"The Parching Winds of Somalia"

"The Parching Winds of Somalia" is a short British documentary on Somalia, its land, its people, and its culture. It's a must-see for all Somalis or anyone interested in Somalia.

"Desert Flower" Adapted Into a Movie

Somali supermodel Waris Dirie's book "Desert Flower" that chronicles her own life as a young girl in Somalia dealing with female genital mutilation, being sold into marriage, and then leaving to England and becoming a model is currently being adapted into a movie.



Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede has been cast to play the lead. I think she certainly has the looks to pass for a Somali but I have not yet seen Liya Kebede act. I do believe that she probably has the skills to play the part and I'm looking forward to the movie. The story sounds like the typical worst scenerio story for Somali girls that many Somalis have probably heard of at some point in their life. The only thing I worry about is the effect this movie will have on the already tarnished image of Somali culture and religion of Islam. Somalia has some negative stereotypes, many people see Somalia as a land where its people fight for nothing and pirates are plenty. Those, usually mainly Somalis, know our true story and thus are likely to not have inaccurate persceptions about the Somali culture or the problems within that country. I'm afraid that the movie may lead some people to believe that all Somali women are forced into a marriage for money when this is not always true. However, I cannot deny the truth of the commonality of female genital mutilation (FGM for short) in Somalia. It is a practise that violates the basic human rights of a female, the right of possession of all her body parts. It is an old practise that many Somalis seem to still think is the right of passage for all young girls when it is in fact mutilation. Many Somali women as well as men oppose the practise yet it still continues.

Anyway, despite my concerns, I still look forward to the movie. I am sure the Somali spoken and depictions of the culture and people will be almost entirely correct, since it is based on a book by a Somali author and the directors do seem to be consciencious of the "Somali look", as evident by their casting choice. Unlike Black Hawk Down in which none of the actors (except one woman with no speaking parts) looked even remotely like a Somali nor did they even speak real Somali. I mean, come on, even South Park in their recent Fatbeard episode depicted Somalia and Somalis and even the language accurately. The only problem with the episode was Guleed's story about his mother having AIDs. Somalia has one of the lowest AIDs rates in Africa. Somalia's rates are probably similar or even less than America's, yet people seem to think that all African countries are infested with AIDs. Granted, many African countries unfortunately do have problems with high AIDs rates but this is certainly not the case with all of them.

I believe that the movie is set to come out in theatres in the fall of this year. Once the previews come out, you can be sure to find the added to this blog for your viewing pleasure.