American television personality and comedian Ellen DeGeneres has returned to Rwanda with her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, ahead of the 21st edition of Kwita Izina, the country’s annual mountain gorilla naming ceremony.
DeGeneres is expected to be among the high-profile guests taking part in this year’s ceremony, where 22 baby mountain gorillas will be given names on September 4, 2026, in Kinigi, Musanze District.
Her arrival comes as Rwanda prepares to welcome conservationists, international celebrities, tourism leaders, researchers and other distinguished guests for an event that has become a major platform for celebrating the country’s conservation achievements.
During her visit, DeGeneres toured the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Kinigi.
The conservation and research centre, which opened in 2022, has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors and supports research, education and efforts to protect mountain gorillas.
“I am very grateful to get to bring this kind of awareness and support for gorillas and Rwanda,” DeGeneres said while sharing her visit.
A long-standing connection to Rwanda’s gorillas
DeGeneres has maintained a strong connection with Rwanda and mountain gorilla conservation for years.
She first visited Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park in 2018 with de Rossi, where they experienced the mountain gorillas and learned more about the conservation legacy of the late American primatologist Dian Fossey.
Following that visit, DeGeneres stepped up her support for gorilla conservation. In 2019, a fundraising campaign associated with her raised U$5 million, which contributed to the development of the conservation campus near Volcanoes National Park.
The campus has since become an important centre for conservation research, education and training, carrying forward Fossey’s decades-long work to protect mountain gorillas in the Virunga Mountains.
What her presence means for Kwita Izina
DeGeneres’ participation adds international visibility to Kwita Izina and reinforces the ceremony’s role as more than simply a gorilla-naming event.
The annual celebration provides Rwanda with an opportunity to showcase its conservation model, promote responsible tourism and draw global attention to the protection of the critically endangered mountain gorillas and their habitat.
Her presence also highlights the growing relationship between conservation, tourism and global advocacy.
As one of the international figures who has publicly championed Rwanda’s gorilla conservation efforts, DeGeneres’ involvement can help bring the country’s conservation story to a wider international audience.
The 2026 programme will also feature a community project launch, conservation exhibitions, gorilla trekking experiences and international travel media and trade familiarisation activities.
Since Kwita Izina was launched in 2005, 438 mountain gorillas have been given names, including 40 babies named during last year’s ceremony.
This year’s event will therefore not only celebrate the birth of 22 new gorillas but also highlight the broader efforts by Rwanda and its partners to ensure the long-term survival of mountain gorillas while supporting communities living around their habitat.
With Ellen DeGeneres and other international guests expected to attend, the 2026 edition is set to further position Kwita Izina as a global celebration of wildlife conservation, tourism and Rwanda’s commitment to protecting its natural heritage.
