Be Part of the Atmosphere and Excitement of
The Annual Kankurang Festival
Get ready for an unexpected thrill!
When the Zimbas sneak up on you they'll take you by surprise in the most unexpected way.
Join Us This January!
24th - 26th January 2025
But be prepared to extend your days beyond the days of the Festival as there is so much more to explore.
2025 logo and motto announced
"Honoring Culture ~
Enriching Unity"
Message from Chair of Kankurang Festival Committee
Muhammed Saidykhan
International visitors tickets will be available on sale from January 1st 2025 at GMD1000
All tour operators, independent travellers and travel agencies are urged to book prior to avoid rush and inconveniences.
Please Whats app this number +220 3646208
or call 220 7362576
or email
A Welcome by the
President of the Kankurang Festival Committee
It's my pleasure to welcome you to Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival, an annual festival happening the last weekend of January every year showcasing the unique cultural heritages of Janjanbureh.
What inspires us is because there is growing evidence that there is a demand for new forms of tourism which are more culturally and community based than in the past.
Many people now want experiences rather than sights; doing rather than looking and taking part rather than acting as a spectator.
The Janjanbureh Kankurang and Masquerade Festival will provide such a unique experience to visitors.
Justice Muhamed Saidykhan
The main purpose of the 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 and more visitors who would like to experience an intangible authentic cultural heritage.
It's against this background that the community celebrate this festival every year since the successful inaugural
Festival in 2018, partnering with
Nature Friends International, the National Centre for Arts and Culture, The GAMBIA Tourism Board etc.
If you want an unforgettable experience, join us in January.
Justice Muhamed Saidykhan
President
24-26th Jan 2025
The Revival of the Festival
Partners listed above
In January 2018 the Kankurang Festival was revived with the support of local and national organisations.
Partnering with NatureFriends International (NFI), there were over 70 European visitors at the inaugural Festival.
This enabled the Tour Guides to later secure a
C-category membership for future sustainable initiatives.
Hard to imagine the atmosphere?
Search and explore the vibrant spirit of the homegrown
Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival through a range of YouTube videos
There are many but these are a starting point:-
The 2019 edition offers a standout introduction highlighting the crucial involvement and impact of the festival on the youth of Janjanbureh, showcasing their energy and cultural pride
'In Janjanbureh, eastern Gambia, the annual Kankurang festival celebrates a mythical figure from the Mandinka people. For three days, hundreds attend parades and performances to help preserve an age-old tradition that is in danger of disappearing.' From AFP News Agency recounting 2024 festival
Find Out More About the Kankurang
"The Kankurang is an omnibus masquerade, a generic term for many and different types of Manding masquerades, such as Suto Kankurang , Jambo Kankurang , Fita Kankurang and so on, But basically it's mystical and mysterious, It's like the policeman of the community
...keeping away evil spirits ...protecting the initiates who are newly circumcised...
The kankurang has a role as a social controller...."
Hassoum Ceesay: Director General of National Centre for Art and Culture
ISSN 0796-1820 Vol 6No 001 2024
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