From Jamaica to Somalia

For many, travelling into unfamiliar territory can be an intimidating experience, particularly if it means having to journey halfway across the world.

But for 31-year-old Dwight Samuels, a native of the Westmoreland community of Moreland Hill, this was not the case.

With arms wide open, Samuels eagerly accepted an invitation to assist in providing aviation security training to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces in Somalia, more than 8,000 miles from Jamaica.

Although armed conflict has ravaged the East African country for decades, claiming hundreds of civilian lives and forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes, Samuels told The Gleaner that he was not overly worried or terrified about this mission. Instead, he was excited to gain new experiences.

“They told me that the place is a bad place. It's a place where if you go into the town, you might get kidnapped. However, we're in a UN camp, so it's a Green Zone and that kinda calms down the mind,” he explained.

“I'm not really fearful like that. I know that something could happen, … but the zone that I'm in is heavily protected. Every move you move, there is security, [and] when I'm travelling from the airport, I'm travelling in armoured vehicles,” he added.

His greatest challenges so far are getting adjusted to the eight-hour time difference between Somalia and his homeland and not having access to his beloved Jamaican cuisine.

“As Caribbean people, when you cook your food, you're used to flavours and spices, but my God, man! They don't do that here,” he shared humorously, adding that he would love to enjoy a lot of spice in the chicken and rice meals he has been having in Somalia.

Waiting with bated breath, Samuels expressed his desire to put on a pot of “anything curry” once he returns home on July 16.

Tough Journey

After more than 30 hours of layovers across three airports and 24 hours of total air time to get to his destination, Samuels travelled approximately three days to make it to Mogadishu, Somalia.

“The travelling was tough. By the time I got off the airport, I couldn't hear anything,” he told The Gleaner.

But his journey did not begin there.

Samuels had a modest upbringing. His mother worked at a fabric store, and his father was a farmer, who occasionally went fishing to provide for their four children.

He relished growing up in the countryside, where the community was close-knit and the surroundings mostly tranquil.

During his early years, Samuels had a strong interest in animation and visual arts and envisaged a future in those industries.

However, being unable to fund his tertiary education, when he left high school, he began working various jobs to fend for himself.

Samuels started out working mostly construction jobs until he landed his first stable job at a tour company, where he sold tours through social media and while on a beach in Negril.

Later, he was offered the opportunity to work in security at a school in Catherine Hall, Montego Bay. Then he got the chance to work as a legal assistant for a law firm in January 2015.

Aviation security

By 2019, he had begun working in aviation security, which involves safeguarding against acts of terrorism, hijacking, or criminal sabotage as well as protecting aircraft, passengers, crew, members of the public, cabin and hold baggage, cargo, mail, and catering supplies.

Working for Longport Aviation Security, he started as a basic aviation security officer and quickly came to realise how fond he was of the job.

Aiming for the very best, he was soon promoted to team lead and then supervisor of the company.

Given the opportunity to also delve into training others, Samuels accepted and would help train various airlines through contracts with Longport.

“I have never looked at myself as a teacher or that I could even teach or ever thought about teaching, but I guess you learn things about yourself when put into a situation,” he said.

Samuels went on to complete a course at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) school in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, in December 2023, receiving certification as an ICAO instructor.

The ICAO programme is accredited by the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority.

He is now a coordinator and trainer for Longport.

While still in Somalia until Tuesday, Samuels will continue to teach military personnel from Ethiopia and Djibouti.

“They have really taken the sessions seriously,” he said, despite having to use interpreters at times to communicate with the class.

Samuels also noted how friendly everyone involved in the programme has proven to be and that despite being the only Jamaican present, he has left an impression, given that some of the Somalians have made an effort to communicate with him more by attempting to use Patois.

“This is really an experience for me. It is a good thing to experience different cultures. This is a 100 per cent Muslim country, so there's no drinking down here. Western culture don't really come down here, in a sense, but that doesn't bother me,” he added.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com