Waris Dirie interview
The daughter of Somalian nomads, Waris Dirie fled her native country at the age of 13 to escape an arranged marriage, she lived in the streets of London, was spotted by a well-known fashion photographer and became famous... sound like a fairy tale? It was more like a fight. A constant battle.
The bright lights didn't really appeal to Waris Dirie. Instead, she chose to make the most of her international status to publicly reveal the female circumcision that she suffered at the age of 3, in the name of tradition. And thus she began her fight against this despicable practice.
From the UN to the EU, and through her own foundation, she isn't afraid to make her feelings known, denouncing the female genital mutilation (FGM) that affects more than 1 million women throughout the world. 6,000 girls are mutiliated every day.
For the French release of the film Desert Flower, based on Waris' autobiography, we met up with her so she could share her views with us and speak out against FGM. It was a brief, sincere, direct interview with a woman who has a strong personality. She's not so interested in the promotional aspects of the film, she wants just one thing: to restore women's dignity.
© Bac Films
