Thursday, 03 November 2011 14:35
Children flying kites in Havana. Photo courtesy of cubadebate.
Just like in any other place of the world, we sometimes face problems with the electrical installation in our city. What makes our case special is the fact that you can see "Papalotes" (kites) wired up in the electric cables which can turn into unexpected visitors when sitting in front of the TV screen watching a good movie, the news or the latest episode of our soap opera.
However, the indulgent Cuban smiles when "the light" comes back to his home or work place, adding that the children may be spoilt and go on with the tradition of flying kites.
It's a characteristic of the urban conviviality to witness once in a while a nice show of colorful kites that are decorating the aerial landscape. From roof tops, balconies or simply from the middle of the street, the young (and not so young anymore) participate in something that has been part of our cultural inheritance, catching the attention of everybody passing by and leaving them impressed by what they see in the far.
The singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguéz, an important figure of Cuban music, gave expression to this topic in a song called "El papalote se fue a bolina", referring to this very old tradition. We can state that this habit is atemporal and despite of that the main topic of a recent movie - nominated for the Academy Awards and directed by the young director Ian Padrón, "Habanastation", where a group of children experiences adventures around a kite.
Most likely future generations will also slacken the reins and will be proud of these precious friends that will maintain their presence in Havana, forming a rainbow with their joyful designs.
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