What it's like to be Somali in America

Somali youth reach out to the community with a play based on their own experiences.

Twenty-two high school students will offer a
glimpse of Somali life on Friday evening
through an original play, "We Did It." The
group is part of the Young Achievers
program, which hopes the play, plus music
and dance performances, will shine a positive
spotlight on the Somali community as a
counterpoint to news that sometimes casts it
in an unfavorable light.

WHO ARE THE YOUNG ACHIEVERS?

They're a group of Somali young people who
began meeting in late 2006; the program was
started because of a perceived lack of youth
programming geared toward Somalis. The
group is sponsored by WellShare
International, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit
that seeks to improve the health of women,
children and communities around the world.

HOW DID THE PLAY COME ABOUT?

The students worked with a community
outreach program through the Bedlam
Theatre in Minneapolis. The students both
wrote and perform in the play, which follows
a Somali teenager as he grows up in the
United States.

"We create drama that is inspired by their
lives, so we help with the process and the
staging, and the process started by talking
about issues that were important," said
Maren Ward, Bedlam's artistic codirector.

Nada Mohamed, 18, a Young Achiever, said: "I
didn't even think it would become a play. We
just started doing skits on our own, and then
we collaborated in making it one."

WHAT'S HAPPENING FRIDAY?

"We Did It" is part of the Young Achievers'
Second Annual Celebration, which has the
theme "All Grown and Well Known." The
students' mission this year is to introduce
what different cultures deal with, according
to a WellShare program associate.

WANT TO GO?

The program, which is free, will run from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and, in addition to the play, will
include poetry performances, Somali
traditional dances and Somali classic songs
and rap.

It will be held at the Heart of the Beast
Theatre, 1500 E. Lake St., Minneapolis.

MORE INFORMATION

Visit www.wellshareinternational.org.