Saida Hagi-Dirie Herzi (born ) is a Somali

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

writer. Her English-language short stories, which use semi-autobiographical narratives and thinly veiled allegories to discuss social issues in her native Somalia, have been widely anthologized.

Early life and education

Saida Hagi-Dirie Herzi was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, in the 1950s. As a child she was subjected to

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

. The practice is near-universal in Somalia but has been widely criticized internationally. Herzi would later critically revisit the experience in her writing. Herzi attended King Abdulaziz University in

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, Saudi Arabia, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in English literature. She later obtained a master's degree from the

American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة, Al-Jāmi‘a al-’Amrīkiyya bi-l-Qāhira) is a private research university in Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs ...

Writing

Herzi was one of the first Somali writers to produce English-language fiction. Her work deals with Somali sociopolitical issues through a feminist lens, advocating for women’s rights and against female genital mutilation and government corruption. Her first published story, "Against the Pleasure Principle," was initially printed in 1990 in the journal of the

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, as there was concern that the brutal depiction of female genital mutilation in the story would be censored. The story contains elements of autobiography, as Herzi herself was subject to the procedure. "Against the Pleasure Principle" was later anthologized elsewhere, including in the 1992 anthology ''

Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...

.'' In 1992, Herzi's story "Government by Magic Spell" was included in ''The Heinemann Book of Contemporary African Short Stories''. It was later chosen to be broadcast as part of BBC Radio's Human Cradle series in 2012. "Government by Magic Spell" criticizes corrupt politics and is considered a thinly veiled allegory for the reality in Somalia at the time. Her other stories include "The Barren Stick," first published in 2002. Herzi has also taught English at King Abdulaziz University. She no longer lives full-time in Somalia, instead splitting her time among several countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Kenya.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herzi, Saida Hagi-Dirie 1950 births Living people Somalian women writers Somalian women's rights activists Somalian feminists King Abdulaziz University alumni The American University in Cairo alumni