Tasks: Desert Flower

Work with a partner in a shared document, and write the answers to the questions together.

1. As a child Waris Dirie was subjected to female genital mutilation. How did it happen?
2. Waris runs away to her maternal grandmother in Mogadishu. Why did she choose to leave home?
3. Waris is sent to work for a family member at Somalia's embassy in London. How is she treated there?
4. When the government in Somalia is replaced, the people who work at the embassy have to leave. What happens to Waris?
5. How does Waris meet Marilyn?
6. What role does Harold Jackson play in the story?
7. How does Waris become a fashion model?
8. Why does Waris marry Neil? Is it a happy marriage?
9. Why does Waris decide to share her story?
10. Waris gives a speech before the UN. Why was the speech so important?

Use what you remember from the film and context from the sentences to fill in the correct words.

Below you find some statements made by Waris Dirie. Discuss what Dirie is saying in each of the quotations. Do you agree with her?

You can work with a partner or in a group.

1. Women’s loyalty has to be earned with trust and affection rather than barbaric rituals. The time has come to leave the old ways of suffering behind.
2. Fashion is fun, ridiculously fun. But it's base and it's wrong. You're not doing anything good for the world. You're just saying, "Buy it, buy it, buy it".
3. I love the truth. Tell the truth and live the truth, because we've seen enough lies, and look what it's doing.
4. Every day, women move mountains. It is an insult to have an international women's day.
5. These tribal wars, like the practice of circumcision, are brought about by the ego, selfishness, and aggression of men. I hate to say that, but it’s true. Both acts stem from their obsession with their territory – their possessions – and women fall into that category both culturally and legally. Perhaps if we cut their balls off, my country would become paradise.

Pick one of the tasks to research. Use what you find to make a factsheet about the topic. Compare your factsheet with a partner's and consider whether you should make revisions.

1. Find out about female genital mutilation: What is it? How common is it in Somalia? How common is it in other countries? How many women does it affect? Where is it practised? What is being done to stop it? Is progress made to stop female genital mutilation?
2. Find out about child marriage. How common is it in Somalia? How common is it in other countries? How many people does it affect? Where is it practised? What is being done to stop it? Is progress made to stop child marriage?

Pick one of the tasks and write a longer text. Make sure you give references and list sources you have used.

1. Write an analysis of the film Desert Flower.
2. Write a discussion text where you consider if respecting other cultures means that traditions such as child marriage and female genital mutilation must be accepted.
3. Imagine that you are a Norwegian journalist who have travelled to Somalia to write a feature article about female genital mutilation. On your journey you meet women who carry out female genital mutilation, women who have been mutilated, husbands and fathers of women who have been mutilated, and representatives from the government. Write the feature article.