By Yunus S Saliu
Lucy McCombes, co-founder of the Ninki Nanka Encounters Foundation was among thousands of visitors who made it to McCarthy Island for the 7th edition of the JanjanburehKankurang Festival held from the 26th to 28th January 2024 and she described the festival as an authentic experience.
Ms. McCombes, who led a group of Commonwealth-sponsored students from Leeds Beckett University in the UK to The Gambia on annual field trips, said she has been in and out of The Gambia a lot, adding: “The Kankurang Festival is a real authentic experience that feels very much a local event that people from outside are very welcome to attend.”
She applauded the festival’s organizing committee for a job well done. She also thanked those who were providing them guide services, including the technical team from the NCAC.
“That’s really helpful in helping people from outside to understand the importance, value, and what’s going on,” she acknowledged.
Lucy McCombes first traveled to Janjabureh 10, 15 years ago.
“Now, I can see how much progress has been made. When I first came, I didn’t even know the Kankurang but now I think a lot is happening with the involvement of local people here to raise awareness and bring it to life. It’s a really great thing,” she told this reporter.
The supporting infrastructure for the event, she noted, needs more commendation with a more responsible kind of green approach by thinking about managing the impact of the event.
“Gradually, it is progressing and has been an exciting evening and they should be congratulated for that,” McCombeshighlighted.
The Ninki Nanka Encounters Foundation The Gambia co-founder explained that the students she led to the Smiling Coast of Africa on annual field trips were students from Ghana, The Gambia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Kenya, who were awarded a Commonwealth scholarship to do Masters program in Responsible Tourism Management through distance learning.
