2018 KWITA IZINA GORILLA NAMING CEREMONY IN VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK.

Gorilla Naming Ceremony in Rwanda.

Rwanda is a landlocked country in East Africa dotted with lush mountainous landscape that has earned this pocket sized country the name, “land of a thousand hills”. 

Its famous Volcanoes National Park harbors the world’s most endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, and a sole home of gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda.

In southwest of the country, there is Nyungwe National Park which has the ancient montane rainforest that's a habitat for up to 14 primate species including the endangered chimpanzees and iconic canopy walk. Putting aside wildlife and mountainous land that sparks off Rwanda’s name; the land of a thousand hills, it also has beautiful cultures all summed up in the Tutsi, Hutu and Batwa communities.

However, with the high levels of creativity, Rwanda has initiated different tourism oriented ceremonies and celebrations that are geared towards enhancing conservation of nature and wildlife.

The most popular one is the Gorilla naming ceremony termed as Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony. This is a yearly gorilla naming Ceremony for newborn mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

The main goal of the ceremony is to help in monitoring of each individual gorilla and their respective families in their natural habitat. Bringing both local and international attention about the importance of protecting the mountain gorillas and their habitats in Volcanoes National Park is the major reason for initiation of this ceremony.

Kwita Izina ceremony was launched in 2005 and it has transformed into a unique Rwandan event becoming one of the greatest wildlife celebration both in central and East Africa. This year marks the 14th edition of Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony and will be held on 7th September in the outskirts of Volcanoes national park, in Kinigi.

In the past 14 years ever since the ceremony was established, more than 216 mountain gorilla babies have been named in a celebration of nature and culture together with the neighboring local communities who protect these great mountain gorillas. This year the event is anticipated to bring together thousands of tourists - both international and domestic, celebrities, iconic political leaders and conservation agencies.
In the past years, this ceremony has attracted over 20,000 conservationists and tourism industry players worldwide and is expected to draw even more numbers this year.

The 2018 kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony will see 18 new born baby gorillas named and just like in the previous events, series of activities will take place in preparations to the event. 2018 Kwita Izina’s key activities including a familiarization trip for international tour operators and media. It is going to be a great opportunity to display Rwanda’s diverse tourism attractions and unique cultural heritage that makes it a despicable destination.

The order of the event includes visits to the cultural heritage attractions such as the King’s Palace in Nyanza, Nyungwe national park, Akagera and Volcanoes National Parks as well as the sparkling Lake Kivu.

Participants will as well attend Kwita Izina events in the networking sessions built into the programme. Also on the itinerary this year is the Kwita Izina Conservation Exhibition which will run for two days alongside an awareness forum dubbed ‘Conversation on Conservation’ also taking place in Kigali.

The ceremony will then close with Igitaramo meaning “a cultural celebratory dinner” with a major objective of supporting Rwanda’s ongoing successful conservation projects specifically the “Expansion of Gorilla Habitat”, developing niche tourism products across the country and targeted marketing that aims at doubling tourist arrivals in the county. .

If you want to explore the beautiful nature outside the city, then the annual Kwita Izina gorilla-naming ceremony is the perfect event that everyone should attend. It begins with several day guided trips from Kigali up to the venue of the main event, attend evening cultural sessions, tour the twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo, and then finally attend the naming ceremony, which includes music, dancing and discussions on Rwanda’s walk to gorilla conservation, and apparent challenges still at hand.