Roller Coasters in Rwanda; Fairy Tales in Turkmenistan
Roller Coasters in Rwanda; Fairy Tales in Turkmenistan
3 minute read
Mohammad & Gulbagh, their children and grandson, Dream City, Iraq
"While Iraq is in a state of war, the north of the country—Kurdistan—is relatively stable. Since the no-fly zone was established after the First Gulf War in 1991, the autonomous region of Kurdistan has been a de facto independent state. The Kurdish security forces, the Peshmergas, 'those who face death', have built bunkers and lookout posts to keep terrorism out. This makes it an attractive holiday destination for the Arab Iraqis and American soldiers."Anoek Steketee
While photographer Anoek Steketee and writer Eefje Blankevoort traveled through Northern Iraq in 2006, researching a story on the Kurds and their efforts to create a united Kurdistan, they stumbled across a surreal scene amidst the daily reports of kidnappings and sectarian violence—an amusement park called Dream City, located on what was formerly a military base for Saddam Hussein. While outside the gates they may have been at war, inside the Disney-like park the pair saw Arabs and Americans, Christians and Muslims, Shiites and Sunnis peacefully rubbing shoulders while strolling around eating ice cream and popcorn, or waiting patiently in line for the bumper cars.
That visit spurred a four-year journey, documented in their series Dream City, through the world of carnies and Ferris wheels from Rwanda to Turkmenistan. The parks’ surreal fairy-tale settings, with perfectly manicured gardens in areas torn by genocide and ethnic clashes, showed the duo that the desire to escape from reality is a universal human need. Which was something America’s great creator of amusement parks, Walt Disney, based his empire on. “I don’t want the public to see the world they live in,” said Disney describing his parks, “I want them to feel they’re in another world.”
TIME‘s Alexander Ho spoke to Steketee about the project:
Did you ever encounter any sort of trouble from park security or local police?
Most of the time, the management of the parks welcomed us. But there were some incidents. In Turkmenistan, the authorities are not so happy with western journalists. We went on a tourist visa to avoid any restrictions in our movements. After a few days working in the park we had to go with the security and hand over the material. Fortunately I was able to avoid giving it to them, but we were forced to stop photographing and were refused further access to the park. In Israel, it took me a few hours to convince the security that I was coming with all the equipment just to photograph amusement parks.
Are there plans to continue the project? Are there shows slated this year for Dream City to be exhibited—perhaps in America?
At the moment we are looking for the possibilities to bring it to the USA, and after that, to Colombia and the other places we visited for the project, like Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, China and Indonesia. Also, in cooperation with FOTODOK, an educational program is being developed which we would like to bring with along with the exhibition.
What projects do you have coming up?
Our next project is, among others, about a popular radio soap opera in Rwanda, which is a sort of Romeo and Juliet story situated in two villages in the countryside.
Space Gun, Dream City, IraqSteketee and Blankevoort tell the story behind each photograph"Until 1991, Dream City in Duhok was a military base for Saddam Hussein’s troops. Hundreds of Kurds were imprisoned and executed on the base, and no one was allowed near it. After 1991, when Kurdistan became a de facto autonomous region, the Kurdish Regional Government decided to dismantle all military bases and erect something that all Kurds could enjoy. Barracks were demolished, barbed wire removed and trees planted, making the park the ultimate symbol of freedom from, and victory over, Saddam Hussein."Anoek SteketeeNiagara Falls, Dunia Fantasia, Indonesia
"A ticket for Dunia Fantasia in Jakarta costs almost $20. Despite this, Indonesians rich and poor, from across the archipelago, gather here. The Indonesian-themed section—temples of Bali, idols of Papua and delicacies from Sumatra—attempts to represent the country's diversity; a vision of a harmonious, unified state. There is no place for showing conflicts like those in the Moluccas, Aceh or Timor. It's no accident that the park's name means Fantasy World."Anoek SteketeeKaren & Billy with their children, Dollywood, United States
"Dollywood, Dolly Parton's amusement park in eastern Tennessee, represents everything that American conservatives claim to be: God-fearing, patriotic, hard-working, polite and extremely hospitable. 'Creating memories worth repeating,' reads a sign over the entrance. Dollywood is a tribute to their vision of the America of yesteryear, when a town was still a town, America had not been overrun by asphalt, people greeted each other in the street and Biblical values were observed."Anoek SteketeeAsi & Tali, Superland, Israel
