Nightlife in Gaza? First there should be a life
The wealthy sit in cafes, those who have a little cash go to the beach, and those who do not have a penny to their name – lay on a mattress in the doorway of their house and watch the passersby. 'The day passes here as if you were in jail - you sleep, eat a little, and go back to sleep. Who would ever believe that once upon a time the guys would organize a party with dancers?'
“The young people in Gaza not only do not have a night life, they have no life at all. They have nothing to dream about, and the entire day is centered on the nargila (water pipe) and sleep,” according to 24 year-old Ahmed, describing the dullness of everyday life in the Gaza Strip. In a conversation with Ynet, Ahmed estimated that the majority of young people in Gaza are unemployed “and without money you cannot talk about recreation or enjoyment, even if it is here in Gaza.”
Ahmed studied engineering in Egypt and Gaza, but his dreams of joining a construction company or setting up his own business collapsed with the latest upheaval. “The days pass as if you were in jail - you sleep, eat a little, and go back to sleep. At night, if you have a few liras, you can go to a café to smoke a nargila. It has already been nine days since I have done anything. I just sleep.”
Gaza beach. For those who can afford it (Photo: AP)
Ahmed’s father works for an international organization and the family’s economic situation is better than the average in Gaza, but even if he can allow himself to go out, “I do not have the energy.”
Nevertheless, what do the young people do for fun in Gaza?
“Generally there are three types of recreation: you can sit at the entrance to your house, go to the beach, or to the café. Each of these activities is tied to your economic situation. If someone is really poor, he does not leave the house. If there is no Fatah activist in the neighborhood who really annoys the Hamas - a very dangerous situation - he simply lays a mattress in the doorway of the house and watches the passersby. That is his recreation.
“The second group includes the ones who go to the beach. They also do not have money. Four or five guys get together, buy a bag of tobacco for the nargila for NIS 14, even though before the revolution and the closures it would cost NIS 4, each person adds another NIS 2 for the cab and a kilo of charcoal and go down to the beach. They spend the night there until the sun comes up. The charcoal and tobacco can last for at least four days. This way everyone can have a good time for four or five days for NIS 6-7.
“The third group can afford going to cafes. Each outing costs NIS 6-7 for a nargila and drink. There are a few like me, who can take NIS 20-30 of pocket money from their mothers, and can go hang out at Café Sultana which is considered above average. But this is only for a very select group, the children of the wealthy, whose parents work for the international organizations or are businessmen.”
It does not sound too exciting…
“That is how it is, not much we can do. Who would believe that once a few guys would have been able to organize a party with dancers in a hall, or even on the street? Can you imagine dancers on the streets of Gaza? That disappeared with the intifada, and now it seems unreal and incomprehensible.
"True, there are still exclusive places, where women do not really wear much clothes, and it is pleasant there because you feel like you are in Tel Aviv with people in minimal clothing, but this is only in a few hotels, and it is like a members-only club. The most important thing is that this can end up costing NIS 100-120 in places like the Beach Hotel and the Ritz.”
Passing the time in Gaza (Photo: AP)
In general, Ahmed said, Gaza and recreation do not really go together - not only because of the Modesty Patrol, but mostly because there is no money and nowhere to go.
“From Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah in the south there is nothing besides the square in the presidential compound, the ambassadors’ complex, the wealthy Rimel neighborhood and the main square in the city. Once we used to go to square of the Unknown Soldier to watch girls who dared walk around in tight pants and without covering their hair, but this haa also ended. We did not do this out of abandonment, but rather because there was nothing else to do.”
Nevertheless, Ahmed said that some of the young people try to keep the “western look.” According to him, there are a lot of young people with gel in their hair, spiky hairstyles and tight pants.
“I personally keep up this appearance, mostly because I want to protest against those young people, who I call opportunists, who with the revolution changed their outer appearance and grew beards in the hope that Hamas will treat them well,” he said. “I am stubborn about my appearance, and I even grew out my side burns. If someone dares to bother me about my appearance, I will tell him that I think he is a hypocrite.”
What do you talk about when you get together and not spend the day sleeping?
“The only thing to talk about is the situation between Fatah and Hamas, and then you see the smoke of the nargila rising according to the crazy rhythm of the nerves. When we do not talk about that, we talk about how the situation is crappy and suffocating, and that is obviously connected to the first subject.
“We have apparently given up on people’s aspirations. We do not talk about business, developments or studies. We only talk about passing the day in peace. Dreams? There are none. There is actually one dream, a dream that my friends and I share and I think all the young people here share as well - it is to get a visa to a normal country and to get out of here. As soon as possible.”
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