Photos courtesy of AP
Kids in Afghanistan were excited to learn that their country’s capital, Kabul, recently acquired its first amusement park.
This week’s Exercises takes a look at Kabul’s new and fun-filled City Park.
Excitement builds in the queue forming behind the barbed-wire security fence outside Afghanistan’s first amusement park as children in bright clothes clutch their parents’ hands and hop from foot to foot in anticipation of the pleasures waiting behind the high concrete blast walls.
For the thousands of families who have visited Kabul’s City Park since it opened in October, it is a rare escape from lives blighted by political unrest.
HAPPY KIDS
Squealing children hardly know where to look as they race through the gates. Once inside, they find large friendly characters that look similar to Minnie Mouse and Tom the cat from Tom and Jerry, all dancing together and dispensing hugs.
Traditional fairground rides — including a Ferris wheel and bumper cars — attract the older kids, while a carousel, face painting and games keep younger children happy.
“Everything is very beautiful,” 6-year-old Sadaf said. “The carousel horse ride is nice.”
CITY UNDER SIEGE
Set at the foot of the snow-capped Hindu Kush mountains, next to the filthy Kabul River and near a zoo famous only for its abused, one-eyed lion, City Park is one of the few places residents of Kabul can take their children for a relaxing day out.
The city of almost 6 million people is a virtual fortress. Major buildings are protected by concrete and barbed wire, roads are choked with traffic as former thoroughfares are blocked to prevent suicide bombers reaching potential targets such as the Presidential Palace. Gun-toting security forces guard almost every street corner.
FUN FOR A DAY
Afghanistan has been at war for more than 30 years, and while US and NATO troops are preparing to leave in December, the Taliban insurgency shows no sign of abating. Few families in Kabul have been untouched by the violence, according to Almas Qaseemi, the park’s deputy general manager.
“The park is a place for entertainment, and there is not much of that in Afghanistan,” Almas said. “We have a great feeling when we see our people forget their sorrows for a few minutes and smile when they come here.”
Almas said that thousands of people visit the park every day, with close to 10,000 visiting during the weekly Friday holiday. The park is set on 10 hectares of land owned by the Kabul Municipal Government and leased for five years to a private company called Mufkora.
Exercises
Read the story. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Kabul has a population of more than 60 million people.
2. City Park is not the first amusement park in Afghanistan.
3. City Park opened last October.
4. Almas said that City Park gets the most visitors every Sunday.
Vocabulary
- fleeting (adj): lasting only a short time
clutch (v): to hold something tightly
blight (v): to spoil or damage something
carousel (n): a circular platform with model horses, cars, etc. that turns around and that children ride on
choke (v): to block a passage or space so that it is difficult to move
thoroughfare (n): a public road or street used by traffic, especially a main street in a town or city
insurgency (n): an attempt to take control of a country by force
abate (v): to become less strong
