19
baby gorillas, including a set of twins and one female adult, have been given
names in a colorful ceremony held at the foot of Virunga Mountains in
Kinigi-Musanze District, Northern Province. Thousands, among them members of
the diplomatic corps, foreign dignitaries, international journalists and
conservation enthusiasts from across the world, witnessed the naming of the
gorillas in the annual Kwita Izina event. Prime Minister Pierre Damien
Habumuremyi officiated at the 8th edition of the naming ceremony during which
he and other selected individuals gave names to the 19 babies, including a pair
of twins named Impeta and Umudende. Habumuremyi named the gorilla
"Gikundiro" loosely translated as "the beautiful one". "I
called it the Gikundiro because it was voted by Rwandans as the lovely and
cutest baby gorilla," said the Prime Minister.
The
Chairman of East Africa Tourism Platform, named another one Akarabo (beautiful
flower). The Prime Minister said the Kwita Izina ceremony continues to exhibit
Rwanda's commitment towards conservation of gorillas and that the annual event
remains a very important occasion on the national calendar. "It is the
government's goal to balance the material needs of our people with
safe-guarding our environment," he said.
The
International community was hailed for being part of the event, which, is very
important in promoting the most treasured animals in the country. "We
cannot increase our tourist numbers unless all our guests feel at home and are
well taken care of," he noted.
Habumuremyi
reminded the surrounding communities of the Volcano National Park the
importance of the gorillas and the huge sums of money generated from them
annually and partly used to improve the livelihood of the surrounding
communities. Last year, gorillas generated $9.6 million which was part of the
$252 million revenues generated from the tourism industry.
However,
effective this month, the gorilla permits were increased by 50 percent in all
categories; international, regional and nationals. The gorilla naming event,
which was held under the theme "Sustainable tourism for a green
economy", was graced by a number of artists who included Kidumu from
Burundi, Tom Close and Rafiki among others. John Gara, the CEO of Rwanda
Development Board (RDB), commended Rwandans, saying they continued to work with
the government to conserve the mountain gorillas. "This year's
celebrations comes at a critical time when the degradation of the ecosystems has
reached alarming proportions in many parts of the world," he said. Rica
Rwigamba, the Head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB retaliated that the
tourism industry continues to be the country's top foreign exchange earner. "We
are committed to conserve the tourism industry as we protect our mountain
gorillas," she noted. About 141 gorilla babies have been named since 2005.
No comments:
Post a Comment