Kwita Izina, Rwanda’s annual baby gorilla-naming ceremony,
is slated for September 1 at the entrance of Volcanoes National Park in the Musanze
district. And, as has been the norm in the last 5 years, Cultural Tourism Week
is going to run from August 25 to D-day, as a curtain raiser to the ceremony.
Greg Bakunzi, the founder of Red Rocks Cultural Centre - the
organizers of Cultural Tourism Week - says that this year his organization has
partnered with Linking Tourism & Conservation (LT&C), a European
conservation non-profit, to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, experience,
and effective practices that mutually benefit tourism and nature conservation
in protected areas.
LT&C is based on the compelling idea that tourism, the
industry that benefits so much from protected natural areas, can play the most
critical role in ensuring their sustained and effective management world-wide.
“By partnering with an international conservation
organization like LT&C, we also want to reach a wider audience and show
that conservation is a global responsibility,” adds Bakunzi.
Cultural Tourism Week has become a premier chain of events
through which Rwandans have the chance to reflect about their rich cultural
heritage and play a critical role in conservation efforts. The event also gives
Kwita Izina attendees a peek into the “real Rwanda” during their visit to the
country.
Furthermore, the organizers of Cultural Tourism Week want to
debunk the myth that Rwanda is only about the mountain gorillas.
“Rwanda is a country that is rich in cultural heritage and
history, and Cultural Tourism Week has become a chain of events through which
different people from different cultures come together and share their
experiences and stories as a form of cultural synthesis,” says Bakunzi.
This year, like in the past 5 years, Cultural Tourism Week
is going to involve events that reflect the authentic cultural identity of the
country.
It is going to feature 2 major themes: Cultural Tourism Week
that will run daily from 2 pm until 6 pm, and thereafter the Kwita Izina Nights
to run from 6 pm to 10 pm.
According to Bakunzi, the Kwita Izina Nights will offer
visitors the opportunity to have fun after the strenuous day spent in the wild
trekking the gorillas. Visitors will have the opportunity to share Rwanda’s
(traditional) food and drinks, dance to live traditional music, and also be
thrilled by stand-up comedians.
Visitors will also have the chance to sit around the
campfire and share their respective stories, just as their forefathers used to
do.
Visitors can also learn how to make the traditional banana
beer (locally known as Urwagwa) and also take part in basket weaving, pottery,
painting, and dancing.
Another interesting activity will be the “Gorilla Run.”
Here, people are going to have the opportunity to participate or cheer on the
athletes taking part in Red Rocks’ first gorilla run, which will go through
villages around Volcanoes National Park.
Other events lined up include a Cultural Fashion Show, where
Rwandan designers will have the chance to showcase and market Rwanda’s unique
traditional and modern attires. Tourists will have the chance to purchase one
or two of these as souvenirs.
Networking
opportunity
Bakunzi adds that “the Cultural Tourism Week is an ideal
networking opportunity for civil society organizations, tourism industry
players, policy makers, and government officials, considering that the event
attracts a sophisticated audience that appreciates our commitment to realizing
sustainable community development through cultural tourism and conservation.”
Francis Ndagijimana, Special Project Coordinator for the
Virunga Community Programs, says that Kwita Izina should provide Rwanda with
the opportunity to market its tourism potential.
“This is an event that has attracted international
attention. It’s upon Rwanda to use such [an] opportunity to market her other
attractions. The visitors who come to take part in Kwita Izina should be left
with no doubt in their minds that Rwanda also has more amazing tourist
attractions apart from the mountain gorillas,” he says.
Peterson Hirwa, a poacher-turned tour guide, says Cultural
Tourism Week has educated them on the value of conservation.
For more information, visit: www.amahoro-tours.com
by Gilbert Mwijuke
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