Waris Dirie was born into a traditional family of tribal desert nomads in
Somalia and told the story of her escape from there in "Desert Flower". Here
she traces the roots of her courage, humour and resilience back to her home and
in particular her mother.Fashion model, UN ambassador and courageous spirit, Waris Dirie is a
remarkable woman, born into a traditional family of tribal desert nomads in
Somalia. She told her story - enduring, at five years old, the ancient and
savage custom of female circumcision; running away at twelve on foot through
the desert in order to escape an arranged marriage; being discovered by Terence
Donovan as she worked as a cleaner in London; and becoming a top fashion model
- in her book, the worldwide bestseller, Desert Flower. Although Waris Dirie
fled her homeland, she never forgot the country and culture that moulded her.
The world of famine and violence, where women have no voice and no place - the
very world that nearly destroyed her also gave her the tools to survive. She
traces the roots of her courage, resilience and humour back to her motherland,
and most particularly to her mother. Desert Dawn is the story of that return
and a testimony to the stubborn fact that you can love something dearly and yet
not love all that it represents. Desert Dawn is about coming home.
