Hubbry Logo
Desert FlowerDesert FlowerMain
Open search
Desert Flower
Community hub
Desert Flower
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Desert Flower
Desert Flower
Desert Flower
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad is an autobiographical book written by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller,[1] published in 1998 about the life of Somali model, Waris Dirie.

Key Information

Summary

[edit]

Despite suffering female genital mutilation (FGM) at the age of three, and its life-long consequences, Waris Dirie escaped from her native Galkayo, Somalia, fleeing to Mogadishu to escape an arranged marriage. Moving with relatives to London, she worked for a while at a McDonald's and was discovered by chance by fashion photographer Terence Donovan. She continued via modelling in film and fashion to a stage where she was considered a supermodel. It was at this point that, with Miller, she wrote this autobiography. Shortly afterwards she became a UN ambassador for the abolition of FGM.[1][2]

Publication

[edit]
  • Desert Flower, William Morrow Pub, 1998 (1st edition), ISBN 978-0-688-15823-1

Film adaptation

[edit]

In 2009, the book was adapted into a film of the same name. Produced by Peter Herrmann and Benjamin Herrmann, the Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede plays Waris in the title role.[3]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Desert Flower

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
is an by Somali-born model and activist , co-written with journalist Cathleen Miller and published in 1998 by . The narrative recounts Dirie's childhood in a nomadic Somali , where she endured female genital mutilation—a procedure involving the partial or total removal of external female genitalia—at approximately age five, a practice rooted in tribal tradition that causes lifelong physical and psychological harm. At thirteen, she fled an to an elderly man, traveling alone to and eventually , where she worked as a at the Somali embassy before being discovered by a fashion photographer, launching her career as an international . The details her internal struggle with the trauma of mutilation amid fame, culminating in her public disclosure of the experience, which propelled her advocacy role as a special ambassador against the practice from 1997 onward. Desert Flower achieved widespread commercial success as a , with reports of over 11 million copies sold globally, and has been translated into multiple languages, significantly raising international awareness of female genital mutilation's prevalence and consequences. It inspired a 2009 adaptation directed by Hormann and the founding of the Desert Flower Foundation, which focuses on education, prevention, and to combat the ritual.

Origins and Authorship

Waris Dirie's Background

Waris Dirie was born in 1965 in the region of the Somali desert, near the border with , into a nomadic family belonging to the clan. Her given name, Waris, translates to "desert flower" in Somali. As part of a traditional pastoralist community, she spent her early childhood herding and camels across arid landscapes, embodying the harsh self-sufficiency required of Somali nomads who relied on for survival amid frequent droughts and tribal movements. At the age of five, Dirie underwent female genital mutilation (FGM), a procedure performed without anesthesia by an elderly woman using a sharpened stone, as was customary in her community to prepare girls for marriage and enforce cultural notions of purity and chastity. This ritual, involving the excision of external genitalia, left her with lifelong physical trauma, including chronic pain, infections, and complications during urination and menstruation, reflecting the widespread practice among Somali clans despite its severe health risks documented in medical reports from affected regions. By age 13, Dirie fled her family to escape an to a much older man, trekking alone through the desert to , where her uncle, a Somali , arranged for her relocation to . In London, she initially worked unpaid as a in the Somali embassy before leaving that position and taking a job cleaning at a restaurant, marking her transition from nomadic isolation to urban immigrant life in the West. These experiences of cultural dislocation and survival shaped her later advocacy, though she remained silent about her FGM until adulthood.

Collaborative Writing Process

Desert Flower was co-authored by Waris Dirie and American writer Cathleen Miller, with the latter serving as the primary scribe in capturing Dirie's oral recollections. Dirie, who had no formal education and arrived in the West illiterate, relied on extensive interviews with Miller to recount her nomadic upbringing in Somalia, her escape from an arranged marriage, and her subsequent experiences in London and the United States. This collaborative approach was essential, as Dirie's limited literacy at the outset of her Western life necessitated verbal narration, which Miller then structured into a cohesive narrative. The writing process emphasized fidelity to Dirie's firsthand accounts, with Miller focusing on transforming raw, unfiltered stories into an engaging autobiographical form while preserving cultural and personal authenticity. Sessions likely involved detailed discussions on sensitive topics such as female genital mutilation and survival challenges, ensuring the text reflected Dirie's voice without undue embellishment. 's role extended to editing for clarity and flow, bridging Dirie's Somali pastoralist perspective with Western readership expectations, though the final product credits Dirie as the primary author. This method aligns with common practices for memoirs by non-writers, prioritizing empirical recounting over literary invention.

