Cape Town International Kite Festival

For media queries or images please contact event publicists Cathy Williams and Noelene Botha of On Course Communications on 021 782 2847 / 084 682 2847 or email oncourse@telkomsa.net

‘Uplifting Mind and Body’ is the theme for the sixteenth Cape Town International Kite Festival, which is happening on 23 and 24 October 2010 in Muizenberg and is proudly hosted by Cape Mental Health in association with Heart 104.9FM.

This is Africa’s biggest kite festival and attracts over 20,000 visitors, including some of the biggest names in kiting in the world who fly in to show off their magnificent kite creations. With kite-making, kite-flying, food stalls, kiddies’ rides, a full programme of entertainment (including 2007 Idols winner Jody Williams) and an eclectic craft market, this is family entertainment at its best.

The Boomerang Edu-Kite Schools’ Competition brings together children from 40 primary schools and schools for learners with special educational needs to decorate kites and take part in a mass fly. For the first time this year organisers will be looking for the best example of a Swaeltjie or Swallow Kite for the Heritage Kite Award.

The Cape Town International Kite Festival will be open from 10:00 to 18:00 each day and takes place on the lawns surrounding Zandvlei, Muizenberg. There is lots of parking and easy access by train (False Bay or Muizenberg stations). Entry is just R15 for adults and R5 for children.

“More and more people are suffering from stress and mental ill-health,” said Ingrid Daniels, Director of
Cape Mental Health. “By inviting people to fly their kites, and highlighting the connection between mental and physical well-being, we hope to uplift minds and bodies.”

All profits go directly to Cape Mental Health to support its mental health services for people in disadvantaged communities. For more information on the Cape Town International Kite Festival and Cape Mental Health contact them on (021) 447 9040 / info@cmhs.co.za.

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MEDIA RELEASE
2 August 2010

The Boomerang Edu-Kite Schools’ Competition – entries now open

Schools have until 21 September to secure a place in the Boomerang Edu-Kite Schools’ Competition, part of the sixteenth Cape Town International Kite Festival, proudly hosted by Cape Mental Health in association with Heart 104.9FM.

The Boomerang Edu-Kite Schools’ Competition, made possible thanks to the support of Boomerang (as seen on DSTv 303), is open to Western Cape primary schools and schools for learners with special educational needs. The first 40 schools to enter will be supplied with a free set of blank kite skins to illustrate with their interpretation of the Festival’s theme ‘Uplifting Mind and Body’. On Saturday 23 October the schools then bring their decorated skins to the Cape Town International Kite Festival to assemble a kite arch, show it to the judges and participate in the spectacular mass fly. The three winning schools in each of the two categories will receive cash prizes, with a total prize pool of R12, 000. There is no cost to participate.

“This is an opportunity for young learners with different abilities to shine in front of thousands of people by showing off their kites and conveying their mental health message to the world. We hope that Boomerang inspires the children to be as creative and imaginative as possible and that they let their artistic flair flow freely whilst creating their kites. This is also an ideal project for the Life Orientation/Arts & Culture educators to adopt,” said Alan Musa, VP and GM, Pan Middle East and Africa for Turner Broadcasting Systems.

“Our mental and our physical health go hand in hand,” said Ingrid Daniels, Director of Cape Mental Health and also one of the judges. “By thinking about and exploring the theme, we hope children will identify ways they can care for their minds and bodies.”

To enter the Boomerang Edu-Kite Schools’ Competition contact Cape Mental Health before 21 September 2010 on (021) 447 9040 or info@cmhs.co.za.

2009 Edu-Kite winners:

Mainstream schools: 1st (R3,000): Christel House, Ottery; 2nd (R2,000): Pauw Gedenk Primary, Paarl; 3rd (R1,000): Belhar Primary.

Schools for learners with special educational needs: 1st (R3,000): Ottery Youth Care and Education Centre; 2nd (R2,000): Blouvlei School, Retreat; 3rd (R1,000): Mary Harding School, Athlone.

ENDS