Kites are probably the last thing that come to mind when people think of serious safety risks, but they may not be thinking of the kind of kites that are commonly sold in Brazil.
The country has a tradition of “kite fighting,” where kite-flyers don’t use string or twine to hold onto their craft, but razor sharp wires called “cerol.” Two or more people will do battle with the goal being to fly your kite so that your sharp wire cuts the line of your opponent’s kite and sends it hurtling to the ground.
The sport can be so dangerous that it has apparently killed some participants and injured many others. That’s why the Brazilian Congress is trying to pass a bill that would ban making or selling the razor lines, and would punish anyone who does with up to three years in prison along with a fine.
Some regions, like Rio De Janeiro, already ban the sharp kit wires, but it does not seem to have worked. Men can be seen in the area flying their kites, sometimes right in front of police officers.
Those who fly the kites are not happy about the proposed ban. Alexander da Silva said that “cutting another person’s line” is the entire object of the competition. He said kite-flyers try to minimize the risk to anyone by practicing their battles in “suitable places.” He made these remarks while pointing out the area in which he was flying his kite, which was covered by trees. “The kite falls into the woods,” he said.
Kite-flying is thought of as a gentle way to pass the time that many remember fondly from childhood. But the Brazilian way can get deadly in a hurry. The sharp wires are particularly dangerous to anyone driving a motorcycle in an area where a competition is taking place. In fact, the company that oversees the main highway in Rio hands out a kind of long, thin switch to motorcyclists. The devices, with razors attached, are put on the front of a motorcycle to cut any razor wire kite lines.
Ana Carolina Silva da Silviera knows the danger first hand. When she was riding on the back of a motorcycle this June her neck was cut by a razor wire and she’s lucky to be alive.
The lower house of Brazil’s congress approved the ban in February, and it is expected to get a vote in the senate soon.
