notes of a non-combatant

pink playgrounds

It was already well past noon before we even rolled onto the first site. Driving past the large gate and following the inside of the wall, the twenty-passenger bus came to a stop fifteen meters from the horse stable. Half of the group clamored over the piles of piping and hardware that was stacked in the aisle of the bus and went to speak with the government officials. Though our delegation had purchased and transported the entire playground to the Gaza Strip, we were leaving the ultimate decision for its placement to the Hamas government. On that warm, calm morning, tempers were beginning to flare.

After a bit of yelling, the government officials rethought the decision to have us build the playground on the grounds of a walled-in equestrian complex where access would be limited to a privileged few. After breaking the siege with a flatbed truck full of pink metal piping that was prohibited to enter the Gaza Strip with Israel’s economic blockade, we would not build the first of three playgrounds in an exclusive location. The bus turned back around and took us into Gaza City where we pulled over onto a sand lot. Rather than being confined by walls, this lot was wedged between the beachfront and rows of tenements, of which several were little more than mountains of rubble after being completely demolished by Israel’s aerial bombing campaign four months ago. Certainly a place where the average Gazan could be found, we were excited to begin offloading materials, until the government officials told us that the property was too valuable and could be best utilized in another way. They also brought up the issue that it was very difficult to guard the playground in that specific location, and that it may be torn to pieces and used for its component parts within a matter of days. We finally drove to a place they had assured us would be perfect, a large park located in central Gaza City, an accessible location that is secured and guarded at night. The park also had an empty sandlot where a playground had previously been built, though it was old and run down with many of its pieces broken. We knew the park would probably be the best spot in the Gaza Strip to build a new playground, so we began offloading the materials from the bus.

Children playing on the see-saw. Photo courtesy of codepinkalert.org

It wasn’t long before swarms of kids joined in, assisting us with carrying and setting up. First we set up the swings, and by the time the frame was tightened and erected, nearly a hundred local youths had joined us. We then clipped the chains on and attached the seats. We didn’t have to wait a single moment before children began swarming the first part of the playground, laughing and yelling the entire time.

Children playing on the monkey bars. Photo courtesy of codepinkalert.org

From then on, it was a battle to keep the kids off of the equipment while we were still building it, fastening pieces together and tying up the cord for the large rope web. There were literally hundreds of kids moving around the playground, both helping and distracting us at the same time. It took several hours to put the playground together with swarms of children clamoring all over it while our Hamas security detail stood by idly, watching. We ultimately managed to get the playground assembled, its pieces fitting together flawlessly!

The playground built by the CodePink delegation in Gaza City. Photo courtesy of codepinkalert.org

Going home that evening, we knew that not only did we give poor, besieged children a place to enjoy themselves and have fun, but the CodePink delegation also managed to break a two-year economic and military siege with the first of three large, pink playgrounds that were built across the Gaza Strip in a matter of days!

Children playing on the playground built by the CodePink delegation in Gaza City. Photo courtesy of codepinkalert.org