Jakarta - More than 150 kite fliers from nine countries and 15 provinces of Indonesia took part in the Jakarta International Kite Festival at Carnaval beach, Ancol, North Jakarta, on Saturday.
Themed Hijau Jakartaku (My green Jakarta), various kites in the form of animals colored the hazy and windy sky throughout the afternoon.
Gunadi, a kiting enthusiast from Solo, Central Java, said he and his partner, Widodo, created pedicab-shaped, two-dimensional kite and three-dimensional dragon kite for the competition.
“They took two months to make,” he said.
Widodo said they faced stiff competition on the first day.
“Young participants have started showing creativity this [year]. Some have more creative ideas than us,” Widodo said.
Both Widodo and Gunadi, who work as kite designers, said making business deals was not their reason for attending this year’s event.
“We regularly sell kites for Rp 50,000 [US$5.50] but we are not expecting to sell them at this event,” Gunadi said.
Making kites, he said, took time depending on the complexity of the design.
“Two days is the quickest. But it can take up to one year depending on the level of difficulty to patch,” he said.
A Japanese contestant in the festival said that channeling his hobby was his main reason for coming all the way from Tokyo to take part in the competition.
“I have attended 10 international kite festivals in Jakarta,” he said, adding he took part in similar competitions in Singapore, India and Malaysia.
He admitted traditional kite designs were his favorite.
One of the designs that he and his fellow Japanese contestants brought to the event were took the shape of their country’s most distinctive item of clothing, the kimono.
Sari Madjid, head of the competition’s organizing committee, said this year’s event, which ends Sunday, has encouraged more local participants.
“Fifteen provinces sent representatives this year, up from 14 in 2009. But the number of foreign countries has not increased,” Sari said.
She added the judging system would be based on the creativity, quality of the kites design and how well they fly. She added the event aimed at preserving kite flying as a form of local culture.
“Apart from that, we are expecting local kite makers to make deals with their counterparts from other countries,” she said.
She added each province had send two representatives, most of whom were traditional kite makers.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
