0 of 6
Last Sunday was a spectacular day of kites galore, an annual highlight in the small town of Sedgefield which attracts hundreds of locals, but also people from afar — and even abroad.
The day started as a damp squib, with rain in George and Knysna, but Sedgefield stayed dry.
Then the wind picked up nicely in the afternoon so that all sorts of kites, even the big inflatable ones, could take to the skies.
Masithandane is the organiser of the Re/Max Garden Route Kite Festival, now in its ninth edition, which took place on October 12, and it’s also the beneficiary of funds raised from this event.
From a small just-for-fun occasion, this kite festival has grown into something amazing, a leading kite event in Africa, attracting thousands of people over the years, as well as serial kite enthusiasts who drift around the world with their kites.
Keith Mould has been part of the organising team of the Cape Town Kite Festival for 12 years.
When he and his wife moved to Sedgefield, Mould wanted to establish a local festival and charity, so they sought out Masithandane and Mould has been organising the Garden Route Kite Festival since it started.
He has moved to the UK and wasn’t able to attend this year’s event, but helped organise it remotely. He hopes to be at next year’s fest.
Mould has been to more than 50 kite festivals in China, Korea, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, France and England, as well as Cape Town, Margate, Jeffreys Bay and East London.
Needless to say, he has something of an obsession with kites, with an impressive collection of stick-kites based on Roy Lichenstein’s pop art to Ndebele-inspired versions and many more varieties.
Gill and Jon Bloom are veteran kiters from Colchester in the UK, who have been coming to the Garden Route Kite Festival since it started.
They have been to festivals in France, Italy, the UK, China, Korea, Qatar and Kuwait, among others.
From Sedgefield, they head for the Cape Town International Kite Festival on October 25 and 26.
Catching up with them in Sedgefield, they talk to me while they are flying their kites.
They have had the kite bug since 1975. They pretty much have the whole kite collection, from soft or inflatable kites referred to as puddings, to 3-D box kites and stick versions — about 25 kites that travel with them at any given time.
Of course, the Blooms have Della Porta kites which is a simple, rectangular-shaped kite, named after its Italian designer.
This kite is stable, easy to assemble from basic materials such as plastic or fabric, and can be flown with or without a tail.
It is also suitable for flying in a train (multiple kites on one line) and is a popular model for decoration.
“People sometimes think it’s childish, adults flying kites, but we don’t mind,” Gill says.
“The Chinese believe that flying a kite is particularly good for a person because you have to lift your neck, look up and breathe while you are doing it.”
For this couple it’s a way of travelling to unusual places and meeting locals in the respective countries who share a common interest and passion.
Pieter, Leonie and son Xavier Binsbergen, from Gqeberha, were at this Sedgefield kite fest for the ninth time.
They fly big 3D inflatable, as well as artistic stick-kites made by Pieter, and collectable specimens from kite-makers around the world.
Xavier tells me the whole family is crazy about kites and this festival is their annual highlight.
Mari Ware-Lane, an organiser of the Cape Town Kite Festival, has been to four of these Sedgefield fests and she globe trots with her kites all over the world to far-flung places such as Bulgaria and areas in India.
Her speciality is large 3D inflatable kites, notably a 10m pink panther, a 20m teddy bear and a striking Panda, among others.
Jacques Fourie comes from Pretoria with his family.
He has a huge collection of kites, both 3D inflatables and stick-kites, among them a manta ray, Toothless the Dragon, a cuttlefish and two large ocean fish — and he also trawls festivals around the world.
One Sky One World is an annual international kite-flying event in October and the idea is to bring people together in as many places worldwide to fly kites on the same day as a symbol of unity, peace and shared space (the sky) above all borders.
This year organisers launched a competition which was open to primary school pupils and the theme was One Sky One World is Your Canvas.
Pupils were given a pre-made fabric banner to decorate around the festival theme. There were entries from eight schools, with much enthusiasm and generous prizes for the winning schools.
It was a tremendous day, Masithandane chair Jacky Weaver says, with live music, food and craft stalls, competitions for children, a tea garden and raffles, as well as super prizes.
Re/Max Coastal, Knysna Rotary, Sedgefield Lions and Sedgefield Scouts, other NGOs, local businesses, Wesgro and the Garden Route district municipality, among others, all contributed to the success of the day, said Weaver.
Masithandane has been in existence since 2006, is headed by Weaver, and provides vital holistic and integrated help in Sedgefield for the whole family, from the young to the elderly.
It provides services of early education, pupil support and vocational training, food parcels and meals for the poor and help for those living in the less advantaged communities, runs a service centre for the elderly and provides home and community healthcare services.
Masithandane also provides the Wellness Centre for the sick and the terminally ill in HUG (House Under Grace) Care and Respite Centre.
The organisation provides job creation and income generation opportunities for members of the community. One such project is the Sedgefield Community Mosaic Project, which has transformed the town into being the mosaic town of Africa.
Hundreds of households in the greater Sedgefield area, including the rural areas of Karatara, Elandskraal and Fairview, are helped by Masithandane.
Proceeds from fundraising events such as this kite festival go towards the Children’s Bursary Fund, which assists children and families in need with transport costs to school, school fees, uniforms and toiletries.
There are no affordable high schools in Sedgefield for most of the families living in the town and no public transport for children to the nearest high school.
The Learner Support Programme, for grades 8 and 9 in Sedgefield, also benefits from the volunteer teachers who provide academic help on Saturday mornings.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.