KidSpirit

The Voices of Many, the Voice of One

The yellow vests came out in thousands to be heard by governments in France and Belgium earlier this year, and many such movements campaigning for change around the world have been initiated by large groups of people. The voices of many together is louder than the voice of one individual alone. There have been several movements to achieve fair or more representative rights for the people of Pakistan, but whether they are initiated by few or many and how effective that change is can be discussed in depth.

It can be argued that a chain reaction, initiated by an individual, is just as effective, and this chain reaction can lead to a movement. I truly believe that every movement started with an individual who inspired research into a matter or began voicing concerns over an issue and influenced their immediate community. Their influence then spread, via human interaction, overseas and across borders.

On October 9, 2012, the horrendous attack on Malala Yousafzai, a young girl who was a BBC blogger in Swat, caused the international community to sit up and take notice. She, as an individual, took on the burden of pushing the government to increase budget expenditure on education across the country and and increase access for young girls. As a result of her movement, which she spread beyond our borders, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province where she lived, increased its budget allocation for education to 30% of the entire budget. Every other province in Pakistan also increased the percentages of their budgets allocated to education, and the literacy rate in the country has surged and more young children, especially girls, are attending schools than ever before. There were rallies and campaigns for girls’ education and a greater focus on education, which were inspired by Malala’s courage when she spoke up on international platforms and argued for her country. The actions that followed prove that an individual can inspire change in their society.

The #MeToo movement diffused through Pakistani borders. It was discussed and seen in a positive light by the liberal few in Pakistan and in an adverse light by the conservative majority. The hashtag was initially used by Tarana Burke in 2006 to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in society. The phrase "Me Too" developed into a broader movement following its use in 2017 as a hashtag after the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations. In this case, we see how an individual has influenced the entire world, causing many well-respected and highly regarded people, but also ordinary individuals, to voice their struggles, resulting in mass protests on the streets in places like India. In my local community, there was always talk amongst the liberal few, but when singer Meesha Shafi took to social media to voice her story as a victim of sexual harassment, it triggered a chain reaction and had people throughout the country voicing their concerns. Burke’s initiation alone did not resonate with millions of people the way Malala’s speech did, but it was with the help of many people willing to implement change that her movement spread all across the world.

A similar pattern can seen in Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s Academy Award-winning documentary. A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness narrates the story of a young girl who survived an honor killing, which shined light on this imperative and heinous issue plaguing my society and encouraged dialogue to counter it. Hence, it can be concluded that an individual can enact change in any society as long as the people of that society can relate to the individual and as long as the people also desire that change and are willing to work hard for it. One person can truly change the world.

Sehr Ali Dada, an A-Level student, is an avid reader and writer from Lahore, Pakistan. In her very little free time when she’s not at the pool, she enjoys pursuing public speaking, watching films, and listening to music.

Like what you're reading?

Check out KidSpirit newsletters, and get more great content in your inbox!

Which newsletters would you like to receive?

Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn

Like what you're reading?

Check out KidSpirit newsletters, and get more great content in your inbox!

Which newsletters would you like to receive?

Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn