To prove the point that kiting is not just for kids and men, women kiters will be showing off their kite-making and kite-flying skills at Africa’s biggest kite festival – the Cape Town International Kite Festival (23 & 24 October this year), in ongoing acknowledgement of a pursuit that has lasted for thousands of years in art, sport, war, science as well as just good-ol’ fashion fun.
Special guest kiters at the 2010 Cape Town International Kite Festival will include American kiters Susan Gomberg and her husband David, two of the most widely-travelled kite fliers in the world.
Together they own Gomberg Kite Productions International, and performing at 20 to 30 international events each year, they have between themselves more than 100 international kite festivals under their belts across Japan, China, Germany, England, France, India, Thailand, Dubai and Kuwait being just some of the exotic places the Gombergs have flown their creations.
Susie and David first became friends of Cape Mental Health – organisers of the Cape Town International Kite Festival – when they came to South Africa as invited guest kiters for the 2002 Festival. Since then they have visited South Africa six times, and are the patrons of the Cape Town International Kite Festival.
From the shores of KwaZulu-Natal, Nadia Sampson was first introduced to kiting when she met her future husband David. “David’s enthusiasm soon rubbed off and when we married I became a part of Hi-Fly Kites.
“I started off right at the bottom learning all the intricacies of kite-making, from design, cutting, sewing, assembling the finished product, and learning how to fly all the different models. My favorite part is the graphic design – taking an idea, and turning it into a work of art,” says Nadia.
“I think that’s why I enjoy the big display kites so much, they really are fun to make and fly; they have such a wow factor to them. I always get a kick out of the reactions kids have to these really big kites.”
A real highlight for Nadia at the Cape Town International Kite Festival is the pre-Festival community fly in Khayelitsha township for children from Cape Mental Health’s Imizamo Yetho Special Care and Education Centre.
From faraway lands is newcomer to the Cape Town International Kite Festival is Eva Panjaitan, a woman kiter from Jakarta, Indonesia. As a young girl of five, Eva started her life-long love affair with kites by flying fighter kites. She makes all her own kites, and mainly flies large inflatable kites but is also an accomplished ‘trick’ kiter. Eva is passionate about children and recently hosted a workshop in flood stricken Jakarta to teach children the beauty of making and flying their own kites.
Another loyal friend to the Cape Town International Kite Festival is Petra de Back from Switzerland, who first attended in 2008. De Back was originally involved in power kiting. She started with snow kiting about ten years ago and competed in a lot of races, including the Swiss, European and World Championships.
After a knee injury she had to stop and switched to buggy races (Land Yachting), but during the World Championships in 2004, she was injured again and was forced to abandon power kiting completely.
Its then that she started sewing her own kites and attending different kite festivals around Europe. Inspired by a friend whose two children have a mental disability she organised a kite festival at a school for children with special needs. When she asked other kite flyers for help she met Bernhard Dingwerth, and since then the two of them have attended several international kite festivals together.
At the “Kites for Wishes” Festival on Guam, Petra and Bernhard met David Gomberg, who invited them to South Africa. “I’m an autistic person; I have been diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome. Flying together with special need kids has a very special meaning to me – I’ve been a special needs kid myself.”
‘Uplifting Mind and Body’ is the theme for the sixteenth Cape Town International Kite Festival which is proudly hosted by Cape Mental Health. Over 20,000 visitors are expected, including some of the biggest names in kiting in South Africa and the world who fly in from across the globe to show off their magnificent kite creations. With kite-making, kite-flying, food stalls, kiddies’ rides, a full programme of entertainment and an eclectic craft market, this is family entertainment at its best.
The Cape Town International Kite Festival will be open from 10:00 to 18:00 each day and takes place on the lawns surrounding Zandvlei, Muizenberg. There is lots of parking and easy access by train (False Bay or Muizenberg stations). Entry is just R15 for adults and R5 for children.
All profits go directly to Cape Mental Health to support their mental health services for people in disadvantaged communities. For more information on the Cape Town International Kite Festival and Cape Mental Health visit the Cape Mental Health website, or contact them on (021) 447 9040 / info@cmhs.co.za.