Malala’s Crystal

Women who move the world.

She is small and fragile, and has a warm, careful handshake. She’s dressed in traditional clothes with a dark veil over her head. She’s a proud Pashtuni.

She is Malala.

Elisabeth wakes up a little late a sunday morning, and sees a text has come in in the course of the night. Could we be on the Skavlan talkshow today? They are interviewing Malala in the studio and would like to invite me and Märtha too.

Malala, the 16-year-old girl from Swat valley in Pakistan, who has become known for her fearless battle for what she believes in, and whom when she talks, a whole world listens.
I immediately get a strong feeling that this is something I’d like to do.

Some years ago, I came across a crystal which hit me straight in the heart. It’s one of the most beautiful crystals I know; purple, pink and green. It vibrates with a high frequency, a strong female power and it radiates the love of the heart. Its name is Kunzite.

I was also profoundly moved by the fact that the place in the world where the highest rate of found Kunzite is – is Afghanistan. This beset country, where everything is arid, and women and children oppressed for generations.

Yes, I wanted to do this.

The challenge was obviously that right now I was on my sofa in Nesodden, Norway and the shoot was in a few hours. In London!
Our good helpers set to work, and air tickets were booked. The children were supportive and said: Just go, mum!

I ran to the car and left. Just this morning, the car of course had decided that acceleration was not something it knew how to do, and every uphill road crawled at a snail’s pace. Some thoughts went through my mind; why is it when I set my female power in motion, things conspire to sabotage it?? Right now it was the car.
But thanks to a taxi showing up when I needed it most, and great goodwill from the people in the security queue at Gardemoen, I now ran on far too high heels through the departure hall to the passport check, whilst they called over the speakers: “We’re only waiting for you, Elisabeth Nordeng”.

Very out of breath, I just made my flight, and reached the studio right before they started to record. The princess was already there, alert and newly made up. The London children were with their mum at work, and certainly got a different kind of Sunday too.

She’s small and fragile, dressed darkly. She has a strong voice and a strong history. Her eyes are sparkling, and I see her heart. There, the strength of a very young woman lives, it’s open and alive. She’s the girl Taliban wished to kill, tried to kill, by shooting her in the head. But she didn’t die, she only became more alive.

Malala possesses a power and a will to share it with all people of the world. She awoke from coma and came back to life – in that, there is enormous potential. She wishes to wake up humankind in the good way; not by revenge, but by knowledge.
In the course of the programme four women meet from different parts of the world, four women with completely different prerequisites and upbringings. Bianca Jagger, human rights activist with focus on the rights of women and children, Malala, Princess Märtha Louise and me.

It’s exciting to feel I’m a part of this. It makes me strong and it gives meaning.
It gives me hope for the world.
We are all in our different ways trying to make a difference. Bianca, who is educated in law, fights for human rights. Malala promotes the need and right for education for everyone. And we are concerned with inner wisdom and strength.
She’s small and fragile, dressed darkly.
She carries a crystal in her heart.
Like a light for the world.