Kwita Izina

In Kinyarwanda, Kwita Izina means “to give a name.” It is an event that is unlike any other on Earth, but it has a lot of cultural meaning and old traditions. It was based on the Rwandan tradition of giving babies names right after they are born.

Rwanda holds this week-long series of events every September to bring attention to and raise money for the ongoing protection and habitat expansion of the country’s mountain gorillas. Kwita Izina is one of the most well-known conservation and sustainable tourism conferences in the world. It includes a conference, workshops, and, most importantly, a ceremony to name gorilla babies born in the country’s Volcanoes National Park in the last year or so.

Visitors are invited to stand on the large, silverback-shaped wooden stage and name each gorilla carefully based on the baby’s behavior and unique personality traits. Rwandans believe that this will bring the kids luck and have a big impact on their futures.

Thousands of people, including conservationists, rangers, communities, and international celebrities, dignitaries, and the country’s President, come to the celebrations every year. They include traditional music, dancing, and performances by local students and artists. The ceremony takes place near Kinigi, at the base of the Virunga Massif.

Conservation and responsible tourism in Rwanda help both people and animals. For example, a popular trekking program lets people see gorillas in their natural habitat. It is thought that over the course of its life, a single “habituated” mountain gorilla could make about $3 million in tourist money.

Volcanoes National Park and three other wildlife refuges across the country are supported in part by the money made from selling permits to go gorilla trekking. Also, 10% of the money made by tourists is given to the communities that surround the parks. These people work as vets, researchers, hunters, porters, guides, and others in safari hotels and camps.

What Does Kwita Izina Mean?

Kwita Izina is important because it not only promotes conservation and raises money for the event, but it also asks the people of Rwanda to enjoy and protect their natural and cultural heritage. American primatologist Dian Fossey studied mountain gorillas on the densely forested peaks of the Virungas. She also set up the first gorilla research center, which is now known as Karisoke.

Karisoke is one of only two remaining strongholds for the species; the other is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The Rwandan government and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) work together to carry on Fossey’s work through education, funding for park rangers, and community programs.

There is a lot of joy in Rwanda among all of its people, says Tara Stoinski, President and CEO/Chief Scientific Officer of DFGFI. “It brings attention to the great work that the government and people are doing to save mountain gorillas around the world.” Success stories in conservation are hard to come by these days, but what has happened here is truly amazing and shows what can be done when long-term leadership and commitment to conservation are in place.

You have a lot to be proud of. Mountain gorillas are becoming more common while the numbers of all the other great ape groups are going down. In the 1980s, there were only 242 people living in the Virunga Massif. Now, there are over 1000 living there. The IUCN changed the species’ status from “critically endangered” to “endangered” in 2018 because 400 more were found in Bwindi.

Since Kwita Izina began, more than 280 baby gorillas have been named. Each name was carefully picked to reflect the baby’s unique story and history or to bring good luck and safety. In Rwanda, names have always been very important because people believe that they affect a child’s personality and future, helping to shape their life path. Before Kwita Izina, the park guards who watched over them chose the names of the gorillas.

Names are important to us because they connect us to our past, our home, and our family. Similarly, gorillas’ names help researchers and rangers keep track of how people in each family group and across their ranges are doing.

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A baby boy born in 2016 was named Inshungu by naturalist Sir David Attenborough. The name means “blessing.” In 2017, Dr. Stoinski gave the bird the name Macibiri to honor Fossey, whose Rwandan name was Nyiramacibiri, which means “the woman who lives alone on the mountain.” In 2018, Laureano Bisan Etamé-Mayer, a former Arsenal football player, named his baby Ikipe.

The name Ikipe means “team,” while Izahabu means “precious,” Kunesha means “to win,” and Uburumbuke means “prosperity.” Everyone was welcomed with cheers, yells, and a shared sense of hope for the future.

Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer of the Rwanda Development Board, says, “A name shows what parents want for their children. In this way, the names we give our children shape our own future.”