"For sisters Tali and Asi from Ashqelon, Israel is their dream land. They are visiting Superland for the day with a group of friends, all of whom have Ethiopian roots. They take photos of each other in front of the fairy-tale cave near the Swan Lake. Rockets that are fired at Ashqelon from Gaza on a daily basis don't bother them much. 'Israel is a great country,' says Asi, 'it's worth dying for.' This statement is particularly relevant because they will soon have to serve two years of military service. Asi is looking forward to it. 'I want to be a fighter,' she says, 'a soldier on the front lines.' Tali has other ideas: by becoming a teacher she hopes to avoid military service altogether."Anoek SteketeeOdisho and his granddaughter Maryam, Dream City, Iraq
"Odisho and his granddaughter Maryam, Assyrian Christians from Mosul, are visiting Dream City for the first time. Until the fall of Saddam Hussein, they, like other religious minorities, lived peacefully in the predominantly Muslim Iraq. But since the beginning of the war, they have faced a high rate of persecution by fundamentalists. 'Maryam can't play outside, there is violence everyday,' says Odisho. Many Assyrians have fled Mosul, where churches are blown up, priests are murdered, and neighborhoods are purged—but Odisho refuses to leave his hometown. 'We have lived in Mosul for centuries,' he declares, 'nobody will chase us from our birth-ground.'"Anoek SteketeeShip, Turkmenbashi’s World of Fairy Tales, Turkmenistan
"Glittering white towers frame the marble entrance of Turkmenbashi’s World of Fairy Tales. The park is named, like almost everything in the country, after Turkmenistan's former dictator Saparmurat Niyazov who was known as Turkmenbashi, or Father of the Turkmen. Home to 54 attractions, centered on the theme of Turkmen identity and fairy tales, the park was part of Niyazov's identify policy. Niyazov, who died only two weeks after the park's opening, hoped that by visiting the park children would 'better understand the world, and the history and culture of their people.'"
Anoek SteketeeEntertainer, Chimelong, China
"Guangzhou played an important role in China's current economic boom. Located on the Pearl River, and close to Hong Kong and Macau, the first capitalist experiments on the Chinese mainland were carried out in Guangzhou. This is perhaps why tourists can choose from more than a dozen amusement parks in the province. Of all the parks though, one—Chimelong—stands out. With a roller coaster featuring the most inversions of any in the world, and advertisements billing it as the 'newest, largest, fastest and most exciting,' it represents the new 'big, bigger, biggest' China. Stripped of communist ideology, and competing with the largest amusement parks in other countries, anything goes at Chimelong."Anoek SteketeeRuslan's car, Turkmenbashi’s World of Fairy Tales, Turkmenistan
"Every evening Ruslan and his wife go from their house in an old Soviet neighbourhood to the amusement park. In the bone-dry surroundings of Ashgabat this is the only place they can find succulent green grass for their animals. They keep four sheep and two cows in their garden, says Ruslan, a retired security guard. He sells the milk at the market. Only after considerable urging will the interpreter ask him if he sells the milk to supplement his meagre pension. Shocked, Ruslan looked around him, excused himself and once again bent over the tough blades of grass. The guide gestured that we had better leave him in peace."Anoek SteketeeMilitary base, Beirut Luna Park, Lebanon
"For 47 years, Beirut Luna Park has defied periods of unrest, war and economic malaise. The park’s Ferris wheel towers over the Corniche, the Lebanese capital's famous boulevard. The attractions could use a lick of paint, but they offer visitors a welcome escape from their sometimes tense daily reality. The small, walled amusement park has always been open, even during the bloody civil war of the '70s and '80s and the Israeli attack in July 2006. In the summer of 2007, the park survived a bomb explosion that killed 11 people. Two weeks after the explosion, the park reopened to the public."Anoek SteketeeKerwan, Turkmenbashi’s World of Fairy Tales, Turkmenistan
"Kerwan is selling cotton candy in front of a cave where Turkmen fairy tales are brought to life. Like all the attractions in the park, these are aimed at promoting Turkmen identity. Under Saparmutrat Niyazov’s 21-year reign, Turkmenistan became one of the most closed countries in the world. He was elected ‘democratic leader for eternity,' and developed a personality cult that Stalin would have envied." Anoek SteketeeDunia Fantasia, Indonesia
"For the majority of Indonesians, the $20 entrance fee is equivalent to a fifth of the average monthly income. But almost everyone has vouchers, obtained through either their school or company, or magazines and newspapers. Buying a regular, full-price ticket is regarded as almost abnormal."Anoek SteketeeMohammad & Gulbagh, their children and grandson, Dream City, Iraq
"While Iraq is in a state of war, the north of the country—Kurdistan—is relatively stable. Since the no-fly zone was established after the First Gulf War in 1991, the autonomous region of Kurdistan has been a de facto independent state. The Kurdish security forces, the Peshmergas, 'those who face death', have built bunkers and lookout posts to keep terrorism out. This makes it an attractive holiday destination for the Arab Iraqis and American soldiers." Anoek SteketeeSaid and Wijdan, Dollywood, United States
