Home arrow Network News arrow Network News arrow Rwanda: Kwita Izina Ceremony to Celebrate 18 Baby Gorillas
Rwanda: Kwita Izina Ceremony to Celebrate 18 Baby Gorillas
The gorilla naming ceremony was initiated in 2004 to put the country's biggest tourist attraction, the endangered mountain gorillas, in the spotlight. It was later branded Kwita Izina after the traditional child-naming ceremony. Over four years, it has attracted more than 20,000 participants.

Gorilla tourism has had a great impact on conservation and on communities. (courtesy photo)

This year's event will be held on June 20, at its traditional sites in the shadow of the Virunga Mountains at Kinigi in Musanze district, under the theme of "Celebrating the international year of the gorilla." This refers to the fact that 2009 has been named the Year of the Gorilla by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) to promote gorilla protection and the conservation of their habitats. Currently, three of the four gorilla subspecies, which belong to two species, are listed as "Critically Endangered" in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

In Rwanda, however, gorilla tourism has had a great impact on conservation and on communities as well. For instance, poaching has significantly reduced, and the number of gorillas is on the increase.

The deputy CEO in charge of tourism and conservation at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Chantal Rosette Rugamba, remarked that the fifth Kwita Izina will be preceded by ten days of activities, among which a two-day international cycling race.

"We will be celebrating the birth of 18 baby gorillas which will be given names," she said, adding that names will be chosen from proposals made by park wardens, since they are most familiar with the character of the animals.

The ceremony comes at a time when tourism has become the number one foreign exchange earner, with 980,577 visitors bringing in US$ 209 million in 2008. Investment in the sector also continued to grow, according to George Mulamula, the RDB principal deputy CEO. Last year, the number of hotels increased to 163 (148 in 2007) and the number of hotel rooms rose from 2,391 in 2007 to 3,552 in 2008.

This obviously has had an impact on employment in the sector, which increased by 26% in 2008. The number of tour operators and travel agencies also went up, from 34 in 2007 to 48 in 2008.

Local communities too are benefitting, with some Frw 460 million having been invested in Northern Province in 2008 to build three health centers, rehabilitate and equip 11 schools and construct 4 water tanks with 15 water spring taps.

http://focus.rw
 

Sponsored Links