Kites fly high in Wanstead

While some Easter holiday traditions may be dying, kite flying is not one of them. This was evident by the number of persons who turned up at various venues across the island yesterday to fly kites of various shapes and sizes.

At Wanstead Ridge Park yesterday afternoon for the Annual Family Fun Day and Kite Flying Event, hosted by Member of Parliament (MP) for St. James South, Donville Inniss, this still favourite pastime attracted persons of varying ages who had all kinds of kites, from the store bought to the homemade.

Speaking with The Barbados Advocate, Inniss said he was pleased with the turnout for the event which he said started in 2010 and has been growing ever since. The MP’s comments came as he explained that the family oriented occasion was born out of a desire to keep Barbadian traditions alive and he was heartened that year after year persons were continuing to make the effort to attend.

“We’ve always felt that too many of our traditions are not being carried on from one generation to the next and kite- flying and kite-making would be one of those integral traditions. Growing up years ago, young people got joy from making a kite, whether it was a trash-bone kite made from newspaper and flour or something more elaborate, but in those days nobody thought about going and buying a kite,” he said.

He added, “It was an art that we had, and it was a lot of fun to do and built camaraderie, and I have felt as parliamentary representative it was important to carry on some of these traditions. And I must thank the Youth Commissioner Peter Skeete, who is a great kite maker for his assistance in passing on the techniques to the youth,” he said.

When The Barbados Advocate visited the area yesterday, in addition to kite flying, several persons could be seen engaging in dominoes and lively conversation; while other relaxed and enjoyed the cool afternoon breeze. The popular calypso tunes blaring from the speakers and the performances of the Tuk Band from the Haynesville Youth Group also helped to make the afternoon an enjoyable one. (JRT)