On September 9th, Waris Dirie met with German minister of development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul in Berlin. Discussing the issue of FGM and the movie Desert Flower, Ms Wieczorek-Zeul promised to support Waris Dirie in her effort to show the movie in rural areas thoughout Africa.

“With this movie, I put my life out there for everyone to see, so that people can see, know – and make a change!” says Waris Dirie.

In 2010, the Waris Dirie Foundation and the producer of Desert Flower, Peter Herrmann, are planning to organise screenings of the movie in all African countries, starting in Djibouti, where parts of the movie were filmed. After the screenings, Waris will discuss the issue with the audience and will hold a press day in each country to inform about FGM, its dangers and prevalence. Furthermore, Waris will meet African leaders to convince them to take serious action against this cruel crime. The president of Djibouti and the first lady have already confirmed their support.