A Guilt Free Paradise

August, 18th 2019- the first day I set foot in Qatar. It also happens to be the day I had my first encounter with what Neha Vora terms as Gulf exceptionalism. Gulf exceptionalism in this context is the belief in the existence of a distinct homogenous cultural, religious and ethnic identity within Gulf civil society. The problem with Gulf exceptionalism however, is that it only exists so long as the “other” or foreigners continue to shape up the bulk of the population within the state. So in a sense, it is paradoxical as it relies on the intentional division and exclusion of people. This is the vibe I felt immediately after I was stopped at the entrance to Education City. The guard stopping me happened to be a brother- A Kenyan brother. Incidentally when black people in the diaspora meet, there is always the look. That recognition of familiarity within the foreign. Just as in this case, the interaction always leaves traces of one wanting to know the other’s story. Not too many words were spoken between the two of us. He asked if I was a student. I said yes. The look on his eyes was all I needed to know about where black people stand on the social ladder within Qatar. I was told not to waste my chance here and to this day, I think back to that 1 minute conversation we had as he checked my passport against a list of new residents at the dorms.

Knowing now that Gulf exceptionalism is a birth child of the British empire, the division of the campus between “Internationals” and “locals” isn’t that surprising. Vora argues that the divide and rule method by the British set the precedent for the kafala system as it is now within Qatar- where we see one’s worth attributed to the passport they hold and the work they do. This presents a paradox within the concept of Gulf exceptionalism- specifically it’s blatant class hierarchies. Given the fact that the majority of the population is of foreign nationals through whose labour, we are able to live comfortably (oil doesn’t just extract itself FYI), only a select few get to enjoy the spoils. Majority of whom are those with citizenship followed by foreigners from the global north. The rest of us, well we are like the guard who let me into Education City for the first time. Looking for little pockets of upwards mobility within a system that is unapologetic about its valuation of individuals with passports like mine.These tensions present themselves daily within students at NU-Q. Those with privilege feeling attacked by the “others” and the vice-versa.

Being a black student from the “Global South” means negotiating these tensions heavily. I am friendly with many of the guards and workers in the buildings in Education City and it is always disheartening to see that had the stars not aligned, that could have been me in their place. The aforementioned guard I met was only 4 years my senior. Many of the African people I meet here working blue-collar jobs are not too far from my age. Like I said, we are all looking for those pockets of upward mobility everywhere. Given no donut the failure of my home government to alleviate poverty amongst the youth. But I digress: the stark reality and horror of the situation is that had things not worked out for me, the same person in a thobe/abaya sitting in my classroom could be the same one denying me my paycheck or confiscating my passport. It is because of privilege that I am even able to engage in this discourse as I am right now. I however feel the taste of bile in my mouth whenever I catch myself living guilt free here. For every 1 of me that has the opportunity, there are 10 more brothers and sisters out there (who might have master’s degrees), having their moral worth undervalued.

Anyway, Aluta continua !!