Rwanda to Name 22 Baby Gorillas as Kwita Izina Conservation Ceremony Returns

Rwanda will name 22 baby mountain gorillas next month at the 21st edition of its annual Kwita Izina ceremony, bringing together conservationists, communities, tourism operators and international guests to celebrate the country’s efforts to protect one of its most iconic species.

The ceremony will take place on Sept. 4 in Kinigi, at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said.

Kwita Izina, which means “to give a name” in Kinyarwanda, is rooted in a centuries-old Rwandan tradition in which newborn children are named in the presence of family and friends. Rwanda officially began naming mountain gorillas in 2005, turning the practice into an international celebration of conservation and nature.

The 22 gorillas to be named this year will bring the number of mountain gorillas named through the ceremony since 2005 to 438, according to RDB.

For Rwanda, however, the event is about more than giving names to newborn gorillas.

“The reproduction of gorillas is a result of the daily work done to protect them, monitor their health and conserve their habitat,” RDB said at a press briefing on Aug. 11.

Mutangana Eugène, director of RDB’s biodiversity conservation department, said Kwita Izina had also helped raise Rwanda’s international profile, particularly as a tourism destination.

He said the selection of people invited to name the gorillas is deliberate, with prominent figures chosen partly for their ability to help showcase Rwanda internationally.

“The selection of the people who give the names is done carefully,” Mutangana said. “We look at people whom we believe can give Rwanda a different image in other countries.”

Over the years, the ceremony has evolved into a platform connecting government officials, researchers, investors, athletes, artists, conservationists and local communities around the protection of mountain gorillas and their habitat.

Rwanda says the event also has an economic dimension.

Northern Province Governor Mugabowagahunde Maurice said Kwita Izina should not be viewed simply as a celebration, arguing that the event helps stimulate tourism and business in Musanze and beyond.

More than 10,000 people are expected to attend this year’s edition, with hotels, restaurants, transport providers, farmers, artisans and traders among those expected to benefit.

The ceremony comes as Rwanda’s tourism industry continues to expand. Tourism revenue reached $685 million in 2025, up from $647 million a year earlier, while visitor arrivals rose to 1.49 million, according to RDB. 

Gorilla tourism remains central to Rwanda’s conservation and tourism strategy. The country’s mountain gorillas form part of the wider population in the Virunga Massif, with Rwanda hosting nearly one-third of that population. The wider mountain gorilla population in the Virunga Massif and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has risen to more than 1,063, according to Kwita Izina organizers.

The 2026 ceremony will be held under the theme “Conservation is Life: Sustaining the Future.” Organizers say the wider Kwita Izina programme will include community projects, conservation activities, media and tourism familiarisation trips and a conservation exhibition in Kinigi. 

For communities living around Volcanoes National Park, the event is also a reminder that the survival of the gorillas is closely tied to the livelihoods and future of people living alongside their habitat.

By placing the newborn gorillas at the centre of a national celebration, Rwanda is seeking to turn conservation into a shared responsibility while keeping the world’s attention on a species whose survival has become one of the country’s most visible conservation success stories.