By Yunus S Saliu
The National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) in conjunction with the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) with the Janjangbureh Local Organising Committee (LOC) have announced the date for the celebration of the 5th Edition of the Janjangbureh Kankurang Festival 2022, slated for the 28th to 30th January.
The 3-day festival which will take place at the McCarthy Island (Janjangbureh), Central River Region (CRR) is meant to promote cultural tourism, creativity, promote sustainable development and it will be witnessed by different dignitaries including invited Ministers of Culture from different countries which include Senegal, Qatar, Kenya, and Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone which they will all attend with their delegations.
The Janjangbureh Kankurang Festival, as mentioned by Sheikh Omar Jallow, director for Performing, Fine Arts and Literature at the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) said the annual and one of the biggest festivals in the country activities include parade of different Kankurangs of the Gambia; masquerades; fund raising with musicians Jali Musa and Nyancho (on different days); inter cultural and tourism dialogue conference; Janjangbureh marathon.
Mr Jallow noted that the Janjangbureh Kankurang Festival is part of the national festival of The Gambia which was integrated into the national calendar of event for the past four years as national product.
However, he added that it is going to be a homecoming for everyone especially the descendants of the island and as well all alumni of Armitage High School.
Ngoneh Panneh, programme officer, Tourism and Creative ITC/YEP said the festival is meant to support creation of employment creation, visibility of McCarthy Island and its cultural heritages as tourism destination.
She explained that the International Trade Center (ITC) through the EU funded Youth Empowerment Project, and partners within the the tourism and cultural industry realized the necessity of not only to diversify from the sun, sand, and sea, but also to decentralize tourism, including production services and its benefits to rural Gambia and as well for the youths of the rural areas.
To make destination Gambia a sustainable tourism destination, she said, there is need to support the growth, and development of tourism and it is part of their aims to support tourism in anywhere as they can by working with relevant authorities such as NCAC, GTBoard, and GTHI among others.
Lolly Camara, representing the Janjanbureh Event Management Committee (EMC) dilated on the upcoming 5th edition of the festival and what to be expected.
As part of preparation, the entire community has been fumigated and well cleaned while everyone attending the festival advised to follow the Covid-19 preventive measures by using facemasks that will be provided free, social distancing; hand sanitizer and frequent washing of hands under the running water tap and soaps that provided in different entrances to the festival ground.