YouTuber BenOfTheWeek took a trip to Dubai at the end of last month and exposed the “real” Dubai that influencers don’t show you.
Ben, who has travelled to many controversial places, including North Korea and the most “racist” town in the US, is a popular travel creator. In his latest video, he took a trip to Dubai and purposely stayed at the cheap side of Dubai that most people don’t see. He got a room in what was advertised as a capsule hotel, and immediately things started going weird.
“My taxi driver was surprised to be dropping me off there,” Ben said. “He said that where I was staying was where something called ‘labour camps’ were.”
He continued: “These are the places that the people who are indentured to the company live.”
The “kafala” system is a popular sponsorship in the United Arab Emirates that has received a lot of criticism. According to research by Walk Free kafala, migrants from mostly India come to Dubai to work, and in return their employer’s have a lot of control over their lives. This includes owning their accommodation, providing their meals and sometimes even holding on to their pay.
As Ben secretly snuck around the “labour camps”, he realised there was a real sense of friendship among the men there, despite their tragic situation.
“Where you’d think you’d find misery and broken spirits, I actually saw a huge amount of community and impromptu restaurants,” he said.
The YouTuber pointed out the huge difference between the Dubai we see from most influencers and the reality of Dubai.
via YouTube
“It’s always quite jarring see how Dubai is portrayed as this perfect utopia, but it takes these dudes working like 10 to 12 hour shofts in 110 degree heat, to come home to labour camps, to have that,” he said.
The comment section is full of people praising him for bringing awareness to the more shady side of Dubai.
“Dude if I was your mum I would be losing my mind,” one comment joked.
“The scene of you unwrapping a Dubai chocolate bar while a bus pulled up behind you to drop off camp workers was so incredibly dystopian,” another comment said.
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Featured image via YouTube
