Gaza’s new water park

OMAR GHRAIEB THE MEDIA LINE

The news from Gaza is most often filled with suffering and stories of aid unable to reach the impoverished coastal enclave. Tourist attractions, resorts and malls – all of which have been inaugurated in the besieged Strip recently – are not what you would expect from Gaza.

Crazy Water Park, one of the most talked about new attractions, opened in May 2010. Various media outlets have attempted to estimate the budget of the park, described locally as “the new sensation,” with some reports estimating the price tag to be as high as seven million dollars.

Mohammed Al-Araj, economics minister in the first government formed after Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, is believed to be one of the water park’s directors. Other partners are believed to be members of Palestinian political factions, as well as “independent businessmen,” the British Independent reported.

Sitting on 14 dunams of land, Crazy Water Park features swimming pools, ponds with pedal boats, three waterslides, a 100-metre-long canal, a restaurant, a café and a secluded area shaded by a tent, where adults can sit on carpets and listen to music.

It took builders six months to construct the park with materials collected from the rubble of buildings destroyed by the war, along with materials brought from Europe and smuggled into Gaza through tunnels from Egypt.

More than 2,000 families visited Crazy Water Park in Gaza during the first few days after its opening ceremony, according to the park’s records.

Admission is 10 Israeli shekels ($2.60), plus another five shekels for access to the slides and another 20 shekels for access to the pool. Sales tax, which goes to the Hamas government, is also added to ticket prices.

The park employs 106 workers in addition to more than 80 vendors who provide catering services and goods. Employees who spoke to this journalist said they were overjoyed at being selected for the job. The average salary of Crazy Park employees is $250 to $300 a month, the minimum wage in Gaza. Meanwhile, more than 80 percent of Gaza’s population is living in poverty and depends on social welfare, supplies from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and other nongovernmental organizations.

Ayman Barawi, financial manager of Crazy Water Park, said that the news media tend to exaggerate, but that the park has been a huge investment and costs might reach as much as a couple million dollars, but that he didn’t have a precise number.

Barawi added that he resented the ban that Gaza’s de facto government – run by Hamas – had put in place on women smoking hookahs in public places, but that he was happy to hear that they had recently lifted it. Now women can legally puff the hookah in the park’s café and restaurant.

“You can consider this park as a resort or an escape where Gazans can come to forget or remove the daily stress and take a fresh breath of air. One of the most attracting aspects of this park is that it’s very near to the beach,” Barawi said.

Safa’ Al Wouheidi, head of Crazy Water Park’s public relations, denied rumors of serious or fatal accidents at the park. She admitted that minor accidents occur at similar attractions, saying Crazy Water Park is not an exception, but she insisted that any accidents were due to parents’ negligence. She said the park is fully equipped with medical crews, lifeguards and security personnel and that any problems are dealt with immediately and professionally.

Panda Investment Co., the company that owns Crazy Water Park, also denied any accidents at the park. Sameer Sa’d, chairman of Panda’s board of directors, said that any serious accidents would have made headlines, as it is the only park of its kind in Gaza and, therefore, is still making the news in the area. Sa’d also denied claims made by the Independent that Hamas is the disguised owner of the water park. Sa’d said Panda Investment Co. is led by a group of independent business people who come from different backgrounds and respect all Palestinian factions, adding that the park was built and licensed according to the rules and regulations of Gaza’s de facto government.

Sa’d reported that the number of visitors reaches 2,000 each day and 3,000 visitors or more on holidays and summer vacation days. She considers the park a way for Gazans to have fun and practise their right to a normal life in the besieged area. Sa’d personally guarantees a good time to everyone who attends the park and emphasized that all Gazans, Palestinians, Arabs and internationals are welcome to visit with their families, to see for themselves. Sa’d added that a German woman came all the way from Europe just to visit the park with her family and couldn’t believe that such a place existed in Gaza.

While some people know about the park and go there regularly, others said it’s very expensive and they cannot afford it, even though Sa’d insisted that prices are affordable. Some Gazans interviewed had never heard of the park, while others said they “hated it,” saying that Gaza is in need of many other things, such as hospitals and employment opportunities.

One such Gazan, Amnah Abu So’od, did not believe that having a water park in Gaza will make a change to her own life. “Does that park have the magical ability to erase the bad memories of my kids’ minds? Does it replace their dad? Does it provide them with a house and food? Will it provide me with money to put my kids in school?” she asked, before calmly walking away.

On the other hand, Salma Al Shawa, a student of the American School in Gaza, was very excited about the park. “Finally we get to taste a bit of childhood just like the children of the world. I am so happy about it and I go there a lot.”

Update: The Jerusalem Post reported (Aug. 22, “Report: Gaza water park closed due to gender-mixed parties”) that Crazy Water Park was ordered closed due to men and women attending parties together at the facility. A Hamas spokesman claimed that the park closed for only three days, “because it did not have a proper permit,” but also said, “Men and women are mixed throughout Gaza. The closing is just a warning.”

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