The Gorilla naming ceremony or Kwita Izina is an important annual tradition which is occurs every year in Rwanda. During the ceremony, all infant gorillas born in the past one year are given names in a colorful ceremony. “Kwita Izina” means to give a name to a new born baby in Kinyarwanda. The Kwita Izina tradition has been in existence for many centuries in Rwanda but it didn’t apply to gorilla babies. Members of the community would come together to celebrate the naming of a new born child. The same community would commit to nurturing and protecting the child until they became adults. In Rwanda, raising the child was a community thing and not left to only the biological parents as we sometimes see today.
This ancient tradition by the Banyarwanda has now been adopted by the gorilla conservation community. The gorilla naming ceremony occurs every September and is supported by gorilla conservationists globally. Guest from across the globe including tourist are invited to witness and actively take part in the colorful ceremony. The ceremony is usually hosted near the Volcanoes national park in a village called Kinigi. Kinigi is found in Musanze just on the slopes of the volcanoes mountain.
In the past years, infant gorilla naming was done by just the park authorities, Rangers and Researchers. It was done without any ceremony of sort. It was only a few years ago that a decision was made to come up with a special gorilla naming ceremony. The goal of this ceremony was to create continuous awareness of mountain gorilla conservation activities. Over 20,000 guests attend the Kwita Izina including celebrities and prominent personalities. The ceremony is highly promoted within wildlife conservation circles globally and prominent conservationists are invited. The president or Rwanda is a frequent attendee.
Kwita Izina has contributed to an increase in the overall numbers of the endangered mountain gorillas from just about 300 individual gorillas in 1985 to over 1000 individuals across the three countries of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The publicity, knowledge and awareness spread during the Kwita Izina ceremonies attracts many important people and donors.
Reasons for Naming Infant Gorillas
The naming of infant gorillas is important for the easy identification of the primates in a particular family. Gorillas have a similar DNA composition to we humans (almost 98%) and that includes their 
facial structures. Their faces look similar to each other and naming each new born individual helps distinguish one from the other. Naming each individual gorilla and also their family groups helps the Park Rangers, Guides and researchers to easily monitor their growth, health, new births and deaths. Naming gorillas helps the Park Authorities to protect them from any possible dangers by knowing when one is missing. When a gorilla or group has a name, it is easier for Individual donors and sponsors to offer support. You can learn more about sponsoring a gorilla here.
What happens during the Kwita Izina Ceremony?
During the Kwita Izina ceremonies, selected guests are given the golden opportunity to name a baby gorilla. They can choose a name from a selected pool or come up with their own distinct name for the 
baby gorilla. It should be noted that it is not just about naming a baby gorilla but also any new family that was formed by a silverback that year. Newly created gorilla families are rare but about 10 individual infant gorillas are named during the Kwita Izina ceremony. The naming occurs amidst cheerful jubilation, partying and wonderful traditional performances from several dance troupes. The guests and tourists can be sure to enjoy local African local dishes, learn how to weave traditional baskets and crafts. Guests can also expect to learn traditional music/dance and while learning how traditional Africans in Rwanda live their life. Guests who take part in the Kwita Izina Ceremony also take part in other tourist activities like visiting the genocide memorial museum, hiking one of the Virunga Volcanoes or seeing the big 5 in Akagera National Park.
The Significance of the Gorilla Naming Ceremony to Rwanda
The gorilla naming ceremony in Rwanda has been an effective conservation tool over the years because it attracts the attention of people within and outside the country. The local people who reside near the protected park reserves are usually part of the guests invited for the Kwita Izina. While in attendance, they get to learn a lot about gorilla conservation programs in Africa. They are also involved in conservation activities by becoming the protectors of the primates. The awareness campaigns during the ceremony has helped eliminate poaching within the Volcanoes National Park to the extent that some of the former poachers have now become Park Rangers.
The gorilla naming ceremony in Rwanda attracts important guests who crown the day by visiting the gorillas. When they do so, money is collected from gorilla permits that helps finance the development of several important sectors in the country. Some of the money generated from gorilla trekking is 
channeled into the development and establishment of social infrastructures. In fact, the communities that live close to the gorilla parks tend to have amenities that may not be readily available in other rural areas. By that we mean schools, hospitals, roads and safe drinking water sources.
The Kwita Izina ceremonies offer many financial opportunities to hotels responsible for hosting the guests, artisan shops and those in the transportation business. In conclusion, we can say that the gorilla naming ceremony in Rwanda is an important statement by the government of Rwanda and shows that they take conservation seriously. The government has managed to involve the world and make it a collective responsibility to prevent gorillas from extinction.