Content and Themes

Early Life and Cultural Practices

Waris Dirie was born in 1965 in the region of Somalia's desert near the Ethiopian border, into a large nomadic family of herdsmen. As the daughter of a , she grew up as one of twelve siblings in a that subsisted by tending , camels, and other across arid landscapes, migrating seasonally for and . Her childhood involved no formal schooling, with daily routines centered on survival tasks such as animals, fetching from distant wells, and in the harsh environment. Dirie later recounted the sensory immersion in —the vast skies, animal sounds, and scents—as a source of early joy, though tempered by the physical demands and isolation of nomadic life. Family structure emphasized oral traditions, loyalty, and gender roles, with girls assuming domestic and herding duties from a young age while boys focused on protection and hunting. A central cultural practice in her community was female genital mutilation (FGM), typically performed on girls between ages five and eight as a supposed to promote , , and marriage prospects. Dirie underwent this procedure at age five, involving the excision of her clitoris and without , followed by —sewing the vaginal opening nearly shut—using thorns and rudimentary tools by an elderly village practitioner. This form of FGM, Type III, was widespread among Somali pastoralist groups, with local beliefs framing it as a religious and customary obligation tied to Islamic interpretations and pre-Islamic traditions, despite lacking explicit endorsement in core Islamic texts. Dirie endured severe pain, infection risks, and long-term complications like urination difficulties, later characterizing the act as deliberate violence rather than benign custom.

Escape and Adaptation in the West

At around age 13 in 1978, fled her nomadic family in Somalia's region to evade an to a 60-year-old . She initially traveled to the capital, , before securing passage to through relatives, where her aunt was wed to Somalia's ambassador to the . There, Dirie served as a housemaid in the ambassadorial household for several years, performing menial tasks amid a strict hierarchical environment that echoed her upbringing. When the ambassador's diplomatic posting concluded in the early 1980s, Dirie opted to remain in without authorization, rendering her an undocumented immigrant. Lacking formal education, , and proficiency in English, she navigated profound cultural dislocation—from Somalia's clan-based to urban Britain's and —while surviving on low-wage labor, including cleaning at a restaurant and residing in rudimentary shared accommodations. She self-taught through television exposure, a process compounded by the physical toll of her childhood female genital mutilation, which caused ongoing urinary and menstrual complications in an unfamiliar medical context. By 1983, at age 18, Dirie attracted notice from fashion photographer Terence Donovan while in a menial role, leading to a test shoot and her initial foray into modeling for Elle magazine. This breakthrough facilitated her transition from subsistence work to the industry, enabling relocation within Europe and eventual moves to the United States for expanded opportunities, though early gigs demanded resilience against typecasting and exploitation in a competitive field. Her adaptation underscored resourcefulness amid isolation, as she forged connections in London's Somali diaspora while concealing her illegal status to avoid deportation.

Modeling Success and Personal Revelation

Upon arriving in in the late 1970s after fleeing , Dirie worked illegally as a housemaid for her uncle while learning English and adapting to urban life. In 1983, at age 18, she was approached on the street by a woman who suggested modeling and referred her to photographer Terence Donovan, whose photographs secured her first major assignment on the . This breakthrough led to further opportunities, including an appearance as an extra in the 1987 film . Dirie's career accelerated as she relocated to New York, becoming one of the pioneering supermodels of the era, with campaigns for brands including , for which she featured in makeup advertisements and represented the perfume Ajee. She walked runways in New York, , and , and her exotic features and poised presence earned her recognition in high fashion circles, chronicled in the 1995 BBC documentary A Nomad in New York. By the mid-1990s, her success provided and a global platform, though she maintained secrecy about her traumatic past, including undergoing female genital mutilation at age five, due to associated stigma. The personal revelation came in 1997 when the invited Dirie to advocate against female genital mutilation, prompting her to publicly disclose her own experience for the first time to amplify awareness of the practice's harms. This decision marked a pivot from modeling, as she abandoned runway work to focus on activism, leveraging her fame to challenge cultural norms that perpetuated the procedure across and diaspora communities. Her candid revelations, detailed in the 1998 autobiography Desert Flower, underscored the causal link between silence and perpetuation of mutilation, emphasizing empirical accounts of physical and psychological damage over traditional justifications.

