Belgian-Rwandan model and former Miss Belgium Johanna Ameloot Kenza and award-winning Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo are among the personalities set to name baby mountain gorillas at the 21st Kwita Izina ceremony on Friday, September 4. The ceremony will be held in Kinigi, Musanze District, at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park, under the theme “Conservation is Life: Sustaining the Future.” Twenty-two baby mountain gorillas are expected to be named at this year’s ceremony, continuing Rwanda’s tradition of using Kwita Izina to celebrate conservation and raise awareness of the importance of protecting the endangered species. Ameloot’s participation carries a deeply personal connection to Rwanda. The former Miss Belgium was born in Belgium to a Rwandan mother, Joseline Gakire, and a Belgian father, and has repeatedly spoken about Rwanda as an important part of her identity and home. Beyond modelling and pageantry, Ameloot has used her public platform to advocate for children and access to eye care. During a 2024 visit to Rwanda, she partnered with Light for the World and visited eye-care services at Kabgayi in Muhanga, where she highlighted the challenges of preventable childhood blindness and the importance of cataract treatment. Dusabejambo, meanwhile, arrives at Kwita Izina following a landmark year for Rwandan cinema. Her debut feature film, Benimana, became the first film by a Rwandan director to enter the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Selection when it competed in the Un Certain Regard section in May. The film later won the prestigious Caméra d’Or, awarded to the best first feature presented across the Cannes selections. Dusabejambo’s work has explored themes of memory, discrimination, reconciliation and social identity. An electronics and telecommunications engineer by training, she began her filmmaking career with short films including Lyiza, Behind the Word, A Place for Myself and Icyasha. Her work has earned recognition at major African film festivals, including Carthage, Zanzibar and FESPACO. Her 2016 film A Place for Myself, which tells the story of a young girl with albinism facing discrimination, won three awards at the Zanzibar International Film Festival and later received the Thomas Sankara Prize at FESPACO. Other personalities to name gorillas Other personalities confirmed among this year’s gorilla namers include former Manchester United and France captain Patrice Evra; former France and Paris Saint-Germain captain Mamadou Sakho; Rwandan gospel singer Israel Mbonyi; Shaikha Al Nuwais, the incoming Secretary-General of UN Tourism; and Egyptian businessman Ahmed Sadek Elsewedy, chairman of Elsewedy Electric. British natural-history filmmaker Alastair Fothergill, known for landmark productions including Planet Earth, Blue Planet and the Rwanda-focused A Gorilla Story, has also been announced as one of the namers. Another conservation voice joining the ceremony is Jeannette Uwimbabazi, a Nyungwe National Park ranger recognised for her work protecting Rwanda’s biodiversity. Also announced on Thursday was Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, chief executive and majority shareholder of Atlético de Madrid, who also serves on UEFA’s Executive Committee. Atlético Madrid is among Visit Rwanda’s international sports partners. The diverse group of namers reflects Kwita Izina’s broader role in bringing together figures from sport, entertainment, conservation, business and public life around Rwanda’s commitment to protecting its mountain gorillas and their habitat.
