Kwita Izina 2019: All Roads Lead To Kinigi

All roads on Friday morning will lead to Kinigi at the foothills of the Virunga Mountains where 25 baby gorillas will be named amid pomp and pageantry in a ceremony that will be attended by global celebrities, conservationists, selected locals and friends of Rwanda.

The annual ceremony, locally known as Kwita Izina, now in its 15th edition, has become a prominent fixture on the national calendar, drawing in praise from conservationists who credit it for raising the plight of the once critically endangered Mountain Gorilla.

The 25 baby gorillas that will be named are members of the Amahoro, Umubano, Hirwa, Igisha, Isimbi, Muhoza, Kwitonda, Sabyinyo, Susa, Pablo, Kuryama, Mafunzo, Kureba, Musirikali, and Ntambara groups.

The event is characterized by celebrations involving Northern Province residents who convene at the site in Kinigi, music, merrymaking, food, and drinks.

President Paul Kagame is expected to grace the occasion which has since become an attraction for international and local media.

Later in the evening, the Kwita Izina Gala dinner will be hosted at Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) where singers Ne-Yo, Meddy and others will entertain attendees while Kigali Arena will on Saturday, September 7 host the Kwita Izina concert.