The 22 Stars that Stole the Show

13 September 2016 | East Africa Travel |

Steve travelled to Kwita Izina, the 12th annual naming ceremony for newborn gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, and tells us about his visit to the beautiful country and his experience at this very special event.

Earlier this month, on 2 September, the 12th Kwita Izina naming ceremony for newborn gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park was celebrated. Occurring annually since 2005, this year 22 babies were named, bringing the total to 283 since the event started – an incredible achievement and testament to the determined efforts of the Rwandan people in protecting these magnificent animals. The Kwita Izina is inspired by the ancient tradition of naming babies soon after they are born.

Gorilla naming ceremony collage 5

Ntamupaka (No border), Ntibisanzwe (Remarkable), Ndumunyrwanda (I am Rwandan)

 

Rwanda is a thriving country, with a fast growing economy and a proud population, working determinedly to move on from the horrors of the 1994 genocide. One such example is “Umuganda day”, the last Saturday of every month, when all citizens are required to take the day off and serve the community by collecting litter. The result is surely the cleanest country in Africa.

My visit to the small, landlocked country commenced in the capital of Kigali, with a tour of the Genocide Museum, described as a place of remembrance and learning and the final resting place for 250,000 genocide victims. It’s a harrowing experience, and a stark reminder of Rwanda’s recent past. In the aftermath of 1994, there has been much written about how the international community allowed events to unfold as they did, seemingly with little interest in the fate of the country and its people.

Seeing the numbers of visiting dignitaries, tourism professionals and other international guests at the naming ceremony, it’s hard to believe that now. For Rwandans, supported by the international community, have found a cause to believe in – the conservation of the remaining few hundred mountain gorillas that remain in the wild.

During his address, President Paul Kagame stressed the relationship between conservation and development, and the dependence of economic growth on the state of the country’s natural attractions. Besides being a valuable source of foreign exchange revenues, a portion of the gorilla permit income is now being shared with the local communities surrounding the park, and its clearly evident that much has changed over the preceding decade, and I suspect there will be even more so over the next.

But back to the gorillas and the newborn stars of the 2016 celebrations. The names chosen for the 22 babies were carefully considered: representing their story (born on Palm Sunday), the story of Rwanda (born on the Referendum day), or character and physical traits already evident in the young ones: Ishimwe (be happy), Umwiza (the beautiful one), Umuhate (bravery) and Mafubo (someone who has an excellent character) and more …

Gorilla naming ceremony collage 7

Umuhuza (Uniting people), Tunganirwa (Be fortunate), Umwize (The Beautiful one)

Gorilla naming ceremony collage 6

Nyapinga (Beautiful girl), Referendum (Born on Referendum day), Ukwiyunga (Unite)

Gorilla naming ceremony collage 1

Icyemezo (Decision), Hobe (Rwandan greeting), Ifatizo (The Foundation)

 

For the lucky chosen few, it was an honour to name these young primates; for the rest of us present, it was a collective welcoming into a fragile world, and an undertaking to do our part to help protect these endangered mammals.

Spending time with the gorilla families in the wild, is surely an hour that you will never forget, but what stood out for me and tugged at my heartstrings when celebrating these 22 youngsters were their adorable hairstyles: the crop cut, the buzz cut, the ‘kuif’, the Wolverine, the ‘I just got out of bed’ and the ‘my mom ruffled my hair’ look.

Let us know which is your favourite, mine, I think, is Umuhate the Brave (the opening picture in this post).

Gorilla naming ceremony collage 2

Igikombe (Award / cup), Inshungu (Replacement), Ingemwe (Seeds)

Gorilla naming ceremony collage 3

Ndizihiwe (I am happy), Ireme (A perfect thing), Ishimwe (Be happy)

Gorilla naming ceremony collage 4

Kura (Grow), Mafubo (Of excellent character), Mashami (Born on Palm Sunday)

 

Steve travelled through Rwanda courtesy of the Rwandan Development Board and UberLuxe Safaris, with thanks to Lake Kivu Serena Hotel and Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge for their generous hospitality

Note from the Editor: I was delighted to see that our friend and industry supremo, Keith Vincent, CEO of Wilderness Safaris, had the honour of naming one of the babies: Nyampinga (Beautiful girl) born on 10 April this year. And the baby that Kate and I ‘met’ last December and member of the Sabyinyo family was named Icyemezo (Decision). He looked pretty decisive when he stood his ground as his dad, the powerful silverback Guhonda and the largest measured to date at 220kg, approached. We, on the otherhand, were quaking in our hiking boots.

AUTHOR: Steve Mitchell

Steve is CEO and Co-Founder of Angama. Responsible for the vitality of the business along with the stewardship of the Angama Foundation, he is besotted with African travel and is always on the lookout for more ways to delight our guests. When he’s not replying to emails, he’s probably somewhere along Kilifi Creek with his three lovely children.

COMMENTS (12)
Gaie Fergusson
September 13, 2016

Thank you – cannot wait to get back to Angama – love Gaie

REPLY
    Nicky Fitzgerald
    September 14, 2016

    Thank you Gaie – we are also looking forward to that happy day

    REPLY
Suzanne Bayly-Coupe
September 13, 2016

Love these blogs – they have become a ‘look forward to’ read in my inbox.
Thank you.

REPLY
    Nicky Fitzgerald
    September 14, 2016

    Thank you Suzanne – knowing how full that inbox of yours is this is high praise indeed !

    REPLY
yvonne yohe
September 13, 2016

Trekking for the silver back gorilla in Volcano National Park and visiting Angama Mara have been the highlights of my life! I love Be Fortunate.

REPLY
    Nicky Fitzgerald
    September 14, 2016

    Thank you so much for your ongoing support of all our social media efforts !

    REPLY
Mandisa
September 14, 2016

As on most occasions, my heart is warmed by ‘Leaving Out the Dull Parts’. I am absolutely in love with Ndamunyarwanda and Nyapinga, these are the most precious little faces! Thank you, and keep up the awesome work. Your blog is one of the highlights in my week!

REPLY
    Nicky Fitzgerald
    September 14, 2016

    Thanks so much! We try our best to keep this blog fun, interesting and a worthwhile read – we are so appreciative of the time our readers take to check in with us weekly

    REPLY
michelina gabrie'
September 14, 2016

Bravo during the named gorilla cerimony I was not able to wrote the names..you done a great job…super

REPLY
    Nicky Fitzgerald
    September 14, 2016

    Thank you … we did have a little help from their website 🙂

    REPLY
RUGIRA Jean Bosco
September 15, 2016

Very good updates and nice position.Thanks and let us keep up in the good way of conserving our wild.Thanks and stay blessed.

REPLY
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