The Symbol We Stand By

Soma International is a nonprofit organization building and maintaining learning centers in Tanzania, fittingly, our logo incorporates aspects of Tanzanian culture, such as the national flag. Tanzania adopted a new flag after they gained independence from Great Britain in 1963, and the colors of the flag have political, regional and cultural meaning. It is a symbol of the nation’s rich history and Soma International incorporates those symbolic representations into the organization as well.

In the logo you will see the usage of the flag’s four colors: green, black, yellow and blue. Green symbolizes the country’s rich agricultural lands and natural vegetation, symbols of life and environmental assets. Additionally, in Tanzania, green also symbolizes peace and unity, which are qualities that Soma wants to highlight in its work in Tanzania. Black represents the black Swahili people who account for the majority of the population, recognizing the demographic of the land. Black also signifies the unity of the Swahili people through their skin color and represents the pride that the people have in their shared heritage. The color yellow symbolizes Tanzania’s abundant mineral resources. Blue represents the Indian Ocean and other water assets that the country holds.

Soma International is an organization based on education, reading and resources, so the book symbol within the logo represents this core value. The small boxes, “bits and bytes,” ascending from the book are meant to symbolize technology, an increasingly important aspect of education. While collecting educational books and building learning centers are our primary endeavors in Tanzania, we also want to link the facilities with technology.

Our secondary logo, the circular symbol within the green section of the logo signifies the community, togetherness and interpersonal empowerment that is commonly found in Tanzanian culture. This symbol emphasizes Soma’s core values of community, growth and leadership. It is Soma International’s hope that through the organization’s core values – authenticity, community, creativity, growth, knowledge and leadership – communities and nations can flourish.

Knowledge is Boundless 

Writer: Alice Ji. Editors: Mackenzie Hyde, M. Cecilia Silva Montoya. For donations and/or volunteering opportunities email: info@somainternational.org