Skip to main content

Famous Somalis.

1 PROFILE

1 celebrated Somali figures including athletes, musicians, writers, models, and cultural icons across Somali history.

Waris Dirie

Editor’s spotlight — updated daily

Waris Dirie

At 13, Waris Dirie walked nine days across the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a 61-year-old man. She modeled for Chanel and played a Bond Girl in The Living Daylights 1987. Her 1998 memoir Desert Flower exposed female genital mutilation and became a worldwide bestseller. Dirie has received the Legion of Honour and the German Africa Prize for her activism.

Read dossier

Celebrities in Somalia

Gender
Status
Birth month
Occupation
1960 1960