Gambia's Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival: A Model for Cultural Tourism Development
Exciting news for African travel and cultural enthusiasts! The Gambia's annual Janjanbureh Kankurang Festival has once again proven its value in promoting cultural tourism, attracting both local and international visitors. This year's festival, held from January 24th to 26th, was particularly successful thanks to strategic support from the International Trade Centre (ITC), which helped modernize the festival’s branding and marketing efforts. This success story underscores the significant role that cultural events can play in boosting tourism and the local economy.
The Kankurang is a significant cultural practice in The Gambia, involving masked dances that serve as a rite of passage for Mandinka boys. During this process, they learn about their traditions and culture. Recognizing its importance, UNESCO has designated it as part of the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Janjanbureh festival, held in a 19th-century town on an island in the Gambia River, provides a rare opportunity for the public to witness and participate in these masquerades, where dancers wear elaborate masks made of grass, bark, and reeds.
The festival not only celebrates the Kankurang but also other traditional dances from across The Gambia and beyond, attracting hundreds of tourists and contributing significantly to the local economy. According to festival president Muhammed Lamin Saidykhan, the event ensures the "island gains visibility and attracts more and more visitors who would like to experience an intangible authentic cultural heritage." This focus on cultural heritage as a tourism product is a model for other African destinations seeking to leverage their unique cultural assets.
Yusupha Keita, the ITC acting country representative, emphasized that The Gambia's rich cultural heritage is a vital resource for boosting tourism, which currently accounts for 20% of the country's GDP and provides numerous jobs in small businesses like hotels, restaurants, and artisan shops. This statistic underscores the importance of the tourism sector in the country. The ITC has shown its commitment to working with local stakeholders to unlock the full potential of the tourism industry.
Through the EU Youth Empowerment Project – Tourism and Creative Industries, ITC provided critical funding to the Kankurang Festival organizing committee, supporting its branding, marketing, logistics, event coordination, and management, including the production of video and photographic materials. The festival has been revived in 2018 by ITC, which has worked with the festival almost every year since in partnership with the Janjanbureh community, the National Centre for Arts and Culture, and the Gambia Tourism Board. EU Ambassador Immaculada Roca i Cortés highlighted that through partnerships, the EU is committed to promoting cultural diversity, protecting heritage, and empowering local communities. The Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Abdou Jobe, reaffirmed his ministry's dedication to supporting initiatives that drive tourism growth and improve livelihoods in local communities. This successful collaboration serves as an example of how well-organized cultural festivals, backed by strategic partnerships, can yield positive results in the tourism sector, and could be an interesting product to promote by African travel agents.
