Dubai dilemma - Music legend’s daughter grateful to escape Middle East conflict

What started out as a "faith move" to Dubai became a mad dash to leave the city after it became caught in the middle of the US-Iran war.

For Shapawa Hylton, her stint in the 'City of Gold' was cut short because the situation became unstable and required, as Jamaicans would say, that she 'tek wey herself'. Hylton, the daughter of veteran singjay Ghost, is a beauty consultant and educator who specialises in several cosmetic services. For the 33-year-old, who is now safe in New York, getting out of Dubai was a far cry from her seamless entry last year.

"I left Dubai by transiting through Egypt. I am grateful they had us somewhere safe, but it was just not a good experience at all," she said. Hylton had been working primarily in the hospitality industry since last October. The move to Dubai, she said, was because she decided she would follow her heart and God's directions.

"I only had a short time to prepare but the Lord told me to pack up and go, so I obeyed Him. I don't like cold areas, so Dubai was perfect. Plus, I have an aunt who lived there. There really wasn't any language barrier either, because aside from the Arabic language, English is heavily spoken by most, if not everyone, since people from all over the world live and work there. Dubai is one of the most travelled areas in the world, with most of the workers being ex-pats who settle there," she said. The move was also one that made sense for career advancement.

"In my line of services, I'm more luxury priced here in Jamaica. I know the value of my work, and I wanted to charge accordingly, but I know that I wouldn't have been able to here. I also wanted to travel and explore more of the world and be exposed to new cultures. I wanted to go somewhere where my services are valued, and people have the disposable income to afford and appreciate it."

Before the war, Dubai she said, was fun. But even after the conflict started, she said there wasn't much difference in how people were handling it.

"You know like how during COVID, when people were itching to come out of their homes? The people in Dubai are like that. Where I worked, on weekends and holidays, people came out. Even when there were alerts about bomb threats received on their phones, people just continued to live their lives. When I saw that, I said, 'Bwoy, I always say Jamaica is not a real place, but Dubai is not a real place either'. They don't take anything too seriously. People literally moved on with their lives," she said.

That relaxed attitude continued for the most part until people were forced to be more vigilant and adhere to the government advisories.

"For me, business had slowed down to the point that they put us on unpaid leave. People began to be more cautious based on the government's instructions sent in alerts to our phones. The good thing is that the government put things in place, so wherever the missiles were landing, we would have known, so we were able to ensure we were safe. We moved away from windows and went deep inside homes, like in the bathrooms," she explained.

Occasionally, launched missiles had to be intercepted, which unsettled even the most mentally strong individual.

"Me nah lie, at times, the debris from the missiles got pretty close. I was cooking one day and I just started feeling the building shaking, and it was scary to hear those things falling. It was a lot mentally," she said.

Hylton said she is keen on travelling back home shortly and focusing on building her brand, So Sassy Makeup and PMU Studios.