10th Rwandan cultural festival opens new community tourism body, promotes gorilla pledge

The Red Rocks 10^th Anniversary Cul­tur­al Fest­iv­al, August 26-Septem­ber 2, brought organ­isa­tions and com­munit­ies togeth­er to cel­eb­rate and pro­mote Rwandan cul­ture, con­ser­va­tion, and sus­tain­able tourism. 

As an advoc­ate for cul­ture and com­munity, Red Rocks hos­ted per­formers of all ages from the loc­al area. 

Vis­it­ors from near and far enjoyed many tra­di­tion­al dances and music, keep­ing Rwandan cul­ture cur­rent for the next generation. 

It was also an oppor­tun­ity to build and strengthen part­ner­ships with the aligned goals of con­ser­va­tion and ecotourism. 

Read more “GT” con­tent about Red Rocks Rwanda & Red Rocks Initiative

This included a bene­fi­cial group dis­cus­sion with com­munity mem­bers to talk about how eco­tour­ism has impacted their lives. The group shared their exper­i­ences and estab­lished com­mon ground in this cul­tur­al exchange. 

Par­ti­cipants will take for­ward a bet­ter under­stand­ing of com­munity-based tour­ism in Rwanda, and how devel­op­ment of these strategies can bene­fit communities. 

Rwanda Community Tourism Association established

Dur­ing the fest­iv­al, Red Rocks were delighted to host the grand open­ing of the new Rwanda Com­munity Tour­ism Asso­ci­ation (RCTA) office. 

RCTA will com­mence oper­a­tions in their new hub at the Red Rocks Cul­tur­al Cen­ter, Musan­ze with imme­di­ate effect. 

Gorilla Friendly Pledge promoted

With con­ser­va­tion being such a key part of sus­tain­able tour­ism, Red Rocks were proud to incor­por­ate Kwita Izina (the gor­illa nam­ing cere­mony) into this year’s festival. 

Through­out the week, in part­ner­ship with Inter­na­tion­al Gor­illa Con­ser­va­tion Pro­gram (IGCP), the Gor­illa Friendly Pledge cam­paign was promoted. 

By wel­com­ing all vis­it­ors to take the pledge, IGCP were able to raise fur­ther aware­ness for gor­illa conservation. 

Plan to attend in 2023

Fol­low­ing a pro­duct­ive week of cul­ture, con­ser­va­tion, and sus­tain­able tour­ism, the team is already plan­ning for 2023! 

Look out for upcom­ing announcements.

If you are inter­ested in spon­sor­ship, part­ner­ship, par­ti­cip­a­tion, or attend­ance at next year’s Red Rocks Cul­tur­al Fest­iv­al, you are wel­come to email the organ­isers at info@redrocksinitiative.org.