Rwanda holds a gorilla naming ceremony each year locally known as “Kwita Izina” which is aimed at giving names to baby gorillas born within the year. This year the gorilla naming ceremony was held on Sept 24 and it was the 16th of its kind since the program was started in 2005.
Due to Covid-19, this year’s gorilla naming ceremony was virtually celebrated in order to control the spread of the pandemic unlike in previous years where various gorilla conservation stakeholders and guests could converge at Volcanoes National Park to name the baby gorillas.
This year, a total of 24 infant gorillas were given names which were chosen by frontline conservation staff who included park rangers, trackers and veterinary doctors who monitor and take of the lives of gorillas every day. Amazingly, this year’s ceremony was celebrated on World Gorilla Day, on September 24 which is also the same day American primatologist Dian Fossey started her groundbreaking work to study and protect gorillas in 1967.
How the gorilla naming practice was conceived
Having started in 2005, Rwanda’s gorilla naming ceremony has gone on to become a very important annual tradition celebrated all over the country. The idea of naming baby gorillas was adopted from the Rwanda’s historic cultural practice of newborn babies in the presence of family members and friends. For gorillas, this practice was adapted to celebrate their successful conservation and protection.
How gorilla names are chosen
The wildlife authority in Rwanda each year authorizes trackers who protect the gorillas to choose three potential Kinyarwanda names for each infant gorilla born within the park during the year.
What is the meaning of gorilla names?
Each name is selected to reflect an event or something that was happening in the park, locally or internationally at the time the infant was born. On the official naming day, special guests are given an opportunity to choose one of the selected names for each infant.
What happens on gorilla naming day?
In a normal year, a gorilla-naming ceremony is a multi-day event which includes a variety of activities aimed at promoting conservation awareness. The participants include invited guests, government officials, park staff, community members, students, celebrities, among others. Generally, the event is attended by over 10,000 members including the president of Rwanda who always gives a speech about the importance of conservation. Although this year’s event was moved online, it still celebrated the country’s conservation success that has been achieved through government commitment, community initiatives and research.
Which names were given to baby gorillas this year?
21 field staff who were chosen to name the gorillas were joined by 3 players from English Football Club Arsenal who included club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin and goalkeeper Bernd Leno. In 2018, the Rwanda Development Board though the Visit Rwanda program signed a deal with Arsenal to be the club’s official tourism partner and they feature as the club’s sleeve sponsors.
Aubameyang named one of the baby gorillas “Igitego” which means goal, Bellerin named another “Iriza” which means firstborn while Leno named another “Myugariro” which means defender.
Other names given to baby gorillas and their meaning include;
Duhuze – unifier
Amarembo – path ways
Indiri – bed
Ubushobozi – ability
Kazeneza – welcome
Murengezi – rescuer
Kororoka – prolific
Nyiramajayambere – development
Uwacu – one of us
Nkomezamihigo – keep it up
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