JEDDAH, 15 November 2006 — The next time you’re in Jeddah getting an illegal African to wash your car, don’t be surprised to learn that the shoddily-dressed young man energetically washing your alloys is a computer science graduate.

For the vast majority of car owners, getting their cars washed is a necessity, while others consider it to be an obsession, something which in no doubt attracts a lot of customers to car-wash shops. However, in Saudi Arabia car-washing has its own illegal underground scene that has been going on for many years.

The Ghulail district in the south of Jeddah is commonly known as the “Car Washers’ Area” where illegal African residents run a lucrative car washing industry in a bid to survive and earn a decent living.

Along Television Street that cuts through Ghulail district can be found a huge number of car-washers loitering on the sidewalks with their buckets and polishing cloth waving at passing cars. Passing by the area, one finds the car washing system to be very well organized. If a car stops in front of a certain washer then the others do not jump over to take the customer away from their fellow worker.

“We have our own self-made rules and regulations to ensure everyone gets an equal share of the work,” said Ahmad Adam in a distinctive Afro-English accent. Adam, who is a graduate in computer science from Chad, said he had come to the Kingdom to generate enough money for him to complete further studies in Canada.

“I came to Jeddah having been recommended by a relative who used to live in the Karantina district next to Ghulail. My relatives told me about the car-washer’s union and that they would welcome me. I was also told that if I worked hard enough then I would be able to make some good money,” said Adam.

Adam came to Jeddah two years ago with a will to make his dreams come true. “I was welcomed since the day I came,” he said, adding that he started working ever since and he is half way through making his dream come true.

According to Adam, the entire area is under control of three men. “They set up the rules and ethics of work a long time ago and they take shifts to supervise the scene,” he added.

Rambo is the nickname of one of the three supervisors. Though he doesn’t have the “Rambo” appeal with his slim body and half-grey hair, he had a leader’s flare in his eyes. Rambo told Arab News that they work as a community. “We are all Muslims and from the same continent. Therefore, we have to look after each other,” he said.

He said they have categorized the area into zones according to the location. Some locations are better than others, so they shift the workers in these locations to ensure that everyone gets an equal share of work.

“We have work ethics and rules, and any dispute between any of us is finalized by one of the three leaders,” he said, adding that one of the rules we apply on workers is that they should donate SR10 each month.

“After collecting the money, we buy rice, sugar and other basic foodstuff and distribute them to the poor in our neighborhood as an act of zakat. By this we seek blessings for our work to continue,” he said.

Being mostly illegal residents, he said they sometimes have a hard time when the police arrive. Since the Ghulail and Karantina areas are built randomly, it becomes easy for the workers to disappear in the endless alleyways until after the police are gone.

“Many have been caught, yet many are still working and feeding hungry families. We have no other means of survival except this work and so we would continue until God knows when,” Rambo said with an expressionless face.