Anyone who knows me, knows my adoring love for children. Since a young age, I’ve always wanted children from around the world. An angelic red head with fair skin, an exotic innocent Indian, a rose cheeked Asian, and then several of my own. Three boys and two girls to be exact. I’d be the Angelina Jolie as we share common traits, not only in just our Zodiac signs, but in the way we see the world and life as we know it, which is clearly why I admire her. Though she obviously has the better advantage of being able to do what I’ve only ever dreamed of in this time, I still dream for the day I could make that so.

I find that my biggest accomplishments in life is not just by the success I retain, but what I could bring into this world.

While I do love children… and sometimes I just don’t, there are those special few that just lure me to the point of being obsessed with the idea of motherhood. Any and all worries I’ve ever had become dormant and frozen in time. I get that tingling feeling of happiness where my inhales and exhales are flowing naturally. It’s a beautiful feeling.

Last year a photo went viral on the Internet of a little girl and her remarkable beauty. No one knew her name or where she came from. Dark smooth skin, beady curious eyes, cute button nose, a smile that warms your heart and gorgeous locks playing in the wind. Anyone who defined the beauty of a child only being limited to what they felt society considered, soon altered many perceptions across the world and subconsciously educated people about the true nature of the world from what we lived in outside of our own.

Meet Safa Idriss Nour. This little rose petal could have gone under the radar with all the cliché baby models from H&M, Gap, Target ect ranging from the blonde hair and blue eyes or mousey brown hair and sea foam green eyes or maybe even a biracial loosely curled haired child. Granted I’ve seen plenty of beautiful children where even I’ve thought of building my own talent agency scouting a few children while in turn directing the parents on how to start their young careers, this little girl won my heart. She is the epitome of a Diamond in the rough in the harsh areas of Somalia. It took some time to find out who she was and who found her until she started becoming more known for her innocent beauty.

This is the face of the new Times Magazine, like that of a young girl from years ago with green eyes that could stop you dead in your tracks, covered in her conservative and religious clothing shying away from the camera. She too was an internet success that seemed to have no identity other than just a photo until she was found again 20 years later with those same hypnotic eyes. The only difference between that young girl and Safa is that there is an inspiring story and movie behind this adorable face.

Desert Flower, the biopic story of Somalian model, Author and Activist  Waris Diries, who tells the survival story of how she escaped a very disturbing and debatable religious tradition amongst the Somalian community. FGM. Growing up I was very aware of certain African traditions from all parts of Africa. Although I never knew my African ancestry based from my unique features and only relating myself to my mothers side of the family, I found a lot of things intriguing. FGM is a common tradition where a young girl ranging from ages before that of full development and teens, would be forced through a process of having their female genitals cut and sewn back  to nurture the idea of purity before marriage. It is a common and excruciating act that has been debated and feared throughout families. Female Genital Mutilation, where the clitoral gland, the labia are cut out and the vulva is sewn only leaving a hole small enough for urination. Only after arranged marriages to men beyond the ages of being these children’s fathers, the hole is then opened for intercourse. The chances of  anesthesia is slim to non when there is a razor, or knife and needle involved.

Growing up, this was my biggest fear, as I was far too young to ever understand the meaning of sexual desire and only thought my puppy love crushes were just that. But to hear these stories of children being mutilated with such unbearable pain, made me sympathize with the world outside of the one I so blindly lived in.

Safa was saved from this religious act by her father through a signed contract, and became the young face in the movie Desert Flower, portraying the younger version of Waris. She, like other young girls including the famous fellow Somalian Super model Iman, have changed the ways and traditions  that in our society, we’re unaware and uneducated about. Safa born in the slums of Djibouti was extremely fortunate to have a family that shunned the idea of this cruel act that was the only way in identifying ones innocence when on the contrary the act of arranged marriages to what many would consider taboo and pedophilia in our world. Unfortunately, this is not just common in one part of Africa and the percentage of those who escape are actually lower than those numbers who have endured this pain.

Once Waris got whim of  the indecisiveness of her family’s torturous decision against their communities dismay and the safety of their child, Waris flew to meet with the family to give a better and thorough understanding of their rights and options by showing them her Desert Flower Foundation. Safas father who has since become an activist himself going against their native tradition, has given strength and hope to many others who too have to fight their odds. Since then Safa has blossomed into an even more beautiful flower with just as much beauty in her spirits.

Safa is more than just a pretty face. She is the face of survival and beating the odds against her and her family’s choice to change the idea of tradition. Due to their contract agreement, she is safe, but the fight to save other children from such horrendous acts is still a battle within itself. Granted, in our society, circumcision is too very common. Though this is on a complete different level.

I’m not too sure if I could stomach the real nature of what I’ve cringed my entire life, but it’s still far more brutal to have to be a victim of it. I encourage those to watch the movie or even read the book that too was written by Waris. The Desert Flower Foundation is definitely something that I want to further educate myself on and look into, as I am all for supporting the safety in a child. Safety in Numbers is what I believe and so I hope that with their story these numbers will grow.

Thank you Safa and Waris and most importantly Safas father for being the inspiration in my Wow Wednesday!

Xox