Kwita Izina, Rwanda’s Gorilla Naming Ceremony, is inspired by the traditional Rwandan practice where families hold a special ceremony to name newborn babies.
For three decades prior to the first official gorilla naming ceremony, park rangers and researchers named Rwanda’s baby mountain gorillas as part of ongoing efforts to monitor and ensure the wellbeing of each individual gorilla in their family and habitat.
The Government of Rwanda, through the Rwanda Development Board and in collaboration with conservation partners, private sector stakeholders, and local communities, has achieved remarkable success in protecting and growing the endangered mountain gorilla population.
Today, mountain gorillas are the only species of great apes whose population is increasing anywhere in the world. Rwanda’s naming tradition has been adapted into a flagship national event known as Kwita Izina to celebrate this conservation success
Kwita Izina was introduced in 2005 to create greater awareness of the importance of conservation and to thank communities for their ongoing and invaluable support of these initiatives.
It has become the most important annual event on Rwanda’s calendar, attended by around 30,000 community members and thousands of international, regional, and local guests each year.
To date, 397 mountain gorillas have been named over the past 19 ceremonies. Kwita Izina is also becoming known as Africa’s leading dialogue on conservation and tourism.
This 20th anniversary of Gorilla Naming, known as Kwita Izina 20, will be held on Friday, 5 September 2025, and will celebrate the country’s commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism.
