Gondwana – pulse of ancient Africa

“Gondwana affords its guests the unique opportunity to feel deeply connected to Namibia from the start, to see the country through our eyes. They will be amazed, delighted and fascinated. They become part of an unforgettable story. And the story becomes part of them.”
These philosophical words capture the essence of the experience offered to guests at any of the lodges in Gondwana Collection. Managing Director of Gondwana Collection Namibia, Mannfred Goldbeck, this week introduced the group’s new logo at the Namibia Tourism Expo in Windhoek.
The Gondwana group consists of four private nature reserves and fourteen lodges in the vicinity of the country’s various natural sights. Each lodge is unique in its own way.
“Our guests experience township flair and African joie de vivre in the Okambashu Restaurant and Oshebeena Bar at the Etosha Safari Camp. In the Canyon Village helpful staff clad in traditional Nama tunics, dozens of murals and donkey carts for conveying luggage revive the history and culture of the Bondelswarts Nama, who used to live in this area in earlier times. The theme restaurant of the Canyon Roadhouse is dedicated to the good old times of the automobile, inviting guests to ‘fill up on smiles’.”
“With passion and sincerity we bring Namibia’s history (and stories) alive in an authentic manner. Our guests become part of this magic” Goldbeck said. “We wanted to incorporate that in our logo. Yellowwood, a South African brand developer, implemented our ideas in a rebranding process. The essence of our brand is: Have a story to tell.”

“The hand in the new Gondwana logo symbolises the handshake with which we greet our guests, individuality (every hand has its own story), the helping hand, cohesion and warm-heartedness. A close look reveals that the individual stones of the hand show Africa as part of the former supercontinent Gondwana. But they could also be seen as the various Gondwana lodges, the different cultures and guests from all over the world, and as the shared identity and common roots in the ancient continent” he said.
“The stones, rocks and sand of the desert have been there for millennia. Each pebble tells a story of change and growth. Each grain of sand has its own unique identity, each crack and crease a rich history”, Goldbeck said.
“Through the various semantic levels our new logo becomes a symbol of why we do what we do. We are open-minded, genuine, unique, humane, caring and African. We have an identity and we have a story to tell. Our guest becomes part of this story, takes it home with him and retells his story there. We are Gondwana.”