Publication and Initial Reception

Release Details and Commercial Performance

Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad, co-authored by and Cathleen Miller, was first published in 1998 by in the United States. A United Kingdom edition followed in January 1999 from Virago Press. The book achieved significant commercial success shortly after release, becoming an international with reported sales exceeding 11 million copies worldwide. This figure reflects its broad appeal and translation into multiple languages, contributing to its status as a major publishing hit in the late . Initial print runs and distribution focused on formats, with subsequent editions expanding accessibility.

Critical and Public Responses

Upon its 1998 publication, Desert Flower received widespread critical acclaim for its raw depiction of Somali nomadic life and the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), with reviewers highlighting Dirie's courage in revealing personal trauma to advocate for change. described it as an "outstandingly dramatic and moving tale" that provides extraordinary firsthand insight into FGM, affecting over 2 million girls annually at the time, and praised its engaging narrative as ideal for raising awareness. called it a "striking account" of Dirie's odyssey from desert hardship to modeling success, appealing to feminists, activists, and general readers for its vivid portrayal of cultural tyrannies and resilience. noted the memoir's "innocence and warmth," emphasizing its powerful inside view of nomadic hardships and Dirie's extraordinary journey, which ultimately positioned her as a UN ambassador against FGM. Public response was enthusiastic, propelling the book to international status, particularly in the UK and , where it topped charts and sold hundreds of thousands of copies within months of release. Translated into over 30 languages, it garnered broad reader praise for inspiring advocacy against FGM, with many citing its emotional impact and role in humanizing the issue for Western audiences. user ratings averaged 4.24 out of 5 from over 40,000 reviews, reflecting admiration for Dirie's storytelling and determination, though some noted repetitive elements in the narrative. The memoir's success amplified Dirie's pre-existing 1997 media revelations, fostering public discourse on cultural practices and immigrant adaptation without significant backlash at the time.

Adaptations and Media Extensions

Film Version Production

The film adaptation of Waris Dirie's autobiography Desert Flower was directed by Sherry Hormann, a German filmmaker who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Dirie, Smita Bhide, and Ruth Toma. Production was led by Peter Herrmann as primary producer, with co-producers Benjamin Herrmann and Danny Krausz, under companies including Desert Flower Filmproductions GmbH, Dor Film Produktion, and Majestic Filmproduktion. The project secured approximately 70% of its financing from German sources, reflecting its status as a predominantly German co-production despite being shot in English and depicting international settings. Casting emphasized authenticity and international talent, with Ethiopian supermodel portraying Dirie to capture her real-life transition from nomad to model. Supporting roles included as Dirie's cousin Marilyn, as photographer Terry Donaldson, as agent Lucinda, and in a key role, blending British actors for the London sequences. Principal photography occurred primarily in and , , with additional shoots in to represent Somalia's desert landscapes, and constructed sets for and New York scenes. Cinematography by Ken Kelsch and editing by Barbara Hoffmann contributed to the film's visual style, though critics later noted some studio-bound limitations despite the €11 million budget. The production wrapped in time for a world premiere at the 2009 .

Film Release and Reviews

Desert Flower had its world premiere at the on September 5, 2009. The film received a wide theatrical release in on September 24, 2009, followed by releases in other European countries including on October 9, 2009, and on March 10, 2010. In the United States, it opened in limited release on March 18, 2011. The film grossed $44,348 in the United States and . Its worldwide total reached $14,682,943, reflecting modest commercial success primarily in international markets. Critics gave Desert Flower mixed reviews, with a 50% approval rating on based on 18 reviews, praising its inspirational portrayal of Waris Dirie's story and advocacy against female genital mutilation while critiquing its lack of subtlety and dramatic coherence. On , it scored 54 out of 100 from 7 critics, indicating average reception; reviewers noted the film's effective conveyance of a survival-against-odds narrative but highlighted contradictions and a bifurcated structure between Dirie's African hardships and Western success. described it as a "moving, survival-against-all-odds story" that prioritizes message over nuance. reception was more favorable, with an rating of 7.3 out of 10 from over 15,000 users.

