AfrikaBurn 2017 – Desert, Dust and Dance

- Julian Kanjere

It has been a little over three weeks ago since I took part in AfrikaBurn, the annual Burning Man like festival in the Karoo.

Describing AfrikaBurn as a festival probably conjures up thoughts of a dance / music. However, AfrikaBurn was so much more than that, it was more of an experience. Some of my best highlights included experiencing a gifting economy in a decommodified society, being exposed to a heightened form of creativity and expression that is otherwise lacking in everyday life and meeting a group of Zimbabweans (my birth country) who drove 41 hours from Zimbabwe to the Karoo in a nineties Land Cruiser!

Below are some pictures which hopefully are a glimpse of the experience.

Tankwa Padstal between Ceres and Calvinia in the Northern Cape Karoo desert of South Africa. A must stop when travelling through the Tankwa Karoo on the R355

 

Ostrich at Tankwa Padstal
Ostrich at Tankwa Padstal

The Infamous R355 - 120km's of dirt road to get to AfrikaBurn from Cape Town
The Infamous R355 – 120km’s of dirt road to get to AfrikaBurn from Cape Town

 

Theme camp with some Zimbabweans who road tripped for close to two days to get to AfrikaBurn
Theme camp with some Zimbabweans who road tripped for close to two days to get to AfrikaBurn

 

Owl art piece
Owl art piece

 

A mutant vehicle
A mutant vehicle

 

Unicorn art piece
Unicorn art piece

 

A burn in progress
A burn in progress

 

Sunset silhouette
Sunset silhouette

 

Big wheel burning
Big wheel burning

 

Flame throwing beetle
Flame throwing beetle

 

Overall, the grueling 120 kilometer drive on the R355 dirt road from Cape Town, camping in the desert, braving sand storms, conversations with no hidden agendas, creative art pieces, diverse theme camps and mutant vehicles all made for a sundowner story-worthy experience! One thing is for sure, getting back to civilization was incredibly hard. Why? The burn does that to you!

Footnotes
  1. The Karoo is a semi-desert natural region in South Africa
  2. Burning Man is an annual festival that takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and is dedicated to community, self-expression and self-reliance
  3. AfrikaBurn was a decommodified society, the only item for sale was ice
  4. More AfrikaBurn pictures here – AfrikaBurn 2017