#BooksNotBullets - Malala Promotes Reading For 18th Birthday
 |
Malala Yousafzai has been making waves since she started her campaign for better eduction for girls in her home nation of Pakistan in 2009. In October 2012, as a direct response to her campaigning, a member of the Taliban walked onto the bus she was riding and shot her in the head. After recovering from the incident she relocated to the UK and took up residence in Birmingham.
Since then she's become a sensation and an exemplar for better education and gender equality in the Middle East. Her book, I Am Malala was an international best-seller and led Malala to appear in interviews and press conferences almost the world over. She celebrated her 18th birthday on Sunday and used to occasion to do two pretty astounding things: open a school in Lebanon and throw more weight behind her already successful #BooksNotBullets campaign.
It might not sound like there's much to link the two, but the Lebanese school - opened to take in Syrian girls seeking refuge - is just the first leg of a wider campaign for better education funding. That is the purpose of #BooksNotBullets, to convince world leaders to redirect military arms money and commit it to improving education standards. The hashtag has been doing the rounds on Twitter and Instagram for a few weeks now but Malala's birthday has put yet more wind in its sails.
 |
It's a simple premise: you pose in a selfie with a book that is particularly important to you (and the world) and explain what's so important about it. Malala herself chose to pose with her copy of The Diary of Anne Frank, explaining that 'It inspires me to believe that every child deserves the right to dream, the right to learn and the right to live in peace.' She goes on to talk about the need for education as an antithesis to extremism.
Thousands of others have now gotten in on the act, including actress Marion Coitillard (who posed with Fairfield Osborn's Our Plundered Planet), Grimes (The Handmaid's Tale) and author James Patterson (Peter Pan). Education charities, book shops and other sources have also posted group shots featuring dozens of people hoisting their favourite tomes.
We stand with Malala and choose #booksnotbullets. Let's inspire and transform lives through education @malalafund pic.twitter.com/QgvM9UU1rn
— Orion Publishing (@orionbooks) July 6, 2015
For the past 3 years her birthday has also been declared 'Malala Day' and this has easily been the most memorable one thus far. After opening the school, the girls who would be attending presented Malala with a cake and sang happy birthday, moving her to tears. This isn't one of those campaigns that flares up for a few days and then fizzles out, it's going to keep running for a while, so I'd urge you to get involved. As a nice bonus, here's a little gallery of some of the SMF staff getting in on the act. |
| Aaron, our latest content writer with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |
 |
| Leo, sales manager and sometime content writer sporting The Rum Diary and (for some perverse reason) the head of a sow. |
 |
| Adam, another member of the sales team with Catch 22 and even creepier attire . Clearly I didn't get the memo. |
 |
| And yours truly, clutching my copy of Orwell's 1984 (my third copy, the other two fell to pieces many moons past). |
Callum Davies
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
#BooksNotBullets - Malala Promotes Reading For 18th Birthday
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Rating:
Unknown
Keeping you up to date on social media, digital marketing, apps, news & reviews. Social media, and digital marketing as a whole, are rapidly and constantly changing, adapting to new developments at an ever increasing rate. Just keeping up to date can be a nightmare. Our team of writers know their field, and keep an ear to the ground. We aim to keep you informed of all recent developments in the online world, and teach you a little something along the way. So whether you just want to stay connected, or gain some knowledge for yourself, the Social Songbird will keep on singing! More articles are posted every day so keep checking back! Join the discussion on Twitter - #SocialSongbird Or contact us directly - @SocialSongbird_
Entrepreneur, international speaker on Social Media Marketing. First one in the UK to write and speak in conferences about Twitter as a marketing tool. Consultant to Corporate Companies, Government Organizations, Marketing Managers and Business Owners.
Aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He hopes to one day drop that 'aspiring' prefix. He started as a writer and soon after he was made Executive Editor and Manager of the team at Social Songbird. A position he held for 5 years.
Adrienne is a passionate writer with experience in editing, content creation, and social media marketing. She’s a lover of animals, helping others improve their writing, and 2000s pop culture.
Musician, audio technician, professional tutor and a Cambridge university English student. Interested in writing, politics and obsessed with reading.
Recently graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Exeter, and he is about to study an MA in Journalism at the University of Sheffield. He is an aspiring journalist and novelist; in his free time he enjoys playing chess, listening to music and taking long walks through nature.
Lucy is an undergraduate BSc Politics and International Relations student at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Anna Coopey is a 4th year UG student in Classics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is a keen writer and researcher on a number of topics, varying from Modern Greek literature to revolutionary theory.
Ellie is a recent BA English Literature graduate and aspiring publisher with a passion for writing. Her favourite pastimes include reading and shopping.