Impact and Legacy

Role in Anti-FGM Advocacy

Waris Dirie became a prominent international advocate against female genital mutilation (FGM) after publicly disclosing her own experience with the practice in a 1996 magazine interview, which drew widespread attention to its prevalence and consequences among Somali and other communities. This testimony positioned her as one of the first high-profile survivors to challenge the cultural normalization of FGM on a global stage. In September 1997, the (UNFPA) appointed her as its inaugural Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, a role she fulfilled until 2003. As UN ambassador, Dirie undertook extensive travels to , , and beyond, delivering speeches and engaging with governments, communities, and media to promote on FGM's health risks—including hemorrhage, , , and obstetric complications—and to advocate for its . Her efforts included for policy reforms, such as those referenced in a 1998 debate where her campaign to outlaw all forms of FGM was praised for highlighting victims' suffering and mortality. Dirie consistently framed FGM as an devoid of cultural justification, urging immediate abandonment of the practice in interviews and public addresses. Dirie's advocacy extended through subsequent books and media appearances that amplified survivor voices and pressured institutions to prioritize eradication, contributing to UNFPA recognitions of her work in fostering hope for the estimated two million girls affected annually at the time. By leveraging her modeling fame, she facilitated partnerships with international bodies, enhancing funding and awareness initiatives focused on prevention and victim support. Her persistent campaigning has been credited with elevating FGM as a human rights priority, though progress remains uneven due to entrenched traditions in practicing regions.

Foundation and Ongoing Initiatives

The Desert Flower Foundation was founded in 2002 by in , , initially as the Waris Dirie Foundation, with the primary objective of eradicating female genital mutilation (FGM) worldwide through awareness, prevention, and support for victims. In 2010, the organization was renamed the Desert Flower Foundation to align more closely with Dirie's autobiographical work and broaden its symbolic reach. Headquartered in , it operates internationally, focusing on high-prevalence regions in and , while emphasizing legal advocacy, medical care, and to address the estimated 200 million women and girls affected by FGM globally. Key ongoing initiatives include the "Save a Little Desert Flower" sponsorship project, launched in 2014, which secures contracts with families in FGM-practicing communities—primarily in —to protect girls from mutilation and while funding their and holistic development. By 2016, the project had enabled over 1,117 girls to attend school daily, with thousands more rescued overall through parental commitments and community sensitization; it continues as the foundation's core prevention mechanism, integrating anti-FGM pledges with schooling to foster long-term cultural change. The foundation maintains four specialized Desert Flower Centers for and psychological support for FGM survivors, with the first opening in in 2013, followed by facilities in , , and . These centers provide holistic medical care, including reversal surgeries developed in collaboration with experts, and have treated thousands of patients since inception, prioritizing evidence-based interventions over unproven alternatives. Education remains central, with five schools constructed in by 2019 serving 1,200 children, a sixth under construction, and plans for expansion into ; the foundation has distributed over 30,000 education kits across to promote and delay harmful traditions. Recent expansions include the establishment of Desert Flower Foundation Americas to extend advocacy and prevention into the , alongside sustained global campaigns leveraging Dirie's platform for policy influence, such as stricter FGM laws informed by the foundation's early research. Annual reports highlight ongoing monitoring of FGM prevalence, with data-driven efforts contributing to observed declines in practicing communities, though the foundation stresses the need for intensified enforcement amid persistent risks.

Broader Cultural and Policy Influences

The publication of Desert Flower in amplified global awareness of female genital (FGM), framing it as a severe human rights abuse rather than a benign cultural rite, and contributed to a broader discursive shift in the toward terminology like "" over "" in Western and international contexts. The memoir's firsthand account, detailing Dirie's experience at age five and its lifelong consequences, reached millions through sales exceeding 3 million copies and translations into over 30 languages, prompting media coverage and public discussions that challenged cultural relativism in multicultural societies. This cultural pivot influenced educational curricula and advocacy narratives, emphasizing empirical health risks such as hemorrhage, infection, and obstetric complications documented in , over unsubstantiated claims of tradition-preserving benefits. On the policy front, the book's visibility bolstered Dirie's advocacy, culminating in her 1997 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) appointment as Special Ambassador for the Elimination of FGM, which predated but was retroactively amplified by the memoir's success. Her subsequent efforts, including a 2006 4,000-page report to the on FGM prevalence among migrants, pressured the adoption of criminalization laws in nearly all EU member states by the early 2010s, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment for performers and enablers. Internationally, Dirie's platform supported UNFPA campaigns that contributed to the UN General Assembly's 2012 resolution intensifying global efforts against FGM, alongside partnerships yielding educational tools like 35,000 UK-distributed DVDs targeting 20,000 at-risk girls annually. These measures reflected a causal emphasis on enforcement gaps, as prosecutions remained low despite heightened awareness, underscoring persistent challenges in immigrant communities. Culturally, Desert Flower inspired extensions like the film adaptation screened in over 40 countries and a 2020 German musical, embedding anti-FGM messaging in popular media and fostering survivor-led narratives that prioritized individual testimony over collective excuses. This influenced policy-adjacent initiatives, such as the establishment of reconstructive centers in (2013) and other cities, addressing the 700,000 estimated FGM survivors in by integrating medical, psychological, and legal support. However, source analyses from advocacy organizations note that while awareness metrics improved—evidenced by Al Jazeera broadcasts reaching 200 million viewers in 2007—actual prevalence reductions lagged, attributing this to uneven implementation rather than diminished cultural entrenchment.

