Kwita Izina is translated as “naming ceremony” in English and refers to the ancient African tradition of naming children in Rwanda. This practice particularly inspired the gorilla naming ceremony with the hope of raising awareness of mountain gorillas and endangered species in Volcanoes National Park. It does so by encouraging locals and international visitors to support conservation efforts. This article serves to explain the significance of the Gorilla naming; Kwita Izina ceremony in Rwanda.
Kwita Izina
Stakeholders celebrate Kwita Izina to honor the work done to protect flora and fauna. The key stakeholders are rangers, gorilla doctors, conservationists, tour guides, and local communities. The Umbrella Organization organizes the event in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the government. Other partners include the gorilla authorities in Uganda and the DR Congo that share the Virunga conservation area. These bodies launched the official first edition of Kwita Izina in 2005.
According to Visit Rwanda’s official website, the total number of gorillas born and given names in Volcanoes National Park since is 397. The event is more than just naming gorillas and has gained momentum yearly. Kwita Izina features a wide range of events, including a conservation exhibition and business conference. Also, it features dinner, music, and dance performances, and the launch of several community development projects.
There are also familiarization trips for the guests that name the gorillas and media, and travel influencers. Over 20,000 people attend a week-long event that these bodies hold yearly in September in Kinigi village outside the park. Kwita Izina is becoming one of the largest conservation events in the world. Opportunities for those intending to participate and visit the park are available for booking through RDB or a tour operator.
Impact of Gorilla Naming: Kwita Izina Ceremony
The increasing popularity of Kwita Izina revolves around the contribution of gorilla tourism to local economic development. Local communities around Volcanoes National Park rely heavily on tourism. According to RDB, the amount of revenue the government generated from gorilla trekking safaris totaled $ 113 million in 2022. Additionally, the industry also supports over 39,000 people, including private tour operators, hotels, and farmers.
Impact of Gorilla naming; Kwita Izina ceremony on Community Conservation
There has been a revenue-sharing scheme since 2005. Hence, the RDB commits 10% of the revenue to empowering the local communities around the park. The purpose was to tackle the problem of over-dependence on natural resources by the locals. They did this through poaching for bushmeat by setting snare wires to trap small antelope species. Snares would sometimes injure or kill gorillas. People also used to obtain food, medicinal plants, water, firewood, and building materials from the forest. The swamps on the peaks of Bisoke, Gahinga, and Muhabura are a source of papyrus and other weaving materials.
Terraces make up Much of the land at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park. People produce crops such as beans, Irish and sweet potatoes, maize, green tea, and pyrethrum (for export to Europe). These human activities affect the natural habitat and constitute the main threats to the survival of gorillas. According to Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the population of gorillas in the Virunga area was less than 200 in the 1980s. The primates were on the verge of extinction thanks to the benefits of gorilla tourism.
Impact of Gorilla naming; Kwita Izina ceremony on community development
The park body curbed the problem of overdependency on nature by introducing alternative sources of livelihood. These alternative sources got support from the revenues the park earns from gorilla safaris. For instance, the Gorilla Guardians Village, formerly Iby’Iwacu cultural village, was formed in 2005 to support ex-poachers through handicraft making, cultural tourism, bee, and goat keeping. The village offers an opportunity to experience Rwandan traditional culture, including dance performances. There has also been extensive investment in public infrastructure development, including building schools, health care facilities, clean water facilities, and roads.
There’s also education and awareness in the community about the importance of gorillas and wildlife. The park and the accommodations in and around provide jobs to many people from the local communities. People can earn an income and depend less on nature. Eventually, there was and is less poaching and encroachment, which is spearheading conservation.
In addition to supporting the livelihoods, gorilla tourism revenue is also important for maintaining the security of the park. Also, the revenue aids conservation strategies, including anti-poaching patrols, research, and monitoring. For instance, daily rangers monitor the movement of gorillas and remove snare wires if found. The security team also reports to the team of gorilla doctors who intervene to treat gorillas with injury or sickness.r
Status of mountain gorillas
Dian Fossey introduced active conservation and established the Karisoke Research Center in the park in 1967. This program has successfully controlled threats to gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda, and the DR Congo. The census of mountain gorillas in 2018 indicates that their numbers increased to 1,003 individuals, of which 604 are in the Virunga Area. Over 459 gorillas, which is almost half of the world’s gorilla population, are in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Overall, gorillas have come back from the verge of extinction.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature updated the status of gorillas from being critically endangered to endangered in 2018. Therefore, Kwita Izina is a celebration of this achievement, particularly in Rwanda. The event also acts as a platform for fundraising resources to strengthen public-private collaboration for a common goal. Rwandans are involved in naming the gorillas, which instills a spirit of conservation.
The international celebrities who participate in the naming of gorillas also help to strengthen the image of Rwanda on the international scene. For instance, Sir David Attenborough named a baby gorilla called Inshungu in 2016. He revealed how conservationists have helped to save the apes from extinction.
Threats to Gorilla Conservation
However, any disruption to gorilla safaris can harm the local economy. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the park closed, and there was a reduction in the revenue stream.
According to the International Gorilla Conservation Program, gorillas are vulnerable to coronavirus. Given that the primates share over 98% of their DNA with humans. It has been determined that diseases can be transmitted by people who come into contact with the mountain gorillas. These may include caretakers, tourists, trackers, researchers, rangers, guides, porters, poachers, and local communities.
The Non-Human Primate Covid-19 Information Hub released a concern that if a novel virus like SARS-CoV-2 starts circulating in the great ape populations and causes significant and widespread disease, the impact could be severe, contributing to local or subspecies extinction since mountain gorillas exist in small, vulnerable populations. There are guidelines in place to safeguard gorillas from COVID-19, including the gorilla trekking rules and regulations.
Book with us: We specialize in making tailor-made safari itineraries to Uganda, Rwanda, and the DR Congo. Check out our safari activities and contact us. We shall bring your dream gorilla, chimpanzee, and wildlife safari to reality.
