Pioneers of kites around the world decorate Tunisia's sky with bright colors

Majdi Al-Saidi-Tunisia

Kites were not a big hobby for Tunisians, but Tunisia's participation in the World Festival in India earlier this year was a major turning point in the development of this game, from mere flying objects in space to shows attracting the attention of many thanks to its mixes The beauty of colors and the splendor of flight.

Tunisia's hosting of the 32nd International Festival of Kites, which took place recently on the shores of the city of Zahra (south of Tunis), marked the real launch of the game and its departure from the local level towards opening to international associations with a leading position in this sport.

Kite enthusiasts flocked for three days to Al-Zahraa city to attend the festival activities, enjoy the artistic performances presented by the participants, and register within the applied workshops for the aircraft industry and how to run it.

Sky of colors
Although it is hosting the International Kite Festival for the first time, Tunisia has succeeded in attracting the world's top players and bringing together 80 creators and trainers from 11 countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Oman, Algeria, Mauritania, Libya, Yemen, Syria, India and Turkey.

The 2019 edition is a gateway to Tunisia's global entry into the world and kite tradition for children and young people, giving them a chance to showcase their talents in new creative areas, according to Mohamed Ghaleb al-Sabri, head of the Organization for Summer Resorts and Tours in Megrine (south of Algiers).

`` Hosting this session coincided with the announcement of Tunisia as the capital of Arab youth for 2019, which gave the event an Arab dimension and an opportunity to meet with young people and innovators from different Arab countries, regardless of competition, '' said Al-Sabri, president of the organization that was one of the organizers of the festival. Festival Awards.

He told Al Jazeera Net, `` Tunisia participated in the 31st edition of the International Festival in India last January, through five players belonging to the Dar Al Shabab team in the new city, before applying for the organization of the thirty-second edition, which began preparation since 2018 by organizing Training courses in the manufacture of kites and workshops, under the supervision of the resorts and tours organization and the House of Youth Association Almorog.

Training workshops and performances continued to make the sky of the city of Zahra a space where the beautiful colors and distinctive forms of kites blended, while some professional trainers from Turkey and India supervised the training of game enthusiasts on how to make a kite and secure flying in space in an impressive manner.

According to Mohamed Okuz, who participated in the Turkish team and supervised the application workshops in the game, the Tunis tournament went beyond being a demonstration to compete for the most beautiful kite shows to be an occasion to further spread the popularity of this sport and raise it to the world.

The Turkish team succeeded in securing the flying flag of his country in the sky of the festival, which reached an area of ​​60 square meters.

Symbol of beauty and strength
Festival coordinator Amal Amira believes that the Tunis session has achieved its goals by spreading kite sport and exchanging experiences among enthusiasts from around the world.

"We did not expect this great success and public follow-up to other performances," she said. "We are hosting the international festival for the first time and there are promising signs on the development of kite-making techniques and the creation of creative young people in this field."

Following the festival, the Tunisian Association of Kites signed a cooperation agreement with the Turkish team of kites, a second agreement with the Indian team, as well as the establishment of a special wing for Tunisia in the Istanbul Kite Museum.

Since ancient times, the kite has been one of the most enjoyable games for children and adults. It is made of wood and strings and relies on a lightweight, streamlined body attached to a thread or several threads to fly against the wind.

Kites first appeared in China about 2,000 years ago, and historians argue that a group of sailors and sailors were behind the invention of the kite in some Southeast Asian islands, and used it to determine the destination of ships and wind directions.

Their use developed further in the Japanese, who were writing their newborn names on a kite adorned with a legendary warrior as a symbol of strength, beauty and health, and they made the kite in the form of giant turtles as a symbol of long life.

Many of the world-famous festivals and parades of the game are held: the Ahmedabad Festival in India, which sees the launch of millions of aircraft, the Festival of France, the Aspire Festival in Qatar, the Hamamatsu Show in Japan, and others.