Controversies and Critiques

Debates on Cultural Relativism

The publication of Desert Flower in 1998 amplified debates over cultural relativism by presenting female genital mutilation (FGM) through the lens of personal trauma and irreversible harm, directly challenging anthropological defenses that frame the practice as a culturally embedded rite deserving non-judgmental understanding. Dirie, a Somali native subjected to Type III infibulation at age five, described the procedure as excruciating violence performed without anesthesia, leading to lifelong complications including chronic pain and psychological distress, thereby prioritizing empirical victim testimony over contextual rationales like community acceptance or social cohesion. Relativist proponents, drawing from Franz Boas's framework, argue that external condemnation imposes ethnocentric standards, noting that FGM—prevalent in over 30 countries affecting more than 230 million women and girls as of 2024—is often viewed internally as essential for chastity, marriage eligibility, and group identity, with some communities equating criticism to hypocrisy given Western practices like cosmetic surgery or male circumcision. Counterarguments emphasize universal principles, citing instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which classify FGM as a violation of and health rights, irrespective of cultural justification. Empirical data from the document severe consequences, including immediate risks of hemorrhage, infection, and death (up to 10% mortality in some settings for Type III), alongside long-term issues like urinary tract infections, menstrual disorders, obstetric fistulas, increased cesarean needs (by 30%), and higher (55% elevated risk), underscoring causal harm that cannot negate through appeals to . Dirie's narrative, bolstered by her UN Special Ambassador role from 1997, counters charges of Western by representing an authentic insider perspective, though postcolonial critics contend that such autobiographies, when amplified by global campaigns, reinforce neo-colonial binaries of "savage" traditions versus "civilized" intervention, potentially marginalizing local agency and oversimplifying diverse practices (e.g., less invasive Type IV pricking). These tensions highlight methodological biases in relativist scholarship, often rooted in academic anthropology's emphasis on descriptive neutrality, which can underplay non-consensual application to minors and evolving attitudes—evidenced by successful abandonments in and , where education reduced prevalence by up to 40% without top-down imposition. While some defenses invoke cultural function (e.g., controlling female sexuality in patrilineal societies), first-hand accounts like Dirie's reveal enforcement through , not voluntary preservation, aligning abolition with causal realism over uncritical tolerance. Postcolonial analyses, such as those by , critique anti-FGM advocacy for homogenizing African women as victims, yet Dirie's work—translated into over 40 languages and inspiring policy shifts—demonstrates how individual agency can bridge universal harms and local reform without necessitating relativist deference.

Personal and Activism Challenges

Dirie has described the lifelong physical and psychological effects of undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) at approximately age five in , including excruciating pain during the procedure performed without and subsequent complications such as chronic infections and urinary difficulties. She fled her nomadic clan at age thirteen to escape an to a sixty-year-old man, enduring a perilous journey across the desert that involved crossing into , where she faced starvation and threats from bandits. These early experiences contributed to ongoing trauma, which she has linked to persistent anger and emotional exhaustion, exacerbated by her role in receiving distressing communications from other FGM survivors, including reports of . In her activism, Dirie confronted familial opposition directly; upon returning to Somalia in the 1990s, her mother sought forgiveness for allowing the FGM, highlighting the interpersonal strain of challenging entrenched cultural practices within her own community. A notable personal incident occurred in March 2008 in , when Dirie vanished for three days during preparations for events focused on FGM, prompting a police search; she was found disoriented near a city square, having slept in hotel lobbies after becoming lost, and later apologized, attributing it to needing solitude amid her demanding schedule. This episode underscored the psychological pressures of her advocacy, coinciding with her commitments as a speaker on the topic. Activism efforts have been hampered by global indifference and cultural barriers, with Dirie criticizing the international community's reluctance to prioritize FGM eradication, describing it as a "blind eye" to child harm despite her UN ambassadorship from to 2003. Resistance often stems from perceptions of and , where outsiders avoid intervention to respect traditions, slowing legislative and awareness progress; Dirie has noted that in the , "nobody was doing anything," and persistent challenges include rising FGM incidence in due to migration without adequate . While specific death threats against her remain undocumented, broader anti-FGM campaigning involves documented intimidation faced by advocates, amplifying the personal risks in confronting communities where the practice is normalized.

