Momar Ndiaye, director of Fesmub: “The Music Festival is still struggling to find its place in Casamance”

Despite some local initiatives, World Music Day did not have the scale hoped for in the Ziguinchor region, where cultural actors are calling for better involvement from institutions.

ZIGUINCHOR – June 21 is synonymous with celebration, sharing and communion around musical sounds all over the world. However, in Casamance, particularly in the Ziguinchor region, this 2026 edition of World Music Day went almost unnoticed, leaving a taste of unfinished business among several players in the cultural sector.

Director of the Bignona Urban Music Festival (Fesmub) and president of the Bignona Urban Arts and Cultures Association, Momar Ndiaye did not hide his disappointment at the limited scope of this event.

“Although this celebration, initiated in 1982 in France by Jack Lang, has become a global cultural event, it unfortunately did not have the expected response in the Ziguinchor region. This situation reflects the inadequacies observed in the support of cultural policies,” he regretted in an interview with the daily Le Soleil.

According to Mr. Ndiaye, several localities still tried to mark the event through individual initiatives. However, these efforts remain insufficient to achieve the ambitions assigned to this day dedicated to music.

“Cultural actors and enthusiasts tried to celebrate this day in their own way. However, the main objective, which consists of promoting both amateur and professional musical practice, bringing music closer to populations and encouraging artists to invest in public spaces free of charge, has not been fully achieved in Ziguinchor,” analyzed the director of Fesmub.

For the cultural manager, the solution involves better planning and greater involvement of the competent structures. He believes that this festival must now be considered an unmissable event in the regional cultural calendar.

“Local institutions as well as the various cultural structures would benefit from permanently including this celebration in their annual agenda in order to give it better visibility and an organization that matches its importance,” argued Momar Ndiaye.

Through this appeal, the actor in urban cultures invites public authorities to make World Music Day a real lever for artistic promotion and social cohesion in a region recognized for its cultural wealth and the diversity of its talents.