GENDER APARTHEID UNVEILED: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF MALALA YOUSAFZAI’S SPEECH AT THE 21ST NELSON MANDELA ANNUAL LECTURE (2023)

Abstract

In this research, Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the 21^st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture (2023) will be analysed in accordance with the principles of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). In the said speech, Malala frames the concept of ‘Gender Apartheid’, in order to shed light on the systemic oppression and violence inflicted by oppressive regime of the Taliban on Afghan women. She visibly draws parallels between the gender-based oppression and South Africa’s historical and racial apartheid. She puts forward an argument that gender inequality should be actualized as an intersectional issue that is embedded globally in social and political spheres rather than a merely local issue. This research analyses how Malala presents, defends, and reinforces her ideological stance and advocates for fairness through her strategic lexical choices and rhetorical devices, and this motive of analysis is achieved by using Fairclough’s Three-Dimensional framework that comprises of Description, Interpretation, and Explanation. The key findings of this research entail her adept use of religious and legal discourse to reinforce her stance that gender-based oppression is a human rights violation as well as a distortion of Islamic principles. Through terminologies like ‘Gender Apartheid’, ‘crimes against humanity’ and ‘codification’, Malala highlights the necessity of global accountability and legal processes to fight against gender-based oppression. Furthermore, she simultaneously points out Islamic values of compassion and fairness in order to debunk the false interpretation and ideological narrative of the Taliban, and aligns her arguments with the universal, ethical, and faith-based principles. Moreover, this research also studies the interplay of power and language. By highlighting the formal aspects of her speech, this study highlights Malala’s use of voice, declarative statements, and intertextual references to the Anti-Apartheid movements in South Africa, exploring the intersectionality of systemic oppression. The linguistic strategies appointed in her speech amplify her arguments as well as her call for global solidarity and collective resistance against hegemonic structures and oppressive regimes. The study concludes that Malala’s discourse explores the intersectionality of systemic oppression and challenges the patriarchal and oppressive ideologies by advocating for the codification of gender apartheid as a globally recognized crime under the international law in order to transform societal, local, and legal frameworks to guarantee the protection of women rights worldwide.