There are some days in life that stay with you. Friday at Kwita Izina was certainly one of mine.
Fourteen years ago, we came to Rwanda with an ambitious idea: that we could use carbon finance to give rural families access to clean cooking at a scale that could genuinely transform lives and protect the natural environment. I could never have imagined then that, all these years later, I would be standing at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park, dressed in traditional Rwandan clothing, preparing to name a baby Mountain Gorilla.
It was an enormous honour – and also tremendous fun.
Rwanda knows how to put on an occasion, and Kwita Izina is quite unlike anything I have experienced before. There was music, dancing, colour, Olympic standard choreography and an extraordinary sense of celebration against the backdrop of the iconic and vast bamboo Silverback stage.
But what struck me most was the enthusiasm of everyone there, particularly the children. I’m not sure this fully came across on television, but it was palpable. They really get the importance of conservation. It wasn’t something remote or abstract; it felt like something they were genuinely proud to be part of. That, to me, says a great deal about Rwanda’s conservation story.
My wife Sue and I were invited to name the gorilla together, which made an already special experience even more memorable. The namers were wonderfully looked after, including being dressed for the ceremony in traditional Rwandan attire. I am a kilt wearer, so perhaps I had a slight head start when it came to embracing unfamiliar ceremonial dress, although putting it on was considerably more complicated than I had anticipated and definitely required the help of dresser Rosy! The workmanship was beautiful, and I loved wearing it. For a few hours, it felt rather special to be so immersed in Rwandan culture.
We were also in remarkable company. The group of namers included conservationists, business leaders, sportspeople, filmmakers, musicians and others from Rwanda and around the world. What impressed me was not simply what people had achieved, but how open and friendly everyone was and there was a real sense of shared purpose behind the occasion.
We particularly enjoyed conversations with philanthropists Garreth and Nicola Wood who were to join us on our trek the following day; Alistair Fothergill the filmmaker who worked with Sir David Attenborough to create the renowned BBC nature documentaries; footballer James Chester a fellow Mancunian with Sue, and French footballing legend Mamadou Sakho who was charming to all and definitely had the best haircut.
And then came the moment we had been waiting for, our names were called and we walked onto the stage together accompanied by the ceremonial drums.
Our gorilla is a young male from the Izuba family, born to his mother, Mbere. We named him Uruhembe, meaning “at the forefront.” The name was chosen to recognise the rangers who are quite literally at the forefront of protecting Rwanda’s Mountain Gorillas and their habitat every day. Sue and I dedicated the name to their commitment and courage, with the hope that Uruhembe will grow strong in the safety their work helps provide.
Standing on that stage and saying his name for the first time was unexpectedly emotional. Because although Kwita Izina is joyful – and it really is a great celebration – behind it lies something very serious.
Mountain Gorillas remain endangered and whilst numbers are increasing thanks to Rwanda’s conservation efforts, just over 1,000 remain in the wild. Their future depends upon protecting their habitat, but it also depends upon ensuring that the communities living alongside that habitat can thrive.
That connection between people and nature has always been fundamental to what we do at DelAgua. When we started Tubeho Neza – “Live Well” – in Rwanda in 2012, we deliberately focused on rural families who could not afford to make the transition to clean cooking themselves.
Today, more than 1.9 million DelAgua stoves have been distributed reaching more than seven million people. They reduce firewood consumption by 71%, and the programme has prevented the harvesting of some 3.1 million tonnes of wood. Those figures are important. But standing beneath the Virunga Mountains on Friday made them feel very tangible. Every family using less wood means less pressure on Rwanda’s forests. Those forests are part of a much bigger ecosystem – one that supports communities, biodiversity and extraordinary species such as the Mountain Gorilla. It is why I have always believed that improving people’s lives and protecting nature should not be treated as competing ambitions. Done properly, they reinforce one another.
None of that happens without partnership and trust. Our relationship with the Government of Rwanda and, most importantly, with the communities we serve has been central to everything we have achieved.
So being asked to name one of Rwanda’s Mountain Gorillas felt like much more than a personal honour. I felt it was also recognition of the extraordinary DelAgua team in Rwanda and the work they have done over so many years.
At the end of an unforgettable day, however, my thoughts kept returning to one young gorilla.
Uruhembe. I hope he has a long life in the forests of the Virunga Mountains. And I hope his name will always be a small tribute to the people who stand at the forefront every day to make that possible.
For Sue and me, it was a privilege to play a tiny part in his story.
