the specialist Queen Elizabeth hospital, and by March 2013 she had made a remarkable recovery and was well enough to return to school.

She now lives in Birmingham with her family and will be appearing at Leeds’ First Direct Arena on Sunday, August 7 from 7.30pm. Tickets go on sale from the venue’s website on Friday.

Malala will also be appearing on stage in Glasgow in August.

In a statement announcing her forthcoming appearance in Leeds, a First Direct Arena spokesman said: “Malala continues to campaign for the right of every child to go to school. Since the attack, she has become internationally known for her courage in refusing to be silenced and continuing her fight for the right of everyone to receive an education.

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“Malala’s bravery and unwavering dedication to her cause has seen her honoured throughout the world, including one of the world’s highest honours: the Nobel Peace Prize. She became the youngest recipient of this award in 2014, alongside Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi. Malala was also named one of ‘The 100 Most Influential People in the World’ in 2013 by Time magazine.”

The teenager is also the author of the international bestseller ‘I am Malala’, which has been published in more than 27 countries.

A documentary entitled ‘He Named Me Malala’ by American filmmaker Davis Guggenheim was released on October 2 last year.