Art for Gorillas

Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Jun 25 2009 | By: Julie

Rwanda celebrated its 5th annual Kwita Izina–or Gorilla Naming ceremony–this past week in June. The high point of the celebration was the christening of 18 new mountain gorilla babies born in Volcanoes National Park over the previous 12 months. However, Kwita Izina also included multiple other events in the preceding days including a cross-country cycling tour, a conservation conference in Kigali, and an “Igitaramo” party for the community.

The official ceremony took place this year on June 20, featuring Guest of Honor Rwandan Prime Minister Bernard Makuza and several other notable guests including famed American zoo keeper Jack Hanna and South African musician Chris Chameleon. Also in attendance were members of the Rwandan government and private sector, UN representatives, conservationists from around the world, and thousands of local and international supporters.

Igitaramo
The night before the naming ceremony, the park authority (ORTPN) hosts “Igitaramo.” This party for park staffers and community members showcases traditional dancing, singing, and athletics.

Intore dancers perform for local communities, district leaders, and international visitors. Mount Sabyinyo, a volcano within Rwanda’s Virunga Massiff, loams in the background.

Art of Conservation students sing “Mu Birunga” or “In Virunga,” as it translates in English. This song and dance performance celebrates Rwanda’s greatest natural resource, the mountain gorilla, and the interconnections between the natural world and people. (Please click here for more on AoC’s preparations for Kwita Izina)

Grilled corn on the cob and soft drinks were enjoyed by many along with dancing.

Kwita Izina, the 5th Annual Gorilla Naming Ceremony.

Beginning as early at 7:00 am, spectators, honored guests, performers, and the media began to gather at Kinigi’s Cultural Village, the site of Kwita Izina.

Performers dressed as mountain gorillas relax and take in the day’s festivities while human primates behind them take in the sights.

Chris Chameleon, a musician from South Africa who was given the honor of naming one of the baby gorillas, sang a song in his native tongue, Afrikaans.

With the entertainment program shortened, AoC students and other local community groups did not perform on stage, but did enjoy the ceremony anyway.

Tags: Kwita Izina, mountain gorillas, rwanda

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Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Jun 12 2009 | By: Julie

For 2009, the “Year of the Gorilla”, Art of Conservation wanted to make sure to make our presence known at Kwita Izina, Rwanda’s annual naming ceremony for the year’s new baby mountain gorillas. Over the years, Kwita Izina has grown from a small grassroots event to an international celebration of Rwanda’s most treasured natural asset.

Art of Conservation, which has its core mission the goal helping the people who live near the gorillas to live healthier lives so that both the human and animal populations can be healthy, want to stress the interconnectedness of the gorillas and the Rwandan people at Kwita Izina.

Art of Conservation has been working on a song and dance performance with our 150 school students called Mu Birunga (In Virunga referring to the home of the gorillas the Virunga Massiff) which serves to deepen the understanding of the connection between people and mountain gorillas.

Our students recently auditioned to perform Mu Birunga in the June 20th Kwita Izina ceremony. District leaders watched the kids perform and were impressed enough to invite them to participate.

Since then, the kids have been working hard to perfect their performance for the big day.

Girls at Nyabitsinde Primary School practice the routine. Photo by Molly Feltner.

Julie demonstrates the dance steps. Photo by Molly Feltner.

District leaders are pleased with the song and dance. Photo by Molly Feltner.

Students practice entering and exiting the stage. Photo by Molly Feltner.

Tags: Kwita Izina, mountain gorillas, one-health, rwanda

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