May 19, 2021
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Kenyan who wrote compelling dispatches under a pseudonym about the challenges of living as a low-wage worker in Qatar and advocated for their rights has been detained under unclear circumstances in the energy-rich nation.
The arrest of Malcolm Bidali draws renewed attention on the limits of expression in a nation that will host the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup. It also highlights the challenge many migrant laborers face when agreeing to the opportunity of steady work in Gulf Arab states, in exchange for long shifts doing menial work in the shadows of skyscrapers they helped build.