By Yunus S Saliu
This year’s annual celebrated Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival was successfully wrapped up on Sunday evening, 29th January 2023 with large attendees that wanted it to continue for other days.
This year’s event marked the 6th edition of the Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival, it was held at Tinyangsita Festival Ground, McCarthy Island/Georgetown, and was organised by the Janjanbureh Community and Event Management Committee (EMC) in collaboration with the National Centre For Arts and Culture (NCAC) and partners – Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI), Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) among others.
The festival this year was attended by thousands of tourists/visitors, dignitaries such as ambassadors, National Assembly Members, Councillors, and director generals of different government institutions while different cultural groups, and masquerade such as Zimba, Kumpo, Esamae, Konyangi among others joined the over ten different Kankurangs across the country to entertain people throughout the three days festival which kicked start on Friday, 27th to 29th January.
At the festival, tourists, visitors, and individuals from within and outside the country have the opportunity to taste a few local cuisines and drinks while some crafts materials were displayed for the benefit of visitors to buy a souvenir.
This year’s festival lived far more than its expectation taking into consideration lots of newly introduced local events such as kayaking, local marathon, and draughts game for talented players to contest and it was a homecoming festival whereby many individuals come with their families and friends from all regions in The Gambia to attend.
This well planned three days event was three folds – evening, night, and morning parades of the Kankurangs with other masquerades, and everyone has the privilege to take as many as possible pictures, visit different places of attractions on the Island such as Tingyasita, Kankurang Museum Centre, the Colonial Graveyard, Armitage Senior Secondary School (the only boarding school in the country), Colonial Lamp Pole, Triangular Freedom Tree, and lots more.
The 2023 edition of this famous event was another mouthwatering Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival but do not afford to miss the next edition next January 2024.
