The film starts with a striking portrayal of Waris' nomadic life in Somalia, herding goats and riding camels in the wild. Waris moves around freely in the barren yet epic desert landscape, provoking a sense of freedom in her land. The film then creates a strong contrast as it cuts to a door behind which Waris has been living in London, suggesting a spatial limit that is almost non-existent in Somalia. Later we find out that the door belongs to the Somalian embassy, where she serves as a maid for her first six years in London. Still wearing traditional clothes, she clearly falls out of place on the streets of London and feeling the obvious incongruity with her surroundings, she walks straight into a clothing store. However, because of her clothing, she is mistaken as a shoplifter and the shop assistant, Marilyn,threatens to call the security. This opening scene reveals the role clothes play in acculturation. As a visual factor, one's attire is one of the first things we notice about a person. In this case, her traditional attire, which seems so naturally fitting in the Somalian desert setting, not only makes her stand out, but it also has a negative association in the western world as being poor.
As she walks into the shop, another important factor of acculturation is called to our attention--- language. Sheltered in the embassy, she never gets to learn the English language, which hinders her in such easy tasks as buying clothes. This makes it extremely hard for her to explain to the shop assistant, Marilyn what is actually going on. And this leads to more threats to call the security on Marilyn's part. However, due to her persistence, she finally is able to acquaint Marilyn. From there, she is able to learn English and get rid of her traditional clothes, securing a job at a fast food restaurant along the way.
It seems that with her western clothes and steadily growing English ability, she starts to fit in the British society little by little. Photographer Donovan discovers her at the fast food restaurant she works and is immediately stunned by her beauty. She starts doing photo shoots with him and it almost gains her instant fame. Just as everything seems to be perfect, we are reminded that acculturation is more than just attires and languages. As she is increasingly exposed to western culture, she finds out that the deep-rooted cultural traditions are in fact her biggest obstacle on her way to be assimilated to the British society.
Returning from the club one night, Waris is shocked to find out that Marilyn is having sex with another guy. She repetitively tells Marilyn that “a respectable woman does not do that.” It turns out that there is a much bigger underlying issue than just moral values regarding sex. In Somalia, all females are circumcised at a young age in order to make sure they stay virgins until their wedding night. Neither Waris nor Marilyn understands the practice of the other culture, therefore they are shocked and find it difficult to accept the difference regarding sex between the two cultures. This is a prime example of the two-way nature of acculturation. When two different cultures meet, it is bound that they become mutually exposed and affected by one another. While for the most part,the film depicts Waris' struggle with learning western culture and dealing with the differences, here we see how Marilyn has a hard time accepting the fact that in some parts of the world, females are deprived of the ability to engage in sexual activity as their genitals are cut away and sewn together. It is obvious that this widely popular practice in Africa is unheard of and unimaginable in the mind of a westerner. While a common westerner pities the circumcised women and condemns the misery this practice causes, Waris never has enough courage to do so because she is never aware that this is not a common practice across the world. She does not know that a female can still be considered “pure and respectable” with her genital uncircumcised.here we see how Marilyn has a hard time accepting the fact that in some parts of the world, females are deprived of the ability to engage in sexual activity as their genitals are cut away and sewn together. It is obvious that this widely popular practice in Africa is unheard of and unimaginable in the mind of a westerner. While a common westerner pities the circumcised women and condemns the misery this practice causes, Waris never has enough courage to do so because she is never aware that this is not a common practice across the world. She does not know that a female can still be considered “pure and respectable” with her genital uncircumcised.here we see how Marilyn has a hard time accepting the fact that in some parts of the world, females are deprived of the ability to engage in sexual activity as their genitals are cut away and sewn together. It is obvious that this widely popular practice in Africa is unheard of and unimaginable in the mind of a westerner. While a common westerner pities the circumcised women and condemns the misery this practice causes, Waris never has enough courage to do so because she is never aware that this is not a common practice across the world. She does not know that a female can still be considered “pure and respectable” with her genital uncircumcised.It is obvious that this widely popular practice in Africa is unheard of and unimaginable in the mind of a westerner. While a common westerner pities the circumcised women and condemns the misery this practice causes, Waris never has enough courage to do so because she is never aware that this is not a common practice across the world. She does not know that a female can still be considered “pure and respectable” with her genital uncircumcised.It is obvious that this widely popular practice in Africa is unheard of and unimaginable in the mind of a westerner. While a common westerner pities the circumcised women and condemns the misery this practice causes, Waris never has enough courage to do so because she is never aware that this is not a common practice across the world. She does not know that a female can still be considered “pure and respectable” with her genital uncircumcised.
After that night, Waris becomes increasingly aware of how inhibiting the practice of female circumcision in addition to its painful nature. Although her path to fame has much to do with her physical beauty, she utilizes them wisely. In an interview with a top magazine, she reveals the details of her own circumcision, which surprises and frustrates the western public greatly. She then is invited to make a speech at the United Nations. In this speech, she goes into great lengths explaining the belief system behind this practice, in order to make the world understand them better. She tells the audience that in Somalia, the female genital is considered “uncleaned”, thus it must be removed “as proof of virginity and virtue”. Also, “uncircumcised girls cannot marry” and “will be expelled from the village”.In addition to the physical and emotional discomfort, her two sisters died as a result of the mutilation. Her powerful speech leaves a huge impression on the audience. And she has since become a human activist against the practice of female circumcision. In fact, her efforts did pay off as female circumcision was abolished in several countries.
By closely analyzing Waris' case, we can see that her success, as a model or as a human activist, would never have come about if she never made an effort to assimilate the host culture. Her modeling career, though launched by chance, could not become real without her job at the fast food restaurant. She would not have realized what being a woman truly meant if she never took the time to know Marilyn. However, she never stops trying to change her own culture for the better while adapting to the western culture, and makes every effort to make the west understand her culture a bit better, especially regarding female circumcision. Acculturation makes her a well-adapted person in a western society, while also opens the eyes of westerners to some traditions in Somalia.Changes are bound to happen when traffic roams the two-way street of acculturation.
Works Cited:
Desert Flower. Dir. Sherry Hormann. NGE, 2009. Film.
View more about Desert Flower reviews
