By Aminata Sanneh
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in collaboration with its satellite institutions and stakeholders, will be Commemorating the 200th (Bicentenary) anniversary of the repatriation of liberated slaves to Janjangbureh from November 23rd to 26th, 2023, in Janjangbureh, Central River Region. The theme for this occasion is “Celebrating Homecoming and Our Heritage.”
Honorable Hamat N K Bah, the Minister for Tourism and Culture, noted the government’s appreciation of the rich history and culture of the Island and its people, which serves as an inspiration to many.
A National Organising Committee (NOC) has been established and tasked with organising the highly anticipated commemoration of the 200 years since the purchase of McCarty Island (Georgetown) by the British and the arrival of the liberated Africans on the Island.
The objective of the festival is to honour and celebrate this bicentenary, stimulate cultural revival, and enhance the tourism sector in rural Gambia. It aims to foster national reconciliation and promote a united Gambian society. The return of the liberated slaves has transformed the nation into a diverse and harmonious cultural melting pot, with a history that reminds us of our roots and a vision for our future.
The President will be in attendance, along with a high-level delegation comprising five heads of state, representatives from the World Tourism Organisation, African Union, ECOWAS, and other UN agencies. The Permanent Secretary Hassan Jallow also confirmed that preparations are in high gear, with various sub-committees focusing on different thematic areas, including Diaspora mobilisation, media and publicity, welfare and logistics, and programme planning among others. The event will feature a diverse range of activities such as a parade of cultures, wrestling, exhibition, symposium, poetry, theatre, and more. Additionally, there will be “The Walk to Freedom: Remembrance of Slavery’s Pain,” a Mansa Banquet showcasing food heritage, storytelling, traditional music, guided historical tours to monuments and sites, river cruises to admire the island’s beauty and hippos, and a musical concert featuring Gambian and international artists.
The Director General of the National Centre for Arts and Culture and historian, Hassoum Ceesay, highlighted the historical significance of Captain Alexandre Grant’s purchase of the Island on behalf of the British Crown from the rulers of Niani on the 23rd of April 1823. The Island served as a host station for the liberated Africans freed from slave ships intercepted by the Royal Navy in the Atlantic following the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.
This festival will serve as an opportunity to acknowledge the past and how people have overcome the hardships caused by slavery. It aims to bring together Gambians at home and in the diaspora, promoting healing and reconciliation through shared history and heritage. The festival will include a significant Church service, as the historian revealed that Janjangbureh housed the first Methodist Church in Africa.
The public is cordially invited to participate in this all-encompassing celebration, which will seamlessly blend elements of culture, tradition, nature, and academia.