Malala teams up with Apple for content aimed at women, children

Pakistani Nobel laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt, has signed a deal with Apple TV+ that will see her produce dramas and documentaries focusing on women and children.

The multi-year partnership would “draw on her ability to inspire people around the world”, the company said in a statement on Monday, adding that content would also include animation and children’s series.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to support women, young people, writers, and artists in reflecting the world as they see it,” the 23-year-old was quoted as saying.

Yousafzai earned the wrath of the Taliban as a 10-year-old in rural northwestern Pakistan when she began campaigning for girls’ education rights.

At the time, the Pakistani Taliban had gained a significant foothold in the Swat Valley and had, among other things, banned education for girls and employment for women.

International attention

Yousafzai drew international attention with a series of blogs and articles she wrote under a pen name for the BBC about everyday life and hopes for a better future, but her fame incensed the Taliban, whose leadership ordered her murder.

In October 2012, a Taliban assassin shot Malala, then 15 years old, in a school van. The bullet struck near her left eye, went through her neck and lodged in her shoulder.

She recovered after months of treatment at home and abroad before co-writing a bestselling memoir titled, I am Malala, which drew even more international attention.

Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a 17-year-old in 2014, sharing the award with Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s rights activist from India.

Apple produced a documentary about Malala in 2015 and teamed up with her Malala Fund in 2018 to promote secondary education for girls across the globe.

She graduated from Oxford University last year and has since created Assembly, a digital publication for girls and women, that is available on Apple News and formed her own TV production company, Extracurricular.

“I believe in the power of stories to bring families together, forge friendships, build movements, and inspire children to dream,” she was quoted as saying in Monday’s statement.

In an interview with Reuters news agency, Malala said: “I hope that through this partnership, I will be able to bring new voices to this platform, to this stage. I hope that through me, more young people and girls will watch these shows, get inspired.”