The second edition of the Sutukoba Kangkiling Festival is set to take place in Sutukoba Village, Wuli East District, Upper River Region on the 15th and 16th February, 2019.
Endorsed by the National Center for Arts and Culture, Sutukoba Kangkiling (One Voice) Festival is an annual community driven cultural exhibition that is aimed at developing the village through the preservation and promotion of its arts and culture.
Saikou Suwareh Jabai, Founder and Coordinator of the festival, said the ancestors of Sutukoba have always come together to live and express themselves through arts and culture. He said these shared rituals are at the heart of what Sutukoba village is well known for.
He said the cultural festival will therefore preserve and celebrate these valuable artifacts of the village and use them as references in the village’s development agenda.
Saikou Suwareh Jabai said the two-day long cultural program will bring together more than five thousand (5,000) people from the Upper River Region and beyond and therefore called on all the natives of Sutukoba and friends of the village to attend and show solidarity to the village’s rich cultural heritage.
Jabai said this year’s edition will feature numerous activities including the exhibition of traditional ceremonies, masquerades display, traditional sports, a workshop on the preservation of culture and tradition, and many others.
He added that the festival will host some international guests from Europe and natives of Wuli who are based abroad.
Kumuntung Jabai, Alkalo of Sutukoba Village, expressed delight with the initiative, saying it will go a long way in preserving the village’s rich cultural background. While calling on all natives of the village to attend, the alkalo assured of his support and that of the village development committee (VDC).
Hon. Suwaibou Touray, National Assembly Member for Wuli, who is also a native of Sutukoba, said the festival will promote cultural identities and strengthen unity among natives of village.
Hon. Touray said the festival will enhance unity and a sense of belonging for village’s arts, culture and rich history.
Sheikh Omar Jallow, Director of Fine and Performing Arts at the National Center of Arts and Culture, welcomed the Sutukoba Kangkiling Festival and said the village has a very rich culture that needs such cultural festivals to promote and preserve it from extinction.
Author: Bakary Ceesay