WRITER

Waris Dirie

1965 - Today

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Waris Dirie (Somali: Waris Diiriye; born 21 October 1965) is a Somali model, author, actress and human rights activist in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). From 1997 to 2003, she was a UN special ambassador against FGM. In 2002 she founded her own organization in Vienna, the Desert Flower Foundation. She has won numerous awards recognizing her work on eradicating FGM, including the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (2007). Born in Somalia, she moved to London where she began her modeling career. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Waris Dirie is the 1,249th most popular writer (down from 991st in 2019), the 8th most popular biography from Somalia (down from 1st in 2019) and the 2nd most popular Somali Writer.

Waris Dirie is most famous for her memoir, Desert Flower, which tells the story of her life as a nomadic child and the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father.

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Among WRITERS

Among writers, Waris Dirie ranks 1,249 out of 7,302. Before her are Meng Haoran, Stanisław Jerzy Lec, Thomas Mayne Reid, Daniil Kharms, Lao She, and Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff. After her are Léon Bloy, Annette Kellermann, Richard Henry Dana Jr., Valerie Solanas, Josef Čapek, and John of Ruusbroec.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1965, Waris Dirie ranks 36. Before her are Gong Li, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Fumihito, Prince Akishino, Slash, Khaled Hosseini, and Ben Stiller. After her are Connie Nielsen, Viola Davis, Ryan Murphy, Kevin James, Mohammed Deif, and Infanta Cristina of Spain.

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In Somalia

Among people born in Somalia, Waris Dirie ranks 8 out of 58. Before her are Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (1955), Aden Adde (1908), Abdirashid Shermarke (1919), Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1856), Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (1962), and Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (1936). After her are Mohamed Farrah Aidid (1934), Iman (1955), Hassan Gouled Aptidon (1916), Mohamed Osman Jawari (1945), Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed (1934), and Muse Bihi Abdi (1948).

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Among WRITERS In Somalia

Among writers born in Somalia, Waris Dirie ranks 2. Before her are Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1856). After her are Nuruddin Farah (1945), and Nadifa Mohamed (1981).

Somali born Writers

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