Invisible Superstructure of the Visible

Contested Notions of Authorized Order, or How to Render the Kankurang In_Visible

Abstract

This _Article investigates debates on visualizations of the Kankurang and offers a new conceptualization of the interrelation of processes of heritagization and in_visibility. “Kankurang” refers both to an initiatory rite of the Mandinka ethnic group associated with the circumcision of young males as well as the spirit at its center. In the rite, the Kankurang chases away unwanted viewers, and traditionally was intended to remain invisible to outsiders. However, the figure has been dragged into the political spotlight in both Senegal and Gambia, as new institutions have intentionally incorporated the rite into their political interests by making Mandinka heritage visible, while at the same time concealing unwanted information. In 2008, the Kankurang initiatory rite was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Since then, a documentation center was established in Janjanbureh, Gambia, and in 2018, the Gambian Kankurang was also targeted by the YEP (Youth Empowerment Project), funded by the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF). By revitalizing the Kankurang Festival, the financiers wish to prevent ‘irregular immigration’ to the EU. In this paper, I reveal the different developments and stances on authorized order on this heritage’s in_visibility through visual discourse analysis of the invisible superstructure; drawing on phenomenology and Marxist relational space theory, I criticize and theorize the implicated power-imbalances in these developments. In conclusion, I will elaborate two types of invisible superstructure which disclose the conflicting political aims and ethical implications of visualizing the Kankurang.