**Saving Safa: A Supermodel’s Fight Against FGM in the Horn of Africa – A Story of Hope and Resistance by Waris Dirie** From the bustling runways of international fashion to the remote villages of Djibouti, Waris Dirie, the Somali nomad turned supermodel and activist, continues her crusade against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in “Saving Safa.” This powerful memoir isn’t just a sequel to her bestselling autobiography, “Desert Flower,” but a rallying cry to protect young girls at risk. The story centers on Safa, a young girl who played Dirie as a child in the film adaptation of her autobiography. Safa’s own safety is threatened by the potential of FGM when her parents, pressured by societal norms, waver on their promise to protect her. Dirie travels back to Africa, diving headfirst into the cultural complexities that perpetuate this harmful practice. More than just a rescue mission, “Saving Safa” delves into the challenging realities faced by families caught between tradition and the well-being of their daughters. It showcases the groundbreaking work of the Desert Flower Foundation, which offers vital support to families in exchange for a pledge to protect their daughters from FGM, providing an alternative that empowers communities. Diries narrative also confronts the complex ethical landscape of intervention and cultural sensitivity. Published by Virago, this 288-page paperback is a powerful exploration of courage, resilience, and the urgent need for global action to eradicate FGM. “Saving Safa” is a necessary read for anyone seeking to understand the ongoing fight against this human rights violation and to become part of the solution. Discover how one courageous woman continues to make a difference, one girl at a time.
Saving Safa: Rescuing a Little Girl from FGM
23,02 $
In stock
Waris Dirie, the Somalia nomad who became a supermodel, and an anti-FGM activist, first came to the world’s attention with the publication of her autobiography, Desert Flower. The book was subsequently made into a film and little Safa Nour, from one of the slums of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, was chosen to play the young Waris.
The book and the film record many extraordinary things – from facing down a tiger, to being discovered by a famous photographer in London – but it also tells the grim story of female circumcision, an ordeal that the young Waris had to endure.
Saving Safa opens with a letter from Safa, now aged seven, who explains that she is worried that she will undergo FGM in spite of the contract her parents have signed with Dirie’s Desert Flower Foundation stating that they will never have their daughter cut. Waris drops everything and flies to Djibouti where she meets Safa’s father and mother who thinks her daughter should be cut to stop the community ostracising them.
As Safa was saved from FGM through a contract with her parents, the Foundation believes a thousand other girls can be saved through providing their families with aid in return for a promise not to mutilate their daughters
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