[1/5] Actor Nadjma Abshir, 29 year old, performs a scene from the play ‘Desperate Times’, a sell-out comedy presentation by the Somali women's theatre company ‘Side eYe Productions’, at the Rich Mix arts centre in London, Britain, October 25, 2023. Artistic director Hannah Abdule, a civil servant, co-founded Side eYe Productions in 2019 to create opportunities she felt were denied to people like her. As part of its inclusive mission, Side eYe aims to give opportunities to Somali women with little theatrical experience. "Our parents had more of a mentality of survival and that is getting traditional jobs in sciences, teaching," Abshir said. "We've done what we've needed to do and are looking at the things that truly interest us."

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Persons: Nadjma Abshir, Hannah McKay, Hannah Abdule, Sabrina Ali, tangles, Amal Abdi, Abshir, Barbara Lewis, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Somali women's, Rich Mix, REUTERS, Edinburgh Fringe, Somali, Somali Arts and Culture, Thomson Locations: Somali, London, Britain, England, Sheffield, Bristol