AfrikaBurn is a community of participants who come together to create art, costume, performance, theme camps, music, mutant vehicles and much, much more. All of this is created through a volunteer and gifting culture. The main annual AfrikaBurn event takes place in the Tankwa Karoo, located between the Northern Cape and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa: the next edition is scheduled from 29th April to 5th May 2024.
AfrikaBurn is the largest of many events across the globe that share Guiding Principles through affiliation with the Burning Man Regional Network.
Originally called Afrika Burns, the first planned event in 2007 at Stonehenge Farm in the Northern Cape, was cancelled due to flooding. The inaugural event ‘Tribe’ took place in November of that year. The event was renamed through a public participation process to “AfrikaBurn” in 2008, due to concerns about negative interpretation. The emphasis was shifted from something (‘burns’) that happens to Africa, to something (a ‘burn’) that happens in Africa. In 2010 the event was moved earlier in the year to the end of April because the mild autumn weather better suited the event, and so that a South African public holiday (or two) would fall over the event period. 2019 was the last year AfrikaBurn was held at Stonehenge Farm. In 2022 AfrikaBurn was hosted on Quaggafontein for the first time.
Every year, the event has atheme around which the artists and community focus their projects. To some it’s a critical factor in their yearly experience, and for others it matters less. From Play to Mirage to The Elastic Kraal-Art Burning Test, the theme serves as a springboard to inspire and engage people – hopefully sparking ideas and experimentations. Much like Burning Man has ‘The Man’, the AfrikaBurn community has a central effigy that is burned at the culmination of the year’s efforts. It’s an important part of the experiment and experience, and as such, has resulted in many adventures and stories to tell. The Clan History page will give you an overview of all the amazing scuptures and the teams that built them.
Tickets and any further infos on afrikaburn.org
image: alastair mclachlan
