The Burn will not be tweeted.
Seven days in the Karoo and you may not want to leave. You will not need your wallet, your phone or your laptop. There is no cellphone reception, no electricity, no running water and no shade. Your survival is your own responsibility, and your waste is your own problem.
As the biggest regional branch of the Burning Man festival in Nevada (US), AfrikaBurn aims to embody the same social principles and create an alternative community for the duration of the festival. These principles include radical self-reliance and a gift economy. This means that there is no corner café or trendy bar. No money is exchanged (apart from the sale of ice) and there is no live show apart from that which the participants organise themselves.
The fest started in 2007 with about 1000 people, and is now almost 9000 strong. Burners are encouraged to bring a gift to share with others, which could be anything from a coffee stand to teaching yoga or handing out water. With very few hired staff, all maintenance is handled by volunteering Burners.
While the community spirit at AfrikaBurn is a drawing card on its own, it’s the art that brings Burners out more than 100 km from cellphone signal and tar into the desert. It is likely the best exhibition of sculpture and installation in the country, with sculptures reaching heights of up to 30 metres this year. Most are burned throughout the festival, in enormous bonfires that ensure the festival leaves no trace in the National Park that surrounds it.
With exquisite artworks in every direction, and a carnivalesque atmosphere that equates to a week-long masquerade, AfrikaBurn is any photographer’s dream location. Here are a few of our favourite pics:
Also check out 2013’s official video.
Reckon you want to join one of the few nutters who fly in to AfrikaBurn from the UK each year?AfrikaBurn will be held in May 2015 at the Tankwa Karoo National Park.
