Zimbabwe, August 2015
I spent a month at Imire, a volunteer program for wildlife conservation, along with 18 others from all over the world. We varied in age, background, and culture, but I felt a connection with every one of them.
A local woman, Mai Matsika, taught me the phrase “isu tafara tasanganiswa,” which she explained as ‘people coming together, people from different places crossing paths- a beautiful thing.’ She proceeded to teach me a song with those words that we all sang together that night. As we did I looked around; it’s true that strangers or acquaintances can be our most impactful people.
I wanted a way to bookmark these people and these moments in our lives with something tangible. Something more meaningful than a ‘follow’ and a way to show we’re all connected by a specific story or serendipitous interaction. In this world it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important, but good people are what’s important.
On my final week, a man named Nkosi asked if I knew how to say ‘happy’ in Shona.
“Kufara,” he replied.
In that moment everything clicked. Another man, Blessing, was making beaded bracelets, and I asked if he could make one that said Kufara.