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Abstract
This paper is about an autobiography of Waris Dirie, a Somalian woman titled Desert Flower. Although this text is classified as autobiographical writing, it possesses quite different textuality, structure, terrain, and mode of expression. Desert Flower basically reads like the story of ‘rags to riches’ as it is an account of the various hardships experienced by Waris right from her childhood in her small village in Somalia till her success of becoming an international supermodel and human rights ambassador for the United Nations. The telling of her personal story also mirrors the life, culture, values, rituals, customs and beliefs of the African tribe, of which she is a part, but chooses to escape from its clutches to live her life differently. In fact, the book from being her personal life story turns out to document the horrific practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), of which Waris herself is also a victim. In the unraveling of how the circumcision leaves her mutilated all through her life inhibiting her from experiencing simple pleasures of life, she unveils to the world the horrendous traditional practice which is in practice even today in certain tribes, even in 21st century when we talk about ‘my body my choice’ in the era of post-feminisms. Her narrative emerges primarily as a lament for her people's traditional blind faith in the FGM. Waris’ own personal history becomes a framework to relate the passing of the tribal life and her experience of westernization which awakens on her a keen awareness of the unnecessary pain and trauma inflicted on the women community of her tribe. Hence this paper tries to trace the process of unmuting the maimed voices and what it entails as unraveled in the aboriginal autobiography.