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Rwandan Festival Celebrates Gorillas

The 14th annual Kwita Izina Festival is underway in Rwanda, and will conclude in September with the naming of 23 gorillas born over the last year under the watchful eye of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
 
The naming of the gorillas at the end of the festival is especially poignant this year, given that the theme of these year’s festival is “Conservation of Life”, particularly the conservation of the endangered Mountain Gorilla.
 
The festival – inspired by ancient Rwandan culture – includes activities to develop communities that live near wildlife centres in Rwanda, including delivering housing to the Nyamagabe District which borders the Nyungwe Forest National Park, and a mobile clinic and solar power to the Kayonza District, in the southern region of the Akagera National Park.
 
An exhibition on conservation, titled “Conversations on Conservation” will take place on September 4 and 5, and will showcase Rwanda’s partners in conservation from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
 
 
The Kwita Izina Festival kicked off on July 11th with these words from RDB Chief Tourism Officer Belise Kariza: “The increasing number of Mountain gorilla in the Volcanoes National Park is proof of the strides that we have made in gorilla conservation. This could have not happened without the support and collaboration of our conservation partners as well as the co-operation of the members of the community surrounding the park.”
 
Kariza also spoke about how conserving the gorilla population has directly impacted the economy in Rwanda. “Through the contribution of tourism and tourism revenues, we have not only been able to invest in the gorilla experience for our visitors we have also been able increase the amount of support we have given to the local communities through the revenue sharing programme.”
 
The Festival concludes on September 7, with the naming of the 23 baby gorillas. Park rangers and gorilla trackers have submitted a list of potentional names for the baby gorillas based on their behaviour and personalities.
 
This year’s festival will be attended by President Paul Kagame, senior conservation advisor to the World Wildlife Fund Dr. Allan Karlsson, and many other leaders in the world of animal and environmental conservation. And thanks to a deal signed between Rwanda and the Arsenal football team, a member of the team will be on hand for the gorilla naming ceremony.