By Yunus S Saliu
The 5th edition of the Janjangbureh Kankurang Festival has been given a nod to take a new dimesion as more works have been done for the successful hosting of the event slated for 28th to 30th January 2022 in McCarthy Island (Janjangbureh).
Hasssoum Ceesay, Director General of National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) disclosed this to The Voice newspaper in a pre-interview to the festival in his office at The Gambia National Museum on Monday.
DG Ceesay revealed that this year festival is taking new dimension because both the LOC, partners and authorities have learnt and garnered lots of experience from the past editions “so we have worked to enriched the content of the 2022 edition.”
More so, part of the new dimesion to the festival in this 5th edition due soon, he disclosed “Ministers from across Africa and beyond will attend this year celebration among the Ministers are invited from Senegal; Guinea Bissau; Kenya and so on. All these Ministers are coming with their delegations.”
“Also, we are expecting lots of international visitors, more tourists, Gambians at home and in Diaspora and beside that indigenes of McCarthy Island are all waiting for the days to come because it is like homecoming (to their community) for them thus Janjangbureh is one of the oldest communities in The Gambia, ” DG Hassoum Ceesay explained.
In this coming 5th edition, he noted that there will be an increment in numbers of the cultural groups, as 10 different Kankurangs which hasn’t happen before will be showcased so “we are having McCarthy (Janjangbureh) Kankurang; Niamina Kankurang; Wuli Kangkurang; Niumi Kankurang among others coming to perform. Aside Kankurangs which is the main pillah of the festival, other masquaerades in The Gambia such as Zimba, Hunting groups; fairy among others will perform this is with ideas of putting some of the masquerades in The Gambia culture in proper contest.”
In addition, he revealed that NCAC is planning with their partners YEP; GTBoard; GTHI and local organising committee to have tourism forum “because the festival is meant to rejuvenate Kankurang as a cultural identity and to also promote tourism, and McCarthy Island as a tourism destination.”
As part of the good news before the event, he indicated that most of the accommodations available are fully booked but “we are encouraging homestay and boatstay, too, this time while very good and comfortable accommodations in Basang, Kudang and Kuntaur which are nearby have been identified for visitors.”
From the government part, there will be inauguration of new infrastructure which is the Youth Centre in McCarthy, this is refurbished by the ITC-YEP and The Gambia government and it is meant to be the information centre for any visitor to the Island and it is an additional feature to make the Island a tourism destination.
About Kankurang
In brief, Kankurang is a masquerade tradition associated with the rites of passage or initiation into manhood in Mandinka communities in The Gambia, Senegal and Guinea Bissau. In The Gambia the tradition is closely associated with the Island of Janjangbureh where a special sacred space, Tinyangsita, is dedicated to the practice of the traiditon. In 1993 the Kankurang Festival was started in Janjangbureh to safeguard and honour the tradition.
The National Centre for Arts and Culture after a hiatus of several years, in 2018 with support of the Youth Empowerment Project funded by the EU, and in collaboration with community and other tourism stakeholders indicated the revival of the festival.
