The Power of Protest
(a poem dedicated to youngest Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai )
by Basil Fernando
Right Livelihood Laureate
This protest comes
From Mother earth-
like the rush of water
falling from a waterfall…..
like the rising of love
in a youthful heart.
A pure call for justice.
Bringing power to the weak…..
courageously confronting
the evil.
Such power comes from the pain
Of Mother earth,
From the healing hands
Of Mother nature.
Basil Fernando is a leading Asian human rights defender. In a career spanning three decades, he has been pivotal in linking ordinary citizens striving for human rights principles at the grassroots to institutions working for structural reform at the policy level. He is one of the 2014 recipients of the “Right Livelihood Award” for his work on human rights in Asia.
