Dear Editor,
It was lovely to see the smiles on the faces of the children in the picture in the papers as they received kites from government ministers. But how much lovelier a picture it would have been and lovelier the skies if those had been our beautifully hand-crafted, unique Guyanese kites, instead of the imported plastic ones. This would have supported and encouraged our local craft-makers. I note that some private entities did distribute locally made kites. Congratulations to them.
It would be a step towards promoting our unique culture and motivating our children, if workshops were held prior to Easter, engaging the services of skilled kite-makers to teach the children to make their own kites. Then they could choose either a climbing loop or a pulling loop or a combination of both, or make a ‘singing engine’ that will out-sing all the others. This could be done in small groups in the communities.
I am sure that many of your readers can recall the joy of seeing their own specially made kites climbing, then flying, singing merrily in the sky.
Teaching the art of kite-making will ensure that this wonderful tradition lives on; it should not take business away from those who make and sell kites, as there will always be those who prefer to buy.
If this is implemented, we should see our skies at Easter filled once more with thousands of beautiful hand-crafted Guyanese kites.
Yours faithfully,
Joan Collins
