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00:00 His body covered in leaves and tree bark, he marches to the frenzied beats of drums and whistles,
00:07 threatening those who get too close with a swing of his machete.
00:11 A mythical character in Mandinka culture, the Kankurang is believed to appear once a year to ward off evil spirits.
00:20 The Kankurang is not human. It has this mystical power. It protects the people. It protects evil and ward off evil.
00:27 So it's so sacred and so respected that women are not even allowed traditionally to be close to it.
00:33 Since 2018, the city of Janjanbure in The Gambia has been hosting a yearly festival dedicated to this mystical figure,
00:42 a way to uphold cultural traditions that are increasingly threatened by westernization.
00:48 As the night falls on the town, the ceremony takes a hypnotic turn.
00:53 Their bodies swinging and shaking, entranced Kankurangs perform a traditional dance,
00:59 an unsettling yet riveting spectacle that fully captures the audience's attention.
01:05 It's amazing, it is unifying and it's cultural.
01:10 And this is something that belongs to The Gambia and Senegal, so it's important that we hold this every year.
01:17 A West African ethnic group, the Mandinka founded some of the continent's greatest civilizations, including the Malian Empire.
01:25 Now scattered across Africa, mostly in Senegal and The Gambia, they're fighting to keep their traditions alive.
01:33 (beeping)