The end of a tradition?

Mar 29, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists

There have been many things that disappeared from the face of the earth. Scientists still talk about the disappearance of the dinosaurs. Then there was the disappearance of a bird called the dodo. Today there is a mad drive to protect other species. In fact, many animals that we once took for granted are considered protected species. Some are in reservations and some are in zoological parks.
In Guyana there is a race to protect the arapaima and the sea turtles. The arapaimas are in the Hinterland while the turtles have Shell Beach in the protected areas.
However, there is one thing that relies exclusively on parents and children, and we are not talking about good manners. That disappeared a long time ago. Respect for the elderly is a thing of the past as is respect for law and order. The sanctity of the home is disappearing, but with more and more people taking extra precautions there are fewer home invasions, except in the eastern county.
The most recent thing that appears to be disappearing is the tradition of kite flying. It was noticed a few years ago, but people merely muttered. Some blamed the absence of the wind and some said that it was a bad year.
Yesterday, people looked up into the skies then reached for their phones. “Why are there no kites in the skies?” And indeed, there was a paucity of the flying bits of paper, plastic and wood. It would seem that kites no longer form part of the recreation of the young. Parents also seem not to be too enamoured with taking their children kite-flying.
In the not too distant past there were the kite-makers who made tons of kites and lined them up along the city pavements. Their process varied as the big day neared because that would have been the signal to get rid of those kites on hand. People went home happy, regardless of if they were vendors or buyers.
We should have seen the trend leading to the disappearing tradition when children stopped making their own kites. Instead, we put it down to improving technology. Parents were lured to buy the so-called Chinese kites because they were so much cheaper than the locally made instruments.
Of course the local kite-makers complained bitterly, accusing Guyanese of failing to help boost the economy, choosing instead to support the foreign manufacturer. Little did the kite makers know that people were showing a declining interest in kite-flying.
This is not something that governments can provoke an intervention. This is about people’s interest and what they decide is more important to them. Perhaps it has to do with the smart phone, with the ability to permit chats and take photographs. We go anywhere and even in social groups we see young people with their heads buried in the phone. When one of them loses a phone it is akin to suffering a serious and debilitating loss.
Young people have their faces buried in these phones almost all the time. The result is that they could not find the time to keep their eyes on kites in the skies.
No one can complain about the lack of open spaces. The seawalls and the National Park in the city, Number 63 Beach on the Corentyne, Hope Beach on East Coast Demerara, Joe Vieira Park on West Demerara, and the numerous parks and playgrounds around the country are all there.
Guyana was actually a tourist destination when the kite-flying season came around. People from the Diaspora actually chose this time to come home because of the excitement they had when they were young. It was the nostalgia. That has all gone. There is nothing that anyone can do. The kite-flying tradition is gone and with it a source of income for some. There will also be the disappearance of a special skill—the art of kite-making.

Latest News

The end of a tradition?

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

National Indoor Recurve Archery tournament to shoot off from January...

GDF ‘A’ crowned GFF/Maid Marian Women’s Cup...

Harpy Eagles to bowl off practice games ahead of...

Former British Guiana footballer Alvin Geronimo...

Guyanese MMA star Harris set for octagon return...

GCF Calls Urgent Extraordinary General Meeting to...

Features/Columnists

Boxing should be banned

Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves

2024 – more reflections

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

The end of a tradition?

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]