Ragazzi, la vostra coetanea vi chiama ad una bella sfida.

“They can only shoot my body but they can’t shoot my dreams” , Malala Nobel Prize 2014

Malala is making history. She is showing the whole world that age doesn’t matter. She is making we adults look very petit. She is giving us all lessons on maturity and sense of responsibility. She is showing how much of our world is changing and how much responsibility we adults – the baby boomers – owe this generation of teenagers.

She stopped the bullet with her face. Not exactly, the bullet went through her left temple and came out at the back of her neck few inches away from her spinal cord. The Talibans thought they would teach her a lesson but instead they ended up being taught one. Her resilience is just a real lesson of endurance, determination and courage for us all.

Giving a Nobel for Peace to a 17-year-old Afghan girl is an historical event. The sharing of a Nobel Prize amongst two political ‘‘enemies’’ is a confirmation of what the whole Nobel Ideology is all about. The idea is to force two peoples who wouldn’t, under normal circumstances, sit down for a dialogue to share duties and responsibilities. This is also a challenge to bring real peace to the world. The continuos fight between Pakistani and Indians is one of the worst litigations neighbouring countries ever had. The British Empire have always created an unwanted war and disdain amongst their colonies. The dissolution of the so called British Raj in 1947 brought about two new sovereign nations, India and Pakistan, each with two different religions: Indian hindus and Pakistani Muslims. So the differences are not only in the slight geographical locations and the little or no diversity in cultures and costumes but most especially in the religious aspect. Of course they have one single national sport in common, and guess who they took after – the Britons of course – and the sport is Cricket. They now beat the Britons to it as much as the Italian beat them to football.

So, let’s get back to Malala’s inspirational courage and example, this is the answer to the fact that a gender should think that the other gender is made for his own personal enjoyment and fun. In the name of a religion the Talibans think that women are purposely made to be used by men as a comfort soothing ‘‘toy’’. They wouldn’t want women to live any evolution in their bringing up. Boko Haram literally means no education for girls. Ignorance of course would help in oppressing females and thus allow men to be dominance on them. No wonder women have to cover themselves from head to toe while men can go any where they want to, open faced and free to rape any girl, any time, any where. It is not surprising that about 90% of marriages in India and Pakistan and set up by the parents of girls who are still 9 years old, getting literally sold to a man of around 40-50 years old. Girls are born to be used by men so they are ‘‘given away’’ at a tender age, an age when they don’t even know what sex is. Khaled Hosseini cannot give us a better picture than he did in his latest book: And The Mountain Echoed. Grab one at the bookshop and enjoy the stylish creative way of writing and powerfully capturing story.

The idea of giving the Nobel for peace to an Indian and a Pakistani who are working on the same issue of children education is appreciated the more considering the advent of the Boko Haram who abducted hundreds of girls for their own pleasure. After almost six months that these girls were been deprived of their liberty to study and their freedom to be with their parents, friends, colleagues and loved ones, we still do not know exactly where they are and what is being done with them. I am sure nobody is naive enough as to think that the government of Nigeria does not know how to tackle the mishap and find them with all its military power and the well diffused info on the help sent by the USA to search for these unfortunate little angles.

So, let us take Malala as our idol, especially those of you who are in their teens. Think about your age mate who is doing all her best to make sure that no girl is left behind education wise.

My due respect to the wise and well pondered choice of the Nobel committee for this year’s peace prize.

Enjoy!