Waris Dirie is a Somali model, author, and human rights activist known for her work against female genital mutilation. She abandoned her modeling career to dedicate herself fully to combating this practice. Her commitment and voice in this cause have made her a significant figure in the international effort to eliminate FGM.
Dramatic, humorous, and uplifting, this international bestseller offers a self-portrait of a courageous woman whose spirit is as breathtaking as her beauty. "From the deserts of Somalia to the world of high fashion, (Dirie) battles oppression and emerges a real champion."--Elton John. of photos.
Fashion model and UN ambassador Waris Dirie was born into a traditional family of tribal desert nomads in Somalia and told the story of her escape from there in "Desert Flower". Here she traces the roots of her courage, resilience and humour back to her motherland, and particularly her mother
Fashion model, UN ambassador and courageous spirit, Waris Dirie was born into a family of tribal desert nomads in Somalia. She told her story - enduring female circumcision at five years old; running away through the desert; being discovered by Terence Donovan and becoming a top fashion model - in her book, the worldwide bestseller, DESERT FLOWER. In DESERT DAWN she wrote about becoming a UN Special Ambassador against FGM (female genital mutilation) and returning to her family in Somalia. DESERT CHILDREN tells us how she and the journalist Corinna Milborn have investigated the practice of FGM in Europe - they estimate that up to 500,000 women and girls have undergone or are at risk of FGM. At the moment, France is the only European country in which offenders are convicted and no European country officially recognises the threat of genital mutilation as a reason for asylum. Here are the voices of women who have felt encouraged and emboldened by Waris Dirie's courage. They speak out for the first time and move us to action.
* Inspirational, dramatic and extraordinary - the autobiography of a Somalian nomad circumcised at 5, sold in marriage at 13, who became an American model and is now at the young age of 30, the UN spokeswoman against circumcision
Die Rettung der kleinen Wüstenblume
Die kleine Safa stammt aus einer bitterarmen Familie in Dschibuti. Aufgewachsen in einem Slum, wird sie für die Rolle der kleinen Waris Dirie in der Verfilmung des Weltbestsellers Wüstenblume ausgewählt. Die dramatische Szene, in der das kleine Mädchen gewaltsam beschnitten wird, bringt die Menschen in den Kinos weltweit zum Weinen. Doch in Wirklichkeit ist Safa noch unversehrt. Umso entsetzter ist Waris Dirie, als sie erfährt, dass ihre Verstümmelung unmittelbar bevorsteht. Und sie setzt alles daran, um das Mädchen vor diesem grausamen Schicksal zu bewahren.
In een lange, emotionele brief aan haar Somalische moeder probeeert de auteur diepgaande culturele conflicten en misverstanden op te lossen en ook voor zichzelf duidelijkheid te scheppen over haar leven en waarden.
Poruszające wyznania. "Przez wiele lat nosiłam w sobie głęboko ukrytą tajemnicę" – wyznaje słynna modelka i bojowniczka o prawa kobiet w poruszających, dojmująco szczerych listach do matki. Napisała je, nie mogąc jej o tym wszystkim opowiedzieć: gdy wreszcie po la tach spotkały się, każda rozmowa znów kończyła się kłótnią... Dlaczego tak bardzo zawsze się różniły? Co sprawiło, że są dla siebie jak osoby "z różnych planet"? Wzruszająca opowieść o "miłości córki do matki i uczuciu matki do swojego dziecka", o konflikcie poko leń i kultur oraz o jakże trudnej sztuce wybaczania i tolerancji.
