How Kite Fighting And How Has It Affected The Afghanistan Culture

Taylor Atkinson

Mrs. Manuel

World Literature & Composition

13 May, 2016

Kite Fighting

What is kite fighting and how has it impacted the Afghanistan culture?

What do you think of when you think of flying a kite? You probably think about a nice windy day in the park, but that not the case in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan kite flying a battle between many kites; different shapes, sizes, and making of the fighter kites. Kite fighting was banned by the Taliban in 1996, due to it being un- Islamic as said by the government. Kite fighting has been re-introduced to the Afghan culture after the fall out of the Taliban government. Flying a kite (or pipa) is more than a leisurely escape from harsh living conditions; it's also a form of battle with the sky as an arena. Pipa designs and airborne strategies for cutting an

In order to defeat someone you must cut the string of the opponents kite. Therefore there are ways to make the string of kites stronger, stronger by covering them with powdered glass and powdered glue, shisha (a mold to coat the wire). To apply this mixture they usually hang the string between two trees or posts and rub the mixture back and forth on the string to coat it on there. The paste has to dry on the cotton string to add strength. Sometimes the people making the string add color just for fun: purple, yellow, pink, orange, or green. Most lines are about 9lbs per spool/kite and have 1000 ft of string on the spool, sometimes people flying the fighter kites have to buy more string so they can tie it on to the end of the 1000 ft of “cutting” line they already have. On a average it can take someone seven hours to make 1000 ft of “cutting” line. In other country they mold they make is called different names. Everyone has their own secret ingredients that they put in because they think that it will make their string the strongest out of everyone out there; they will win