by Hudson George
As society constantly keeps on changing, some people change too because human beings create behavioural patterns that affect society.
Now we are hearing some people in Grenada complaining against kite flying in their neighbourhood community. They are saying that kite flying noise pollution is affecting their health pattern of sleeping.
Well if what these anti-kite flying noise pollution activists are saying is true, a lot of us who are grown up men today, who had once enjoyed our boyhood days flying kite in the dry season during the Lent period, must have caused many injuries and deaths among older folks within our villages and we were not aware of it.
So, maybe we must have innocently killed our grandparents, grandaunts, grand uncles, elderly cousins and other old men and women in the villages whom we had loved, and they had loved us too, due to our ignorance about kite flying noise pollution that affects vulnerable people’s health.
On the other hand, if kite flying is creating noise pollution that is affecting some people’s health, I am now wondering why so many rich people chose to spend their monies buying land property and building large luxurious homes and guest houses close to Maurice Bishop International Airport, where the modern sophisticated hi-tech noisy jumbo jets make arrivals and departures flights every day of the week throughout the year.
Furthermore, the issue of noise pollution could trigger other subgroups within society to raise more complaints. For example, if some villagers start complaining about jumbo jets noise pollution disturbing them, will the government close down the international airport and stop large aircraft from coming to Grenada?
The noise coming from the jumbo jets is so much louder than the kite’s “marvel” voice that creates excitement for kite flyers and kite lovers, who enjoy hearing kite singing as the wind blows.
I am sure that these anti-kite noise pollution activists are very much aware, about the big jumbo jets that keep on flying very low over the residential areas in the southern parts of the country with the sound of noise coming from the engines vibrating through the rooftop ceiling of houses as the pilots approach the landing strip at the international airport.
In addition, I am not living in Grenada presently, so I am wondering if the complaints about kite flying as a nuisance to citizens’ health is not an imported cultural moral value imposed on the Grenadian local population, because there some Grenadian returnees who lived most of their productive working for many years abroad who have different cultural values from the majority of local citizens.
The vast majority of these returnees by choice are sort of wealthy or upper class by social status and most likely there is a possibility that they want to enforce North American and European cultural values on the majority of citizens who never travel beyond the shore of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Some of these returnees believe that the traditional ways of living in Grenada are outdated and primitive.
Now, this is just my opinion on the issue because I was born and raised in Grenada, where kite flying was a seasonal activity during the dry season that coexists with Christian values for the preparation to celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday as holidays for Christian worshippers, based on the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
I can remember parents telling their boy children, that they are allowed to fly kite, but if the kite falls on a tall tree, do not climb the tree to retrieve the kite because Good Friday is not a good day for climbing tall object structures and swimming in the river and the sea. We were warned that if we disobey these rules something bad will happen to us. So, I am wondering if this new complaint about kite flying noise pollution is not a copycat imported culture brought to Grenada by returnees and other wealthy new citizens who want to set their own rules and moral values with an excuse.
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I enjoy kite season and I’m pleased that the tradition is being kept alive. There is, however, a problem with the noise of a kite that is in the air for days/weeks on end. Back in the day the tissue paper and twine kites didn’t last as long. The durability of the plastic and nylon string versions of today are a significant issue for noise and pollution. And on the subject of noise – levels, location, time of day, frequency – noise in general is a serious health issue that goes largely unrecognized here.
Come on people stop complaining about kite flying. Try to do something for the children and young people of our nation., open a kids park or something. Stop the selfishness, life does not revolve around you for goodness sake. We all have to share this unspoilt paradise. Just like you enjoy this place, please let the young ones enjoy it too. Selfishness will get you no where. You can lose everything in a minute and then what then, what will you complain about then. We are just pilgrims on a journey, let’s all enjoy this journey while we are here. Just in case y’all don’t know, everything on this earth will be burnt up eventually and God will make a whole new earth. Read it in the WORD in St John chapter 14 verses 1-3. if you don’t believe me.
We all have to give account to God for the life that we lived and all the money we had and didn’t share with others. Remember, we are blessed to be a blessing.
God bless this tri-island nation.
Please let us love our people, Grenadian god bless you.
I am so saddened to hear Grenadian complaining about the noise from kite flying. As a child growing up i can remember how excited i was when Easter was coming to fly my kite for me it was bigger than Christmas.
I can only assume the main body of complaint is coming form returnees or the old who have long forgotten what it is to be young growing up on a small Caribbean island. So please allow the kid’s to fly their kites for the few weeks. I
Unrelated to the above article! “Now Grenada”?….Major News,man lost his life due to house fire in true blue 9/4/19…..cant be found on NOW GRENADA Website…..Maybe i have to check back sometime in the future!
Let’s listen to each other. I hear that the problem is noise at night, not kite flying. Can’t we agree to reasonable hours for kite flying; to pull down our kites at night…. who mind or put up their kites at night?….
I don’t believe that kite flying is so noisy that it has become a nuisance. If that’s the case what about the tooting of the buses horns and the loud music that being played on buses ,cars, in private homes and everywhere else. In Grenada we don’t have Disney, no parks in the villages, activities are already limited for our kids. We don’t want them to consume alcohol or tobacco let them fly their kites. For the returnees, keep your doors and windows closed as you previously did in the big world.
The writer of this article misses the point entirely. I all about aggravation. Flying kites at night with noisemakers on them has nothing to do with tradition or culture. It is a provocative act to disturb the peace. I too flew kites as a boy. But we took them down at 6 pm. Someone launched a kite in my area recently at 5.45 pm. They could not see it or play with it. I suppose they went home to sleep peacefully. The kite with the singing compass was not staked over their house. The RGPF has also announced that flying kites at night is against the law. I hope they can do something about this vexing problem
Get real.
People have to sleep. Why fly those kites all through the night?
People are sick, but the whole livelong day and night they’re forced to endure that high-pitched noise.
Let them fly their kites, but without noise pollution.
Ear plugs exist if the kite noise is so disturbing. We have little recreational activities for children in Grenada so why take the kite flying away. If this coming from people who traveled abroad and is trying to impose this in Grenada, I would think it is just a bit hypocritical. Most expats lived in very noise polluted and air polluted areas in the developed countries. They know what they left behind in terms of culture and what to expect when they returned. They should rather see the bright side of this exciting activity and contribute to it’s development. This is not a year round activity but a short lived one. Try living next to the main road where the vehicles honk their horns for no reasons. Why not tackle that type of noise pollution first. People should stop chipping away at our culture. We are who we are.
great article and i agree with you but planes in grenada dont fly at nigth when people sleep then dont affect sleeping patterns
Your kite flying noise is above 10 decibels which causes hearing loss, this noise which is more ultrasonic also causes the heart rate to increase mine went to 160.This is what is causing your elderly and infirm to DIE. I am sure the reason for this noise is not kites especially at 3 am. This is probably ultrasonic testing,you are killing of your own population as well as your elderly tourists.Should this continue it is only a matter of time before this is world news.