Kites, mostly of the traditional kind, are catching the eye of passers-by at Peterson’s One-Stop Kite Shop in Martindale’s Road, St Michael.
Owner of the business, 58-year-old Peter Wiltshire, who has been making kites since 1985, is now joined by his son 17-year-old Malique Wiltshire.
“I am just trying to keep the art form alive because I raise up as a young boy seeing other people doing it and I loved it so I continued to do it,” Peter said.
The process of making the kites involves a strategy of mass production where the father and son make at least 50 different kite patterns, ready for customers to buy.
Malique said he became involved in the business because he was inspired by his father. Recognising the importance of the orange economy in the Caribbean, he said art forms such as kite-making should be preserved.
“I think more young people should be involved in kite-making and learn how to do it instead of going to the plastic character kites. They can learn to paste them and help maintain our culture because it’s an art form that we need to preserve,” he said.
The teenager also suggested that programmes and initiatives for the youth should include kite-making, allowing them to hone skills and contribute to tourism.
“It’s lucrative because everybody wants kites for Easter and it ties back in with tradition and culture, which is very important because as the Caribbean that’s one of the major strengths that we export to tourism. We’ve got Crop Over, J’ouvert and all of these things that we sell to tourists so I think that we can sell kites as well. I think it’s something that we should look into,” Malique said. ( AJ)
