KWITA IZINA: A CELEBRATION OF NEWBORN GORILLA

By: MUGISHA Oreste

Every year in Rwanda, a child is given a name not with a birth certificate but with a ceremony - and so is a gorilla. This book explores Kwita Izina, the ancient Rwandan tradition of naming that has found remarkable new life in the forests of the Virunga Mountains.
What began as a quiet cultural practice carried through generations became, in 2005, one of Africa's most compelling conservation events. But Kwita Izina is more than a ceremony. It is a statement - that these mountain gorillas belong, that they matter, that their survival is woven into Rwanda's identity as deliberately as any family name.
Drawing on the legacy of Dian Fossey, the depth of Rwandan ancestral customs, and the hard-won triumphs of modern conservation, this book traces how a name became a lifeline. It examines how tourism dollars, community pride, and a single annual gathering in the shadow of volcanic peaks have helped pull a species back from the edge.
To name something is to claim responsibility for it. Rwanda understood this long before the world was watching. This is the story of how a forest found its voice - and how people answered back.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HL39XBZG
• ISBN13: 9798197219954
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 95 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 0.2" x 6.7"