Rwanda will celebrate the 20th edition of its flagship gorilla naming ceremony – Kwita Izina – with the naming of 40 baby mountain gorillas born in 2024 and 2025.
The ceremony will take place at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park on September 5. It will be followed by the launch of a crowdfunding platform for ongoing conservation of the park and its endangered mountain gorillas.
Countrywide fam trips for international media and tour operators will take place on either side of the event.
Since its launch in 2005, Kwita Izina has named 397 baby mountain gorillas. The gorillas are officially handed their names by local and global icons and conservationists from around the world.
“We are excited to celebrate 20 years of Kwita Izina – a ceremony that has become a symbol of conservation, community and culture in Rwanda,” said Rwanda Development Board’s Chief Tourism Officer Irène Murerwa.
Conservation efforts have led to an increase in the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains from 880 in 2012 to at least 1 063 today.
As with every edition, this year’s ceremony will also honour the local communities and rangers who continue to play a vital role in the survival of Rwanda’s gorillas.
A green agricultural project will launch ahead of the event in the Musanze District as part of the Rwanda Development Board’s 2025 Tourism Revenue Share Programme, which allocates 10% of tourism income back to local communities.
