The highly-anticipated second edition of the Sutukoba Kangkiling Festival is scheduled for the 15 – 16 February – in Sutukoba Village – Wuli East District of the Upper River Region.
Endorsed by the National Centre for Arts and Culture, Sutukoba Kangkiling (One Voice) Festival is an annual community driven cultural exhibition that is aimed at developing the village through the preservation and promotion of its arts and culture.
The Founder and Coordinator of the festival, Saikou Suwareh Jabai, said the ancestors of Sutukoba have always come together to live and express themselves through arts and culture. He said these shared rituals are at the heart of what Sutukoba village is well known for.
Jabai said the cultural festival will therefore preserve and celebrate these valuable artifacts of the village and use them as references in the village’s development agenda.
According to him, the two-day long cultural program will bring together more than 5,000 people from the Upper River Region and beyond and therefore called on all the natives of Sutukoba and friends of the village to attend and show solidary to the village’s rich cultural heritage.
Jabai said this year’s edition will feature numerous activities including the exhibition of traditional ceremonies, masquerades display, traditional sports, a workshop on the preservation of culture and tradition, and many others. He added that the festival will host some international guests from Europe and natives of Wuli who are based abroad.
The Alkalo of Sutukoba Village, Kumuntung Jabai, expressed delight with the initiative, saying it will go a long way in preserving the village’s rich cultural background. While calling on all natives of the village to attend, the alkalo assured of his support and that of the village development committee (VDC).
The National Assembly Member for Wuli, Suwaibou Touray, who is also a native of Sutukoba, said the festival will promote cultural identities and strengthen unity among natives of the village.
Touray said the festival will enhance unity and a sense of belonging for village’s arts, culture and rich history.
The Director of Fine and Performing Arts at the National Centre for Arts and Culture, Sheikh Omar Jallow, welcomed the Sutukoba Kangkiling Festival, and said the village has a very rich culture that needs such cultural festivals to promote and preserve it from extinction.
