I am Malala
Koshal Hamal, 2017-19
Fiber glass with gold acrylic
H 65 cm, L 56 cm, D 35 cm

© Koshal Hamal

Malala Yousafzai’s I am Malala, became a central influence on my work of which this piece is a summary. In this work, skinny Malala is seen carrying a school bag and peacefully clasping a pen. Metaphorically, I show a present-day Malala as a fasting Siddhartha. In keeping with the vision of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education, I sought here to highlight the struggle for the education of the female child. Yousafzai is an model for all uneducated females hoping to study and change society through education. In my birth town in Mugu district (the most remote part in Nepal), most parents give priority to educating the male child, and care little for girls. My hope is that by advancing Malala’s vision and suffering, it may one day become the most important tool for female child education.