References

  1. https://cmc.marmot.org/Record/.b10981238
  2. https://www.cathleenmiller.info/desert-flower
  3. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/waris-dirie/desert-flower/
  4. https://desertflowerfoundation.org/en/about/about-fgm-en
  5. https://www.amazon.com/Desert-Flower-Extraordinary-Journey-Nomad/dp/0688158234
  6. https://www.screendaily.com/desert-flower/5005044.article
  7. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054580/
  8. https://desertflowerfoundation.org/en
  9. https://www.desertflowerfoundation.org/en/about/waris-dirie-en
  10. https://time.com/archive/6645241/somalias-desert-flower/
  11. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/waris-dirie-fgm-female-genital-mutilation-desert-
  12. https://www.nytimes.com/books/99/01/03/bib/990103.rv020800.html
  13. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Waris-Dirie
  14. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:123/FULLTEXT02.pdf
  15. https://ladiesdrive.world/online/waris-dirie-interview-how-the-desert-flower-grows/
  16. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~pine/Phil110/waris-dirie.html
  17. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/14/waris-dirie-female-genital-mutilation-fgm
  18. https://www.voanews.com/a/film-tracks-womans-path-from-desert-nomad-to-supermodel-activist-117926904/157667.html
  19. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/waris-dirie-fgm-female-genital-mutilation-desert-/
  20. https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-supermodel-from-somalia-1782094.html
  21. https://www2.hawaii.edu/~pine/Phil110/waris-dirie.html
  22. https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/1999/mar/07/life1.lifemagazine3
  23. https://www.amazon.com/Desert-Flower-Waris-Dirie/dp/1860497586
  24. https://www.amazon.com/Desert-Flower-Liya-Kebede/dp/B004Z6N7HS
  25. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/65173882/desert-flower-magazine
  26. http://www.publishersweekly.com/9780688158231
  27. https://variety.com/2009/film/reviews/desert-flower-1200476159/
  28. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Desert-Flower
  29. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/germany-89261/
  30. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/joannas-flower-power-flower-design2007/cast-and-crew
  31. https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/desert-flower/umc.cmc.2ghwblx23jl5c0dl3152tgibr
  32. https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/112527/
  33. https://cineuropa.org/film/111779/
  34. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/joannas-flower-power-flower-design2007
  35. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/desert-flower/
  36. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/desert-flower-film-review-31164/
  37. https://explore.britannica.com/explore/100women/profiles/waris-dirie
  38. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/30/153.html
  39. https://press.un.org/en/1998/19981112.pop689.html
  40. https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/1998-11-10/debates/dfb20a6d-ee4a-4096-b79b-29f573aff3c1/FemaleCircumcision
  41. https://www.unfpa.org/press/unfpa-goodwill-ambassador-waris-dirie-wins-award
  42. https://www.aaihs.org/the-ongoing-fight-against-female-genital-mutilation/
  43. http://sunhakpeaceprize.org/en/laureates/laureates_view.php?idx=106
  44. https://www.desertflowerfoundation.org/en/about/about-success-en
  45. https://warisdirie.wordpress.com/2016/12/30/our-achievements-in-2016/
  46. https://www.missionmag.org/waris-diries-foundation-lands-in-america/
  47. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3304&context=etds
  48. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9212168/
  49. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/un-calls-ban-grotesque-practice-female-genital-mutilation-flna1c7700483
  50. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/commentisfree/2022/feb/15/girls-should-be-educated-not-mutilated-the-cutting-of-women-must-end-now
  51. https://www.pulp.up.ac.za/images/edocman/edited-collections/FGM/Chapter%2013.pdf
  52. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation
  53. https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=njihr
  54. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-025-21584-z
  55. https://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2014/02/cultural-relativism-and-female-genital-mutilation/
  56. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-64570901
  57. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23541448
  58. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/model-turned-activist-waris-dirie-says-world-is-ignoring-the-crime-of-fgm-idUSKCN1QO22L/
  59. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/a26795610/waris-dirie-europes-fgm-rates-are-rising/
  60. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/may/08/female-genital-mutilation-death-intimidation
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.