The Rwanda Development Board has announced that the 20th Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony will be held on Friday, October 18th, 2024.
This 2024 edition will take place on the foothills of Volcanoes National Park in Kinigi, Musanze District, joining the communities living around the home of the endangered mountain gorillas in the ultimate celebration of nature and conservation.
397 baby gorillas have been named since the beginning of the naming ceremony first held in 2005.
This year’s namers, who will be unveiled closer to the day, include notable partners, conservationists, international and local personalities, dignitaries and friends of Rwanda.
The celebration will showcase Rwanda’s conservation efforts, including Rwanda’s successful low volume, high value approach to gorilla tourism that has enabled the gorilla population to thrive and provide better trekking experiences to visitors.
The Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony is modelled on a centuries-old tradition in which Rwandans name their children in the presence of family and friends. For three decades before the first official gorilla naming ceremony, park rangers and researchers named Rwanda’s mountain gorilla babies to monitor each gorilla in their family and habitat.
In 2005, Rwanda began officially naming mountain gorillas in what has become a global celebration of nature. By giving a name to these majestic animals, they are given the value they undoubtedly deserve.
The ceremony is, first and foremost, an opportunity to thank the communities that live around the gorilla habitat, Volcanoes National Park, research partners, vets, and the dedicated conservationists, rangers, and trackers who protect the gorillas daily.
Over the last fifteen years, more than 390 mountain gorillas have been named.
Rwanda has emerged as a conservation and sustainable tourism leader on the continent. For instance, while in the 2010 Census, there were 480 mountain gorillas, the 2016 Census report indicated 604 individuals in the Virunga Massif. These efforts have contributed to the increase in mountain gorillas worldwide (1,063) and are categorized as no longer critically endangered.