"Said and Wijdan both come from Gaza and have lived in the United States for over 20 years. Said, who studied civil engineering, only goes back to the Palestinian Territories for holidays and family visits. It was on one of these trips that he met Wijdan. They married and returned to the United States where their four children were born. Sometimes they feel guilty about their family in Gaza, especially during the war with Israel when many family members lost their houses. Although they miss their mother country, Said and Wijdan would never consider to go back. 'We have lived here for so many years that we couldn't get used to the life there.'" Anoek SteketeeDeer, Turkmenbashi’s World of Fairy Tales, Turkmenistan
"In Ashgabat’s streets, you are blinded by the golden statues and domes, and the glistening white marble buildings of inhuman proportions that Turkmenistan's dictator Niyazov commissioned over the past decades. When the lights in the amusement park are turned on, so are the spotlights throughout the city. This Stalinist Disneyland is at its best after sunset, when the statues, fountains, gaudy monuments and monumental ministries are bathed in bright pink, green, blue, orange and purple light."Anoek SteketeePablo's Zebra's, Hacienda Nápoles, Colombia
"The Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar created his own Garden of Eden, Hacienda Nápoles, three hours from Medellin. He kept some 2,000 animals, including elephants, antelopes, buffaloes, zebras and hippopotami smuggled in from Africa, on the grounds; he took his guests water-skiing on artificial lakes; and built enormous concrete dinosaurs for his children. Some 700 employees worked and lived there. After Escobar’s demise, it fell into disrepair until, 16 years after his violent death, it was opened to the public as an amusement park."Anoek SteketeePablo's Airstrip, Hacienda Nápoles, Colombia
"Drug trafficking planes used to land on the airstrip. In the future, the management plans to use it to fly in tourists."Anoek SteketeePablo's Renault, Hacienda Nápoles, Colombia
"Visitors are offered an eclectic collection of attractions—wild animals, a butterfly garden and a visit at Escobar's former mansion. There, his collection of boy’s toys—a hoovercraft, jet skis and a Renault IV—are on view."Anoek SteketeeTaj Mahal, Parque Jaime Duque, Colombia
"Parque Jaime Duque, near Bogota, was founded by Jaime Duque, the country's most famous aviator. He wanted to bring the world to Colombia, giving fellow citizens, who would never have the means to travel, the chance to explore. Based on photos he took in India, he replicated buildings such as the Taj Mahal. He was so attached to his amusement park that he decided never to leave. For 12 years, he and his family lived on the top floor of the Taj Mahal replica. When he became ill at the age of 90, he asked his family to let him die peacefully in the park. His widow still lives there."Anoek SteketeeRockin' Roadway, Dollywood, United States
"Visitors interested in the small-town America of the '50s can visit Dollywood Boulevard, with its Cadillacs, old-fashioned diners and a cappella group the Gem Tones, clearly inspired by the television series Happy Days."Anoek SteketeeWaffa and Wassan, Dream City, Iraq
"Waffa and Wasan live in Mosul, together with their brother and parents. Father Adel works in Tikrit. He only sees his family about three days a month. They are on holiday in Kurdistan for a few days. The famous waterfalls of Gali Ali Beg, the fast-flowing rivers around Arbil and Sulaymaniyah, and the beautiful snowy peaks for skiing in the winter. It is a world away from war-torn central and southern Iraq." Anoek SteketeeMukhma's Funland, Palestinian Territories
"On the dry, dusty West Bank the cities are packed tightly together—the occupied territories are tiny—but as a result of all the Israeli checkpoints, a short trip can become agonizingly long. Even so, Palestinians from Nablus, Hebron and Jerusalem are willing to make the journey to visit Funland. From the outside, the amusement park looks like a concrete fort with a Ferris wheel. At a nearby army base, Palestinian security forces survey the scene from watchtowers. The Ferris wheel offers a sweeping view of Jerusalem and the long, snaking separation barrier."Anoek SteketeeKigali City Park, Rwanda
"The amusement park, which would have been the largest amusement park in Eastern and Central Africa, was intended to be an attraction for the local population and was supposed to open in August 2007. The park’s initiator, millionaire Eugene Nyagehene, had wanted it to 'heal the wounds in people's hearts, which were inflicted during the civil war and the genocide.'"Anoek SteketeeKigali City Park, Rwanda
"The Kigali City Park was designed to cover 100 hectares, with a cultural centre, ornamental gardens and restaurants. Six months after the park was supposed to open, the unused attractions are rusting." Anoek SteketeeParque Jaime Duque, Colombia
"With replicas of famous buildings and life-like dinosaurs, Parque Jaime Duque was designed not only to entertain, but educate." Anoek Steketee
