Guyanese continue kite making tradition
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By Tangerine Clarke
Trevor Smith says he is
known as the grandmaster
of kite making in Guyana.
“Making kites come
with three phases. I love
making kites…I have a
passion for preparing my
frames, and at the end of
process, I feel joy when I
see what I have accumulated
from honest work,”
said the street vendor,
who has become a permanent
fixture at the corner
of Regent and Camp
streets, in the capital city
of Georgetown, during
the Easter season.
“Kite making for me
is a discipline, it has
brought clarity to my life.
I have chosen the right
friends, and I have lived
a problem-free life,” said
Smith.
“I see myself as an
“Easter Claus.” I make
sure kids are happy when
they purchase one of my
products,” assured Smith,
who uses a special brand
named “Barbados kite
paper,” that is durable,
and makes a kite soar into
the air.
The kite connoisseur
designs kites in several
sizes from 3ft to 18ft, in a
color-blocking star-point
design, now on display
at the busy Regent and
Camp Streets area.
Smith said he has done
many studies on kites, and
kids with kites. “When a
kid’s kite is damaged, it
is the worse experience,
because that kid feels
down-spirited, explained
the kite maker, who has
made his house a workshop
to share his skills
with neighborhood children.
However, the fabricator
wants to share the
spotlight with others,
as such, he is encouraging
fathers to take up
the mantle to carry on
the tradition by teaching
their children the art of
kite making.
“Fathers should focus
on showing their kids how
to assemble our traditional
Guyanese kite, instead
of purchasing importedmade
kites.”
“I place emphasis on
fathers because during
my years selling kites
from the age of 16, I have
noticed that most of the
time during the Easter
season, 75 persons of persons
who purchase kites
are mothers. Mothers prepare
the lunch basket for
a family outing, but many
times, fathers are missing
from this pastime.”
“When I was growing
up, my mom took us
out in the morning, and
later in the afternoon my
father did the same, to fly
our kites. It is a familyoriented
day,” said Smith,
who feels that this is a
great way for a parent to
bond with a child.
He described the method
of hoisting a kite, as
“one person holds up the
kite, while another grips
the string attached to
the kite, wait for a strong
breeze, and then say
loose,” demonstrated the
artist who enjoys seeing
a kite soar into the breezy
atmosphere.
The dazzling array
of multi-color masterpieces,
attract kite flyers,
many, who were observed
choosing the intricately
designed toy, that is
made with a light frame
and finished with a tail
to help the kite climb
into air.
Trevor Smith stands against his famous Star-point design kite collection on display at Regent
and Camp Streets in Georgetown, Guyana. Photo by Tangerine Clarke
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