tshumaosmond@gmail.com
@wakwatshuma
Zimbabwe | South Africa | Lesotho
Shared cultures of Southern African people
Sonke draws from mural traditions of the Kalanga–Northern Ndebele cultural region of Matopo District (Zimbabwe), as well as Sotho (Lesotho) and Southern Ndebele (South Africa) practices. These visual languages, characterized by bold symmetry, structural grids, and repeating motifs, serve as living archives of identity, now translated into letterform.
My father was Kalanga, and my mother was Northern Ndebele. When I began this project, my intention was to create a typeface inspired by Northern Ndebele culture (my mother’s side). However Northern Ndebele culture is deeply interconnected with other cultures across Southern Africa. So rather than designing solely for my mother tongue, I then chose to create a typeface that spoke to these shared histories and relationships across the region. This gave rise to the name 'Sonke', meaning “all of us”.
NB: This font may be updated in the future based on feedback and ongoing development.
Free on