Oprah Winfrey, the legendary American media mogul, actress, and philanthropist, has announced plans to celebrate her impending birthday in Rwanda.
The significant figure in the entertainment business made the reveal during Jimmy Kimmel Live on March 15th, 2024, as a birthday gift from Stedman Graham.
“He did well this year, normally he’s not that good. This year, he came up with a trip to Rwanda to see the gorillas, that’s good, now I gotta go”, she remarked amidst giggles.
Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest black women in the world, celebrated his 70th birthday on January 29. During the interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Winfrey did not specify when she would visit Rwanda but she expressed excitement for hiking and visiting the mountain gorillas.
Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is home to mountain gorillas, which are one of the country’s most famous attractions
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Gorilla tourism has had a tremendous impact on Rwanda’s development, providing a long-term source of revenue for local populations while also supporting conservation efforts.
Through initiatives like the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and the annual Kwita Izina (gorilla naming ceremony), Rwanda has been able to protect the endangered animals and their habitats.
In addition to the now world-famous “Kwita Izina”, the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund located in Musanze on the foothills of the National Volcanoes Park, has been an attraction for tourists, researchers and academics.
Rwanda has attracted several well-known international figures over the years including; former US President Bill Clinton, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Winston Duke, and Kevin Hart, among others. These visits have served to promote awareness about Rwanda’s beauty, culture, and development efforts.
During last year’s Kwita Izina (gorilla naming ceremony), the first lady of Rwanda-Jeanette Kagame stressed that ‘nature can persist without us, but we can’t persist without it’, hence urging for continued efforts in conserving the gorillas.
“To us, mountain gorillas represent more than a source of tourism or adventurous entertainment, our gorillas are custodians of a nature we truly cherish”, she explained.
Together with H.E Paul Kagame, the first lady pioneered the first Kwita Izina that happened in 2005, where they named baby twin gorillas: Byishimo and Impano.
Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in rural Mississippi. She is best known for her renowned talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which ran for 25 years becoming a cultural phenomenon, covering a variety of issues such as health, spirituality, and personal growth.
She rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most accomplished and prominent women on the planet with an impact that grew beyond television to production when she founded her own production company, Harpo Productions, and magazine, “O, The Oprah Magazine.”
