
Waris Dirie (the name means desert flower) lives a double life
- by day she is a famous model & UN spokeswoman on women&s rights in Africa at night she dreams of her native Somalia Waris one of 12 children was born into a traditional family of desert nomads in East Africa She remembers her early childhood as carefree- racing camels & moving on with her family to the next grazing spot
- until it came her turn to meet the old woman who administered the ancient custom imposed on most Somalian girls circumcision Waris suffered this torture when she was just five years old Then aged 12 when her father attempted to arrange a marriage with a 60 year old stranger in exchange for five camels
- she took flight After an extraordinary escape through the dangerous desert she made her way to London & worked as a maid for the Somalian ambassador until that family returned home Penniless & speaking little English she became a janitor in Mc Donalds where she was famously discovered by a fashion photographer Her story is a truly inspirational & extraordinary self-portrait of a remarkable woman whose spirit is as breathtaking as her beauty