All roads lead to Musanze for 9th Kwita Izina

All roads will lead to the foot of the chilly Virunga Mountains in Kinigi, Musanze District, for yet another event of naming baby gorillas born in the Virunga National Park.The event, popularly known as Kwita Izina, will today be held for the 9th time, with thousands expected to witness the naming of 12 young animals under the theme ‘Celebrating Nature, Empowering Communities.’Celebrating and naming of baby gorillas started in 2005 and the usually colourful event has seen more than 140 baby gorillas named.According to the Rwanda Development Board, the organisers of the function, international celebrities, conservationists and notable icons will grace this year’s ceremony.Since the inception of the ceremony – which rates very highly on the country’s tourism calendar – the gorilla population has grown by 26 per cent.Gorilla tracking is one of the major cash cows of the country’s tourism sector, with permits costing $750 for foreign tourists and despite the increase from $500 last year, the number of tourists has remained stable.According to Primate Safaris, one of the main tour operators in the country, they receive about 80 tourists who come to visit gorillas daily.The naming ceremony that has attracted to Rwanda, on an annual basis, international celebrities, conservationists and media personalities has seen Rwanda’s tourism grow to unprecedented levels.The Kwita Izina this year started with a caravan that left Kigali yesterday, where participants visited key tourist sites from Kigali to Kinigi, including the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo, Nyabarongo River, Buhanga Eco-Park and Red Rocks Cultural Centre among others.Another event organized as part of the naming was the ‘Igitaramo’—a concert held at Musanze stadium where revelers were treated to a thrilling performance by Kevin Lyttle, a Vincentian soca artiste, Tanzania’s Bongo Flava king Ali Kiba, Burundian music star Kidumu and numerous local artistes including local dance troupes, acrobats, actors and drummers among others. GenesisThe annual event that was launched in 2005 is ceremony of giving a name to a newborn baby gorilla. It is named after the ancestral baby naming ceremony that happened after the birth of a newborn in every family.The ceremony’s main goal is in helping monitor each individual gorilla and their groups in their natural habitat. It was created as a means of bringing attention both locally and internationally about the importance of protecting the mountain gorillas and their habitats in the Virunga Mountains in the north of the country.The occasion has been marked on international conservation calendar as a big day for Rwanda and conservation enthusiasts.Economic impact The baby gorilla naming ceremony has positively impacted the growth of gorillas and transformed the social and economic wellbeing of the communities surrounding the park, as well boosted the tourism growth in Rwanda.According to RDB, more than Rwf1.4 billion has been channeled towards community projects since 2005 in the 41 sectors bordering the three national parks.The five percent tourism revenue sharing programme targets communities around the national parks of Volcanoes (north), Nyungwe (west), and Akagera in the eastern part of the country. Last year, the tourism sector generated $281.8m (Rwf178 billion) compared to $251.3m (Rwf159 billion) the previous year, an increase of 17 per cent, according to 2012 Rwanda Development Board (RDB) figures.Rica Rwigamba, the head of tourism and conservation at RDB, said the event has greatly impacted on the growth of the tourism sector and Rwanda is now known as the country that leads in gorilla conservation. Gorillas contribute about 90 percent of the revenues from national parks.RDB statistics show that visitors from neighbouring countries of DRC, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya accounted for 915,000 in 2012 compared to 714,000 in 2011. Visitors from non-neighbouring states increased to 161,186 in 2012 from 159,579 in 2011.Leisure visitors accounted for about 97,000, while business visitors were about 422,000. ------------------------------------------------ WHO Will name gorillas?>Rifai Taleb He is Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) based in Madrid, Spain. He holds this position since 1 January 2010. From January 2003 to February 2006, Rifai was the Assistant Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO). He served in several ministerial portfolios in the Government of Jordan including Minister of Tourism and Antiquities; Minister of Information; and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation.>Lieke van Lexmond She is a Dutch model, actress and TV presenter. She became famous when she played for 10 years in TV soap Goedetijdenslechtetijden (good times bad times) with 1.5 million viewers every day. She now presents several prime-time TV shows for RTL Broadcasting, the largest commercial TV station in the Netherlands with four TV channels. >Mark van EeuwinHe is Dutch actor who was also made popular by the TV soap Goedetijdenslechtetijden where he starred for seven years. He has also played in several TV sitcoms and blockbuster movies, like Snowfever and De Eetclub. In 2012 he surprised everyone when he was the winner of TV show/contest Strictly Come Dancing, a ballroom dancing contest for Dutch celebrities. >Isaiah Washington He is an American actor, a veteran of several Spike Lee films. Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy from 2005 until 2007. >Cyprian Chitundu He is Managing Director of ZESCO Limited, a power utility company operating under the supervision of the Zambian Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development in. Throughout his career, Cyprian received several awards due to his outstanding performance and dedication to duty. >Dr Paula KahumbuShe is the executive director of the Kenya Land Conservation Trust and Wildlife Direct, and chairman of the Friends of Nairobi National Park.She was coached and mentored by paleoanthropologist and conservationist Richard Leakey, who remains one of her closest allies and supporters. >Paul DalgleishHe is the Director of Sales and Marketing – Middle East- African Continent- Marriott Hotels International,Inc.>Jeffrey David Sachs He is an American economist and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University>Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah JrRamsey is an award-winning Nigerian actor. In 2010 he scooped the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.>Kazuya OgawaThe Japanese Ambassador to Rwanda>KidumuBorn in Burundi as Jean Pierre Nimbona, he is better known by his stage name Kidumu Kibido, and he is one of the most loved artists in the region. Kidumu is currently based in Nairobi.>Elizabeth Nyirakaragure She is a vet who is passionate about taking care of the gorillas. She has been with the Volcanoes National Park for the past 25 years. Soon after her graduation from secondary school, Elizabeth was hired by the Rwanda Office for Tourism and National Parks (now part of the Rwandan Development Board) as a veterinary assistant, working alongside the very first Gorilla Doctor, Dr. James Foster.>Nyiranyenzi Chantal A farmer, Chantal is the vice chair of Twisungane-Gatare Cooperative, which has benefited from the Tourism Revenue Sharing scheme. Her cooperative is implementing a cereals grinding plant project that benefits more than 1,000 families in four sectors of Nyamagabe and Karongi districts.