Afrikaburn 2017

A week has passed since I returned dust covered from the Tankwa Karoo desert and I'm finally feeling normal once again. I say normal because after spending a week in an environment so different to your daily life, a place where radical self reliance and self expression is embraced , it takes some time readjusting.

This was my third burn and like all the ones that have come before, the experience was amazing, always different in some ways but always welcome.

For those of you who are familiar with Burning Man, AfrikaBurn is pretty similar to the early days of Burning Man. AfrikaBurn is one of several Burning Man's regional burns across the world. Unlike Burning Man the number of people in attendance is way less, the max this year was about 13000 which I think is great :)

The event runs for a week and brings people together to express themselves through theme camps, art works, performances and music.

More info: http://www.afrikaburn.com and http://www.facebook.com/afrikaburn

Burn Prep

The excitement started forming at least 4 months before the event and a lot of prep went into planing for AfrikaBurn from the basics like camping gear and food to the outfits and gifts we would be taking with us. Gifting is a big part of AfrikaBurn and is a way to share with your fellow burner. My gifts this year were beaded bracelets that I would share with those friends I was close to, thanking them for their friendship and to those with whom I would form new friendships and close connections with.

The bracelet I made for my girlfriend.

More bracelets for friends.

Off to the Burn

It takes about 5 hrs to get from Cape Town to AfrikBurn. It is held on a very isolated farm called the Stonehenge Private Reserve, you get there by driving along the N1 and then onto R355 which is a bitch of a road. Its 250kms of untarred road, strewn with razor sharp rocks that eat car tires for breakfast and it's very likely that there will be accidents along the way.

Arrival - Welcome to AfrikaBurn

I cant really describe the feeling of cresting the last hill and seeing the whole of Tankwa Town and the Binnekring ( the area that all the artworks are situated. ) Arriving at the entrance you are greeted by people dressed in the craziest outfits welcoming you home with big smiles and hugs. For the virgins or first time burners there is a gong that you have to ring as part of the tradition and to signal that you have arrived!

Exporation

After you have set up camp and settled in it is time to explore. I would recommend taking a bicycle with you to get from place to place a bit easier.

From the various artworks, performances, theme camps and sounds stages there is so much to do and see I don't think one Burn would be enough. There were theme camps that would cook you pancakes and food, offer hair dressing , fix bicycles, free braai's to use, fully nude body washes, fancy cocktails the list goes on and on!

Time to colour in!

Rust and Dust - Spent most of time braaing here ( BBQ) Great Theme Camp and great people!

The artworks found on the Binnekring and the mutant vehicles zooming across the desert were amazing. You could go to a confession telephone booth and confess your deepest secrets to a stranger standing in different booth situated somewhere else in the desert or sit in the shade of a massive structure while listening to a classical piano recital. If you felt like dancing you just had to wait a couple minutes for a mutant vehicle , like the Rave Rover to pull up and start a dance party :)

Saturday afternoon jams :)

The Tree of Life - Yggdrasil

Confession Booth
©JAN VERBOOM

Youtube Vlogger Louis Cole was there and made some awesome videos about his time at AfrikBurn, it also show a lot of the stuff it would take too long to write about so check it out! :)
https://www.youtube.com/user/FunForLouis/

CUSTOM TRANSFORMER PARTY TRUCK - Afrika Burn Day 1

INSANE OFF ROAD ELECTRIC SKATEBOARD! - Afrika Burn Day 2

The Burns

There were lots of burns that took place but the two that stood out for me were the silent burn, The Temple of Gratitude, and the burning of The Tree of Life - Yggdrasil

I really enjoy the silent burn because it's a time for reflection and introspection. You are sitting with thousands of people silent with their thoughts while a massive structure is engulfed in flames, months of work reduced to ash in minutes.

The Tree of life was an amazing burn to watch, it started at 5.30am on Sunday morning and was a great way to wind down the night and end our burn. The fire was ignited by a flaming arrow and within minutes the whole structure was engulfed in flame the heat so intense I had to shield my face from it. It was great sitting there with the people I love, having experienced an amazing week in the desert together sharing a lot and growing closer as friends.

©JAN VERBOOM