By: Yunus S Saliu
The 7th Edition of the Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival celebrated from the 26th to 28th of January 2024, has been described as one of its kind in the history of the island settlement.
The three-day festival, which brought together thousands of visitors, including tourists and culture lovers allowed everyone to mingle and enjoy while it also created chances of business opportunities for investors, especially those who want to invest in the tourism and culture sectors.
Presiding over the official opening of the festival on Friday on behalf of Governor Ousman Bah of the Central River Region was Deputy Governor Sainey Mbaye, who gave the genesis of the festival.
He said the story started in 2018 when the community was supported by the government through the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) while the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) decided to revive this great festival.
In 2008, the Deputy Governor narrated, UNESCO listed Kankurang as a Masterpiece of Humanity, which of course remains a source of pride “to all of us,” while noting that the island is the home of Kankurang.
He pointed out the significance of culture, saying it helps to build a self-identity and pride, and it is “our languages, foods, dress and belief systems that make us as real people and not robots. So, the stronger the cultural heritage we have, the more robust our identity.”
Through a shared heritage such as masquerades, languages, and rituals, he said, the country can always arrive at solutions to its political and social differences.
“Through our shared cultural heritage, we can build a united and prosperous Gambia. Jobs can be created in the creative heritage industries. This is why the government of His Excellency President Adama Barrow will continue to support culture and this community,” he added.
Deputy Governor Mbye thanked the board and staff of the NCAC for its support to the festival. He also thanked the Gambia Tourism Board and the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute for also offering much-needed support which, he said, was highly noted and appreciated. He also thanked the Event Management Committee (EMC). Deputy governor Mbye did not forget to also thank NATCOM UNESCO for its support to NCAC through various interventions such as the KankurangCentre on Janjanbureh island and
The National Assembly Member for Janjanbureh, Omar Jammeh, applauded the EMC members for organizing the event without any hitches and thanked all the supporters, who have contributed to making it a one-to-reckon-with festival in The Gambia.
He outlined the importance of the festival, which included investment opportunities in different areas like accommodations, utilization of River Gambia, and job creation to stop or curb urban and rural migrations.
Mr. Lamin Jarjou, Senior Program Officer of the NATCOM UNESCO dilated on the importance of the Kankurang festival.
He noted that the Kankurang tradition is been affected by climate change, saying the trees in the bush that the barks and leaves are used to dress the Kankurang are diminishing in the forests.
Mr Jarjou called for the sustaining of the Kankurang tradition.
Mr Sanna Jarjou, speaking on behalf of the Director General of the NCAC expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, its satellite institution, and as well as all the attendees from near and far.
He highlighted the challenges facing the Kankurang tradition and urged the people to sustain it. He gave a breakdown of a series of activities undertaken by the NCAC when it comes to Intangible Cultural Heritage in The Gambia from the ratification of the convention, inventory, strengthening capacity for safeguarding ICH among others.
Muhammed Justice Saidykhan, acting chairman of the Event Management Committee thanked the elders and community of Janjanbureh for supporting and giving their full blessing to the committee to celebrate the cultural heritage for the seventh time in a row.
He explained that the main purpose of the JanjanburehKankurang Festival is to showcase the unique cultural expression of the Kankurang and other masking traditions of West Africa so that the island will gain visibility and attract more visitors interested in exploring the intangible cultural heritage.
He thanked all those who supported the community and EMC to make it possible to celebrate the festival annually as he outlined the EMC’s social responsibility which, he pointed out, transcends showcasing and dancing to the Kankurangmasquerades.
