President Kagame met and held talks with a host of stars who participated in the 19th edition of Kwita Izina.
President Paul Kagame took time off to meet distinguished individuals who participated in the 19th edition of Kwita Izina, where they gave names to baby mountain gorillas in a ceremony that took place in Kinigi, Musanze district, Northern Province, on Friday, September 1.
The Head of State met and interacted with some of the renowned namers, who included global superstars, friends of Rwanda, special guests and senior officials and conservationists from across the globe. Below are photos of some of the namers who met and held talks with President Kagame at Urugwiro Village.
President Kagame met Idris Elba,
Actor, Producer and
Musician and his wife
Sabrina Dhowre Elba
CEO, Model and Activist
and UN Goodwill
Ambassador for IFAD.
President Kagame and the Elbas discussed opportunities for partnerships in developing the creative arts industry. The couple named their baby gorilla “Narame” at the 19th KwitaIzina Ceremony which took place in Kinigi on Friday.
At Urugwiro Village, President Kagame received Cyrille Bolloré, CEO of Bolloré Transport and Logistics, to discuss the company’s current and future investments in Rwanda. The French business leader named his baby gorilla Mugisha at the 19th Kwita Izina Ceremony on Friday.
The individuals, mainly conservation champions, community heroes, sports stars, industry leaders and international artists and celebrities who gave names to 23 baby gorillas.
President Kagame received Cyrille Bolloré, Chief Executive Officer, Bolloré.
President Kagame also met with United
Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Audrey Azoulay
and her delegation. The UNESCO boss named her baby gorilla Ikirango at the 19th gorilla naming ceremony at the 19th edition of Kwita Izina.
President Kagame also met with Arsenal
legend, Sol Campbell , who also participated in the 19th Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony. The British professional football manager and former player named his baby gorilla ‘Jijuka’, meaning “enlightenment”.
President Kagame also received DanaiGurira, actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, and Winston_Duke, actor and Partners in Health Global Ambassador, who were both in Rwanda for the 19th edition of Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony. The stars of the critically-acclaimed Black Panther movies named their baby gorillas Aguka T’Challa and Intarumikwa.
Wakanda stars were elated to meet President Kagame
President Kagame also met with Andrew Mitchell MP, UK Minister of State for Development, who also participated in the 19th Kwita Izina, where he named a baby gorilla Mukundwa. During his four-day visit to the country, Mitchell launched the UK’s Digital Library Program in Rwanda, a partnership with UNICEF aimed at keeping more Rwandan girls in school.
President Kagame also received Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a specialized agency of the United Nations which promotes responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. President Kagame and Pololikashvili held talks on the future of sustainable tourism policies that benefit wildlife ecosystems, and the communities involved. On Friday, he named his baby gorilla ‘Inshingano’.
President Kagame met with Dr. Özlem Türeci, Chief Medical Officer of
BioNTech_Group
, who on behalf of the pharmaceutical organization named a baby gorilla, Intiganda, during yesterday’s #KwitaIzina ceremony.
President Kagame also met with PSG
legend, Bernard Lama, who was is in Rwanda for the 19th Kwita Izina. The European football champion and 1998 World Cup-winning goalkeeper named his baby gorilla ‘Ramba’.
