Waris Dirie

[BaroqueRockstar]

I couldn't find a thread on her and she definately deserves one
pics from daddo, all4kenya

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

"My Life"

From Waris's website: http://www.waris-dirie-foundation.com/

My name means desert flower. The promise that desert flowers are particularly well treated was never made to me. I have never found an explanation of why my life has taken so many seemingly accidential turns. But actually, I do not believe in coincidence; I am convinced that there is more behind it.
Allah saved me from a lion in the desert after I had run away from home and since this experience I have known that HE has got something in mind with me, that there is a reason why I was allowed to live on.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

"My Childhood in Afria"

From Waris's website: http://www.waris-dirie-foundation.com/ continued

I was born in 1965 as daughter of a nomad family in the region of Gallacaio in the Somalian dersert near the border to Ethiopia. When I was five I suffered the unhuman procedure of genital mutilation. This horrible tradition is still practiced in 28 countries of the world, both by Muslims and Christians. According to estimations by the United Nations, 6 000 girls are victims of this crime daily.
My mother took me to a gypsy woman, who circumcized me. Held by my mother and sitting on a rock, the gypsy woman cut the clitoris as well as the labia minora and the labia majora with an old razor blade, and then she sewed the wound coarsly, leaving only a tiny hole to urinate.
All that happens without local anaethetic and for the only purpose to be able to lead girls “purely” into marriage. Without cirumcision the chances of marriage are not very high, and the family would have to feed another eater. Many girls do not survive this horrible ritual. My wound got infected as well, I was suffering agonies.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

"My Escape to England"

From Waris's website: http://www.waris-dirie-foundation.com/ continued...

When I was told to become the wife of an old man at the age of thirteen, I decided to get away. My glimmer of hope was my sister who lives in the capital of Somalia, Mogadischu. I reached the house of an aunt in a rather roundabout way. When an uncle of mine ¯ newly-appointed ambassador of Somalia in London ¯ was looking for a homehelp for his household in London, I took the chance.
The journey to London turned out to be an adventure for me. I could not speak English, I could neither read nor write and had never seen an airplane from close before in my life... And when we arrived in London it was snowing!!
My uncle remained in London for some years, then his days as ambassador of Somalia were numbered. Again, I dared a leap in the dark. I stayed in London alone only with some pound notes in my pockets. I eked out a living; I found an apartment and a job at McDonald’s. One day, a man addressed me.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

"My Years as a Model"

From Waris's website: http://www.waris-dirie-foundation.com/ cont...

When I was 18 I was discovered as a model.
When I was still living with my uncle, I was repeatedly addressed by a man. At that time, however, I could not understand him because I still could not speak English. After taking a language course, my curiosity was aroused. The more so as on the man’s calling card it said that he was working as a fashion photographer.
After the first photos were taken, I worked my way up as a model in demand. Soon I was at home on the catwalks of Milan, London and Paris, and posed for Levi’s, Revlon and L’Oreal. Today still Revlon lists me as “the most beautiful woman in the world” together with Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campell. In 1987 I even managed to become a Bond girl side by side with Timothy Dalton in “The Living Daylights”. When Barbara Walters, an American star journalist, interviewed me for the magazine “Marie Claire”, I decided to talk about the horrible ritual of female genital mutilation and about my own fate. Doing this, I initiated a wave of sympathy and protest all over the world. For the first time a wide public became aware of the topic of genital mutilation.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

"My Books"

from Waris's website continued...

I have written 2 books so far, both have become bestsellers throughout the world. In 1997 my biography “Desert flower” was published in New York. The book was printed in more than 50 licensed editions and made it number 1 of the bestselling lists in many countries. In Germany “Desert flower” was in the top ten of the “Spiegel” bestselling list for 120 weeks. In 1998, 20 Years after my escape, I decided to visit my family in Somalia. A bold venture, because Somalia had been suffering from civil war and famine for 12 years. I wrote about this journey in my second book “Desert Dawn”. It has also become an international bestseller.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

"My Life Today"

from waris's website continued...

Today I live in Vienna and I am committed to the fight against female genital mutilation. The intention of my new homepage is to call attention to this inhuman crime thousands of girls are subjected to. FGM does not only occur in Africa but in the whole world. In Europe too, and in Germany too. Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has appointed me ambassador of the United Nations in the fight against genital mutilation. In the name of the United Nations I travel around the world, take part in conferences, meet presidents, nobel prize winners and filmstars and collect support and money for my campaign. The brutal mutilation of my genitals was undone operationally as best as it was possible, which means that the pains when urinating and menstruating have become less. However, I will never experience sexual pleasure ¯ at least in this part of the body.

 

[sepia]

Stunning woman

bwgreyscale

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

here are some more pics

from bbb, timeinc, internet-general, lesnouvelles, mentalmayhem, myhero, natmus

 

[simplylovely]

http://www.worth1000.com/cache/contest/contestcache.asp?contest_id=2572

She is such a inspiration to all women of color! We salute you Waris Dirie!
http://www.somalinet.com/phalbums/displayimage.php?album=random&cat=0&pos=-262

 

[sepia]

www.jke.ch

1997 Pirelli calender

 

[ebonbird]

From http://homepage.hispeed.ch/somalia/somalia_kultur_01.html.

 

[ebonbird]

From bwgreyscale.

 

[ebonbird]

here are some more pics
from bbb, timeinc, internet-general, lesnouvelles, mentalmayhem, myhero, natmus

I hadn't seen most of these before this post. I really like the first photo. I think she's maturing beautifully.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

scanned by OMIFAN9 in the perfect face thread

 

[simplylovely]

^Absolutely stunning!

 

[MicheleIman]

Gorgeous!

 

[ebonbird]

From jedroot

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

thanks!!!

 

[sepia]

She's gorgeous.