ShareWhales, sharks, stingrays, octopi, crabs and an assortment of fish sway in the wide blue expanse...but wait a minute — they are joined by dragons, horses, falcons and even Tweety! This is not a scene from the deep oceans, but giant kites bobbing in the skies of Kuwait above Bneidar, where the Al-Farsi Kite Team has been holding a weekly display for years during the cooler months.
On a recent crisp winter afternoon, Kuwait Times caught up with Abdulrahman Al-Farsi, the doyen of the Al-Farsi Kite Team. Farsi was fascinated by kites when he was a child, but as he grew older, he got busy with the responsibilities of the family business. He rekindled his hobby when he had children of his own, introducing them to kiting. As the years went by, they grew up too and had children of their own.
Farsi however was hooked, and formed the Al-Farsi Kite Team, comprised entirely of volunteers united by a passion for kiting. The team — whose numbers can reach up to 70 — has participated in kite festivals around the world. A meeting with kite specialist Peter Lynn of New Zealand led Farsi to invest in larger and more varied kites, culminating in setting a world record for the largest kite flown (in the shape of the Kuwaiti flag), an accolade Al-Farsi Kite Team holds to this day.
The kite display is held every Friday from 11 am to 5 pm. The Al-Farsi Kite Team usually organizes a festival during the national holidays in February in a carnival-like atmosphere with activities for children and food trucks galore. This year, the festivities began late and were toned down due to the demise of the late Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the continuing war in Gaza.
On the day Kuwait Times visited, the open area was surrounded by cars and picnicking families. Dozens of gigantic kites were aloft, while children played in a train kite tethered (thankfully) to the ground. Most of the kites are custom-made and painted by Peter Lynn Kites. They are only powered by wind, expertly lifted and taken down by the team members.
Despite his children taking over the running of the family business, Farsi, a spry 69, is still actively involved, with weekends and travels devoted to his childhood hobby. “Not anytime soon,” he said when asked if he has plans to retire. Nearby, as the team prepared to fly a comparatively smaller replica of the world-record Kuwait flag kite, but the largest kite that day in the sky nevertheless, Farsi was at hand, his excitement palpable as he relived his boyhood dream.
