Banjul Cultural Festival, A Truly Gambian Event With Clear West African Flavour – VP Jallow

By Yunus S Saliu

His Excellency, the Vice President of The Gambia disclosed at the official opening of the Banjul Cultural Festival that the Banjul New Year Cultural Festival is a truly Gambian event but with a clear West African flavour “which is, of course, a true reflection of The Gambia as a country of tolerance and welcome.”

 The official opening of the weeklong cultural festival held at Arch 22 (Never Again Arch) on Wednesday, 25th December 2024 marked a vibrant celebration of the country’s rich heritage, diverse traditions, and the unity that binds its community together. This festival offers a unique opportunity to showcase the beauty of Destination Gambia’s cultural expressions, from culture, music, and dance to art and cuisine while fostering a deeper understanding of shared history and values. 

In his speech, The Gambia Vice President, His Excellency Muhammed BS Jallow, referring to history disclosed that Banjul, or Bathurst as it was formally known then, was the capital of Christmas and New Year Festivities along the West African Coast. “At Yuletide, families traveled from Freetown, Sierra Leone; St. Louis and Kaolack, Senegal; Accra, Gold Coast to attend the Christmas festivities of Bathurst. This attraction was due to the familial links that bound families in Bathurst and these communities: Aku relatives, Ndarr NdarrWolof relatives, Saloum Saloum relatives, and the families of Gold Coasters working in The Gambia Colonial Civil Service such as printers and sailors, and soldiers of The Royal West African Frontier Force,” he underscored.

VP Jallow stated this cultural melting pot of Bathurst produced hybrid performances and masquerades such as Hunting, Egungun of Yoruba origins, Fairy, Makalo, and Zimba. The Fanal came along with the St.Louis visitors who had Signara or Mulatto connections. 

“By the mid-1950s, Bathurst was crowned the Capital of Yuletide along the West Coast. Despite demographic haemorrhage that the city has suffered in the past six decades, vestiges of this long masking and performance traditions remain today as we are about to celebrate it,” the Vice President explained.

Since 2017, there has been a noticeable surge in the interest to celebrate Christmas and New Year in Banjul to soak in masking traditions and performances. The noticeable improvement in freedom of expression and association and artistic freedom since the advent of this Government can indeed be felt in the culture sector, he noted.

This Festival, he continued, lies squarely within the aims and objectives of the Government of His Excellency President Adama Barrow to mainstream culture to reconcile, and build bridges among Gambian communities and between Gambians and non-Gambians. The YIRIWA Development Project 2023-2027 of this Government also clearly spells out the role of culture in forging a strong Gambian identity, and in boosting the economy through job creation for our youth in areas like tourism and entertainment.

“So, the Banjul New Year Cultural Festival is a vessel for growth, happiness, and friendship. These are indeed worthy ideals that deserve our full support.

“Indeed, the Government has in the past few years given the needed attention to cultural activities, sites and expression. In 2022 alone, The Gambia ratified two UNESCO Conventions: the 1970 Convention Against Trafficking in Cultural Goods and the 2011 Convention on Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. This means that as we speak, The Gambia has adhered to five of the six UNESCO Conventions on Culture. Recently, the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) with UNESCO support completed the first inventory of the built heritage of Banjul, and in partnership with the Banjul City Council, Oostend Project NCAC has trained over a dozen youths to help interpret the city to visitors. This shows the determination to support the preservation and valorization of the rich cultural heritage of our City,” he disclosed to the audience.

His Excellency, however, applauded the Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture for the innovation he brought to enhance the organization of the Banjul New Year Cultural Festival, especially by taking the fruitful lane of personally raising funds to assist in the organization of the festival, and also his effort made with his team – taskforce he established in early summer of 2024, to enhance the organization and content of this great event “in our cultural calendar.”

Honourable Abdoullahi Jobe, Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture welcomed everyone to the opening of the festival, he briefly informed the audience of steps that he, and a team of Taskforce members, the Ministry, and the NCAC have taken to make the festival worthwhile for everyone to celebrate.

A Stakeholders Organizing Committee comprising cultural groups, government departments, security agencies, banks, and media Chaired by the Minister was created in July. They meet monthly to iron out all the requirements to make the festival a well-organized, coherent, safe, entertaining, and integrative event. 

He observed that the festival has a great potential to pull in visitors, “be they foreign tourists or Gambians in the Diaspora, for economic and social benefits. And I am convinced that this festival has the potential to support regional integration through shared traditions and cultures as envisioned and strengthen peaceful co-existence and reconciliation among Gambians.”

Her Lord Mayor of Banjul, Rohey Malick Lowe, and the Executive Coordinator of Banjul, Ebrima Jawo among other dignitaries delivered speeches at the opening of the festival.

The opening ceremony was attended by various dignitaries, including the Mayor of Banjul, Rohey Malick Lowe, and Executive Coordinator of Banjul, Ebrima Jawo. Other attendees included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, members of the diplomatic corps, Banjul National Assembly members, councilors, deputy mayor, senior government officials, and representatives from cultural groups. 

A vibrant array of performances was presented, including Chinese Kung Fu Wushu by The Gambia, traditional hunting groups, and music by the renowned Joluv

Banjul Cultural Festival starts from the 25th of December 2025 and will end on the 1st of January 2025.