Trailblazing women in UAE pursue dream careers

The Life: Salha Al Busaidy's parents wanted her to be a doctor. Instead, she and a number of women from the Emirates chose to follow their dreams with non-traditional careers.

W From left, Charney Magri, Mina Liccoine, Lisa Ball-Lechgar and Salha Al Busaidy at the Defining Success forum in Dubai. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

All that Salha Al Busaidy wanted to be when she grew up was a professional singer.

Her parents, on the other hand, wanted her to be a doctor.

She followed her dream, but her experience was like that of many people who pursue non-traditional careers.

"At every point [that] I wanted to pursue the singing I was discouraged," she told an audience at the Capital Club, where she took part last week in a panel discussion on the topic "Defining Success", organised by the Dubai chapter of the women's global network 85 Broads.

"I think that when that is your calling, you can try and suppress it as much as you want, but it's going to come through anyway," said the Omani singer, who fronts Salha and the Million Dollar Band.

She launched her career late after suffering heartbreak while living in the United States, she said.

"I came to Oman to be with my mum and dad for a little bit and fast and pray," she said. "I decided to write my own songs to explain exactly how I was feeling.

"And suddenly it was a release, because it had been a few years and I had just stopped singing because I wasn't getting any encouragement."

She is now a successful professional who has sung at events including the Dubai Rugby Sevens.

She was not alone at last week's event.

Fellow panellist Mina Liccoine, a comedian, received plenty of support from her family, but it did not mean that making a name for herself in Dubai was any easier.

The American first came to the emirate to take part in a performing arts festival for an eight-day engagement that turned into a month.

"I spoke with a few people who gave me the opportunity to come here and start the first comedy and performing arts school in the region. At first I was like 'really? I don't know. Let me think about it'," she said.

Ms Liccoine went back to the US to finish a master's degree and returned to Dubai to set up Dubomedy Arts, the first comedy and performing arts school in the region.

"Doing comedy here, there were some hurdles, big time," she said. "We had to prove that you didn't have to do dirty jokes, that you could still be funny.

"We say we do halal comedy. That was a hurdle we had to deal with. And also that women can be funny."

It took fellow panellist Charney Magri years to forge her career as an award-winning photographer, with clients including Louis Vuitton and British Vogue, and two gold and two bronze honours at the advertising festival Dubai Lynx 2010.

Throughout her 20s, she held two jobs: one as a creative director and the other as a photographer. Any money she made went on supporting her ambitions to be a photographer.

"I would go out [with my friends and] they would say look at my new Louis Vuitton, look at my new necklace, look at my new designer clothes. I was like 'awesome, look at my new lens'," she said.

She spent years reading self-development books to help her focus on what she wanted to do. Ms Magri had always known that she wanted to be a photographer, but it is an expensive hobby, and to make a career out of it requires portfolios, which takes time.

"Your mind is like a muscle. If you strengthen your mind and focus on what you really want to do, you will get there," said Ms Magri. "If it is not a challenge, it is not worth doing."

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