Waris Dirie

Waris Dirie

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The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War

During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ...  Show more

Mexico’s ‘little old lady killer’

In March 2008, former female wrestler Juana Barraza was found guilty of murdering at least 11 elderly women in Mexico City. The murders took place over a period of seven years, and Barraza became known as the “little old lady killer”. She admitted to murdering three women and tol ...  Show more

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Waris Dirie: The fight against FGM
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Stephen Sackur speaks to Waris Dirie, the Somali born model, writer and activist. She was raised in poverty, and later became the muse of big fashion houses in New York and beyond. She chose campaigning over the catwalk, speaking out against female genital mutilation, which she e ...  Show more

The Desert Flower: Waris Dirie
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How can women change a dangerous tradition? Ryan Geertsma and Liz Waid look at the life of Ethiopian model Waris Dirie. She has used her difficult past to create hope for many women. 

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The designer catwalk and the glossy magazine cover are powerful cultural signifiers. Top models who occupy those spaces are deemed to have a look that attracts and sells. But how diverse is that look? How inclusive? Stephen Sackur interviews Halima Aden, a supermodel who challeng ...  Show more

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Esther Kamatari is a Burundian princess – and one of France’s first Black supermodels. She was raised to be a devoted princess to her people, but when the monarchy falls and her family is blacklisted, Esther flees to Paris. She embraces her new life and makes history on the Paris ...  Show more