Kankurang Festival

A festival celebrating the Kankurang masquerade tradition of the Mandinka people, held in the historic river town of Janjanbureh, Gambia. The Kankurang — a masked figure made of bark and leaves — is central to Mandinka initiation rites and community life.

The Kankurang masquerade was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This festival helps preserve and celebrate one of West Africa's most distinctive traditional practices.