Case file · Folklore / legend
Kankurang, the guardian in bark
In 2005 UNESCO proclaimed the Kankurang, a Mandinka masked figure covered in red bark fibres who protects boys during initiation and drives away evil, as a masterpiece of intangible heritage of Senegal and The Gambia.
2005 CE · 12.58, -16.27 · status: official
The account
The Kankurang appears with a machete and a terrifying cry; anyone not initiated must flee. Its centre is the Casamance town of Ziguinchor (the plotted point) and Mandinka areas of The Gambia.