What’s in a Name?

Four years ago, when we were starting Tasimba, we needed to find a name. We wanted it first of all to be authentically African and, second, relevant to the unique safari experience that we were planning.

There was one other criterion: it had to be pronounced exactly as it read.  For example, words like kuwirirana (meaning “connectivity” in the Shona language) or siyaphumelala (meaning ‘We are progressing’ in Ndebele) were not going to work too well if nobody could pronounce them!

With local help, we researched many words with our friends at Wilderness Safaris in Victoria Falls.  We came to the word Simba – no, not the Lion King, but the Shona word for ‘strong’. When conjugated, Tasimba means ‘Together we are strong’. It was the perfect name for a company which takes people on a deep immersion in Africa in which Guests share, learn and grow together.

Clan Names

Then we took it one step further. We realized that our Guests would share inspiring safari experiences in sole occupancy of a beautiful camp with the same colleagues for a week.  Likely bonds of friendship would develop that would last long after they left Africa. They would feel like family, like a clan. Clans are an important part of African society, so why not for Tasimba Guests too?

So it is that every Tasimba Safari Experience has a unique Clan name identifying some important symbolism or shared value. Our very first group in 2016 became the Dangwe Clan, meaning ‘first born’. Then we had the Ubuntu Clan named for a powerful southern African philosophy of the collective: ‘I am who I am because of who we are’.

In 2018 came the Vimbikai (‘loyalty’) Clan, followed by the Kukura Clan, whose name means ‘unity’. And our most recent May 2019 safari guests became the Jabulani Clan. Their name means ‘Be happy where you are’ – and indeed they were!

We have a deep sense of fulfillment when we see the camaraderie and friendships that form among guests who joined Tasimba just a few days earlier as complete strangers. When they leave us at the end of an inspiring week of personal growth, they belong to something very special: they are members of a Clan forged in the heart of an African wilderness by unforgettable experiences that together they shared.

Something more forges that unique connection too: Guests will forever be part of a family bonded by their first-hand understanding of the power of ‘Together we are strong’, the very meaning of our Tasimba name.

Check out just some of the many unforgettable moments captured on our May 2019 Tasimba Safari Experience: https://wilderness-safaris.com/blog/safari-albums/tasimba-explores-wonders-of-hwange

Give us 7 days and Tasimba will give you the experience of a lifetime!

Contact us about our next safari. We’d love to have you join us!