Postcard From Haiti: April 2024 by Rick Forgham
Windy Sundays in March and April are the perfect time for kite flying in Haiti and in this painting from 1970 by Arijac titled “The Kite Sellers”, the artist has depicted a scene that would take place throughout Port-au-Prince on Sunday mornings when young boys sold their hexagon shaped creations by hanging them on walls and telephone poles in colorful, fluttering displays.
The large and powerful kites known as “Grandou” were framed using wood from a Flamboyant branch which is strong but lightweight and the paper covering was always a durable brown kraft. The smaller and far more colorful kites called “Kap” were assembled using the light but woody center reed from a coconut palm frond and then covered with sections of brightly colored lightweight tissue.
Usually by mid-morning all of the kites would have been sold and the Sunday afternoon sky would be dotted with the high-soaring "Grandou" while the smaller Kaps would dart about above Port-au-Prince like brilliant tissue birds….Simple yet magical.
Rick Forgham April 2024
