Thursday, November 04, 2004
Dispatches from Afghanistan: Kites Meet Helicopters
... One of Afghanistan's most popular pastimes, kite flying was banned under the Taliban but has now come back with a vengeance. Today I saw one red-cheeked and muddy child try to fly the most pitiful-looking kite you've ever seen—it was a composite of a thing: a plastic bag and some used soda straws attached to a length of greasy string. But the boy was happy, as you would be too if you managed, as he did, to get that Frankenstein of a kite off the ground for more than a minute.
Many of the kites bear the red, black and green tri-color of the Afghan flag. Some are adorned with bright pastels, others with tiny mirrors that reflect flashes of light as the kites dangle above. If you look up long enough at the kites of Kabul, you begin to think that this is any other place, that life here is just plain normal. ...
... One of Afghanistan's most popular pastimes, kite flying was banned under the Taliban but has now come back with a vengeance. Today I saw one red-cheeked and muddy child try to fly the most pitiful-looking kite you've ever seen—it was a composite of a thing: a plastic bag and some used soda straws attached to a length of greasy string. But the boy was happy, as you would be too if you managed, as he did, to get that Frankenstein of a kite off the ground for more than a minute.
Many of the kites bear the red, black and green tri-color of the Afghan flag. Some are adorned with bright pastels, others with tiny mirrors that reflect flashes of light as the kites dangle above. If you look up long enough at the kites of Kabul, you begin to think that this is any other place, that life here is just plain normal. ...
Comments:
Post a Comment
| Get a hit counter here. |
