Citizens Theatre And Good Chance Theatre Invite Glaswegians To Join Kite-Flying Festival 

On Saturday 20th August 2022, marking one year on since the fall of Kabul, Good Chance Theatre (creators of The Jungle and The Walk with Amal) in collaboration with partners across UK and Europe, including the Citizens Theatre, will launch Fly With Me, a multi-city one day festival of kite-flying. Fly With Me invites people everywhere to build and fly their own kite in an epic act of solidarity and welcome to the people of Afghanistan - and all those seeking refuge.

Over 20 cities and towns across 6 countries will host Fly With Me events including Manchester, Bradford, Scunthorpe, London, Dover, Folkestone, Pas-de-Calais, Paris, Copenhagen, Berlin and Glasgow,, where the Citizens Theatre will proudly host a kite-flying event on Glasgow Green in collaboration with members of Glasgow's Afghan community, following a programme of community workshops with local groups and individuals. The event will bring people together to celebrate and preserve Afghan culture through the simple joy of kite-flying and call for equal and fair treatment of all people seeking safety, including those from Afghanistan.

Over the coming weeks, local groups including Standing Tall Arts, YCSA (Youth Community Support Agency) and The Barn Youth and Community Centre will work with the Citizens Theatre and the Fly With Me team, Feroz Khan and Elena Mary Harris, to learn about and make kites which will then take to the skies at an event at Glasgow Green on Saturday 20th August.

Catrin Evans, Head of Creative Learning at Citizens Theatre said, "The Citizens Theatre has a rich history in sharing stories of migration and the struggle for refugee justice. Most recently we collaborated with Good Chance Theatre when Little Amal came to Glasgow during COP26 and we are very proud to be working with them again on Fly With Me, which draws our attention to Afghanistan and extends solidarity to refugees from across the world. On the 20th August, our community event will focus on the literal and metaphorical beauty of flying; exploring how kites can rise above so many of the borders that have been created around people on land, reminding us of the freedom sought by so many. In Glasgow, solidarity and welcome are often enacted through community and we hope that our event can be part of that spirit of resistance alongside celebration."

A kite-making workshop, open to everyone, will take place at Glasgow Green from 12pm - 1.30pm in advance of the main kite-flying event. Places for this workshop are limited and must be booked in advance. Spaces are available to book from citz.co.uk.

People of all ages are then invited to come together from 1.30pm as the kites take to the sky shortly before 2pm in a visual display of solidarity with Afghanistan and to celebrate Afghan culture. Live music and information stalls will also feature throughout the afternoon.

Members of the public are welcome to bring their own kites to the event. A free kite-making pack, which has been made available by Good Chance Theatre, can be downloaded here. Each pack comes with instructions and tips and is available in Arabic, Dari, English, French, Pashto, and Ukrainian.

Fly With Me has been developed to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. In the UK over 12,000 Afghan refugees remain housed in unsuitable temporary accommodation, unable to cook for themselves and without the necessary support to find work or more permanent housing. Last time the Taliban were in power, they banned kite-flying along with many other forms of expression. Kites are symbols of freedom.

"During the 20th Century, the Afghan flag was changed 19 times - more than any other nation on earth. My country's colours have been painted, wiped, repainted then wiped again 15 times since I was born. But we have always flown kites. The colours change but our skies are the same. Let's take to the skies and remember that Afghanistan's flag has been wiped once again." Elham Ehsas, actor (Kite Runner, Homeland) & Fly With Me Co-Creator

For more information about Good Chance Theatre and the full Fly With Me project, visit: https://www.goodchance.org.uk/flywithme.

To post a comment, you must register and login.