I waris dirie biography english

In , an unknown 18 year-old Somalian model called Waris Dirie walked into the studio of renowned British photographer Terence Donovan.

She had never had her picture taken before but after striking her first pose it was clear belonged in front of the lens.

Although she says modelling was "easy-peasy” it was not an obvious career path for Waris.

She was born in the Somalian desert to a nomadic family.

When she was young she was forced to undergo female genital mutilation after which her family arranged a marriage for her.

Waris tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty how she walked barefoot across the Somalian desert to escape child marriage and how she became an international supermodel sensation.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artis

•

The Waris Dirie Story

(c) Reader's Digest

                

My family was a tribe of herdsmen in the Somalian desert. And as a child, the freedom I had to experience nature's sights, sounds and smells was pure joy. We watched lions baking in the sun. We ran with giraffes, zebras and foxes. We chased hyraxes -- rabbit-size animals -- through the småsten. I was so happy.

Gradually, those happy times disappeared. Life became harder. By fem I knew what it was to be an African woman, to live with terrible suffering in a passive, helpless manner.

Women are the backbone of Africa; they do most of the work. Yet women are powerless to man decisions. They have no say, sometimes not even in whom they will marry.

By the time I was around 13, I had had my fill of these traditions. A little girl no more, inom was fast and incredibly fit. Before, I had no choice but to suffer. This time inom determined that I would

•

Waris Dirie

Somali model, author, actress, and activist (born )

Waris Dirie
Dirie in
Born	() 21 October (age&#;59) Galkayo, Somalia
Occupation(s)	Model, social activist, author, actress, UN Special Ambassador and lawyer. (–)
Title	Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
Children	2

Waris Dirie (Somali: Waris Diiriye; born 21 October ) is a Somali model, author, actress and human rights activist in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). From to , she was a UN special ambassador against FGM. In she founded her own organization in Vienna, the Desert Flower Foundation. She has won numerous awards recognizing her work on eradicating FGM, including the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur ().

Born in Somalia, she moved to London where she began her modeling career. She was a model for top brands such as Chanel, Levi's, L'Oréal and Revlon. As a model, Dirie was the first black woman to appear in an Oil of Olay advertisement. In , Dirie played a