{{Rwanda Development Board (RDB) will host the 10th Annual Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony on July 1, 2014, in Kinigi, Rwanda. A week of festivities will precede the world-renowned event.}}
An inventive “Name a Gorilla” contest was also launched this month on Facebook to raise awareness of Kwita Izina and promote Rwanda’s extraordinary conservation story among East African Community (EAC) residents.
Participants are invited to propose a name for one of the 18 baby gorillas born this year with a chance of winning a trip for two to Rwanda if their name is selected.
Kwita Izina (which means “gorilla name” in the local Kinyarwanda language) is based on a centuries old Rwandan baby naming tradition.
The celebration is designed to bring international attention to the endangered gorillas of the Virunga Mountains. Over the course of the past 9 ceremonies, 161 baby gorillas have been named.
The theme for this year’s milestone celebration is “A Decade: Conserving – Empowering – Growing”, highlighting the collaborative community approach to conservation that has led to 26.3% increase in the gorilla population since Kwita Izina debuted ten years ago.
“The Kwita Izina 2014 theme reminds us of the indelible link between humans and gorillas. Every name given to a gorilla is part of our promise to provide them with freedom and safety in the wild.
The “Name a Gorilla” contest is a way to extend this relationship to our neighbors in East Africa and invite them to be part of Rwanda’s legacy of conservation,” says Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, Head of RDB’s Tourism and Conservation Department.
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