Balancing Micro-Level Intervention and Macro-Level Change: The Case of Safa Nour, the Desert Flower Foundation, and the Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation

Abstract

Safa Nour is a Somalian girl who was raised and lives in Djibouti. As a young girl, she performed as the child version of Waris Dirie, a Somalian anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) activist and retired high-fashion top model, in the film Desert Flower. As a young child, Waris Dirie was subject to female genital mutilation, which is widely practiced in Somalian culture. For Safa to act in the movie, her parents were required to sign a contract with Dirie’s Desert Flower Foundation to pledge that their child would not undergo FGM. In exchange, the family would receive living provisions and healthcare coverage, and Safa’s education would be funded by the foundation. However, Safa’s risk of undergoing FGM persisted as her family dealt with the social repercussions of not having their daughter mutilated. Upon arrival to visit Safa’s family in Djibouti to ensure the contract was not broken, the Nour family pled for Dirie and the Desert Flower Foundation to assist them in migrating to Europe, so they could uphold their contract of not having Safa mutilated. Ultimately, Dirie and the Desert Flower Foundation faced a challenging issue: ensure Safa’s individual safety and assist the Nour family in relocating to Europe or invest in broad anti-FGM impact in Djibouti and leaving Safa’s safety undetermined. Waris Dirie went onto writing a book, Saving Safa, describing Safa’s story as a young girl living in the slums of Djibouti City, cultural consequences the Nour family faced by not having their daughter mutilated, and their pleas for the Desert Flower Foundation to support their transition to a better life.