Wings of Resistance: The Giant Kites of Guatemala

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Description

Once a year within the highlands of Guatemala, town of Sumpango celebrates Day of the Dead by flying kites. The kites are massive, the biggest measuring 45 feet in diameter. Smaller kites, close 20 feet in height, are flown in a death-defying race down the side of a mountain. From a distance, the kites appear luminous and blissful, however the radiant colors of the kites mask an ominous subtext. On closer inspection, the pictures at the sails depict people in agony and torment: mutilated bodies, mass burials, kidnappings, and rivers of blood. In graphic illustration, the kites allude to the dark and painful history of Guatemala’s 30-year civil war. At the beginning centered on remembering the dead, the kite festival has turn into a way for the indigenous community to heal itself from the trauma of the war.

Wings of Resistance examines the politics and art of the enormous kites, placing this Guatemalan tradition within the context of international kite cultures. The contributors include Alison Fujino, Christopher Ornelas, Jose Sainz, Scott Skinner, and Victorino Tejaxun.

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