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The Minister of Tourism and Culture, Hamat NK Bah has revealed that the government desires to make Janjanbureh a heritage trail that will be the hub of Tourism in rural Gambia.
He disclosed this at the official opening ceremony of the second edition of the Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival held in the historic island on Friday 18th of January, 2019.
Being an island with each and every inch is rich in history and culture, Hamat MK Bah, Minister of Tourism and Culture (MoTC) pointed out its historic sites ranging from the oldest Methodist Church in Africa, South of the Sahara, Armitage school which dates to 1927, the relics of the booming groundnuts trading firms of the 1920s and 1930s, the freedom tree where the first batch of liberated Africans, now called Aku were disembarked from Sierra Leone in 1830s.
On the side of the culture, he reminded everyone about the Tiyansita, the Ngansimba, the rich Mandinka, Fula, Mansuanka, and Wollof cultures. Also on the island, there is a mixture of rich history and heritage to make the island a major destination for tourists.
To make this dream come true, the Minister said there is a need to formalize and legalise issues like the ownership of certain heritage sites on the island – like who owns where, how, when and why “these questions must be answered because some certain heritage sites on the island are being lost completely because of the ownership is either not clear or cannot afford to conserve them as they should.”
Minister Bah assured of tackling the legal loopholes regarding the ownership and management of all sites on the island to enable the government to put money or any other resources to repair these sites.
With intention of revival and conservation of the heritage on Janjanbureh Island, he requires the support of the governor, Chief, VDC, Councillor, the Area Council and the youth, and of course the current claimants to these sites “as nobody will be denied what is rightfully theirs, but will make sure that no one clings to a heritage site which you cannot conserve or interpret and deny government, through the NCAC, to do so.”
Appreciating all the stakeholders, the Minister thanked the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) team and the NCAC and GTBoard, the youth, the Chief and Elders of the Community for their support in making the second edition of the festival a reality.
YEP, he stated, has invested on this; NCAC has provided the technical support and the youth have done the groundwork for this to happen.
The three days festival was fully witnessed by different high dignitaries including Representatives from EU, National Assembly Members, Councillors, Chiefs, Governors, and Tourists among others.
