Wow, what a crazy week I had at Afrika Burns. Big thanks to the Fiction Crew, The Vuvuzela Lounge, The Desert Rose and of course our homies in Jo’burg for making it all happen, I had a lot of fun. Thankfully when I left London I narrowly escaped the infamous volcanic ash cloud, with the first flight to Cape Town in nearly eight days. The next stage of the journey involved a fairly epic drive across South Africa, with the last leg including a 120km dirt road leading us deep into the dry desert surroundings of the Karoo. There were many shredded tyres as lots of vehicles fell victim to this road, though thankfully we made it through unscathed.

Once on the playa the similarities to Burning Man were obvious in terms of the layout and the quality and diversity of the art installations along with the range of mutant vehicles and the creativity of the camps, just all on a slightly smaller scale. I reckon there were around 2,500 people at Afrika Burns, compared to the 50,000 that hit Black Rock City every year. The other major difference was the terrain, which might sound minor but at Burning man because the terrain is very white and completely empty of any geographical features except the vast mountain range that surrounds it, you really have this feeling of being in the middle of nowhere, in a completely unrecognisable place. All of the crazy goings on are set against this blank canvas, which adds to the surrealness, making it appear as if all this stuff has just come from nowhere.

At Afrika Burns the terrain is littered with rocks and shrubs, making the installations that were made from more organic materials look as if they could have risen from the ground as opposed to have simply been picked up and placed there. Although this is a fairly minor difference it’s probably why one of my favourite pieces was the giant Lego Man, which would pretty much look perfectly out of place just about anywhere. That said nothing could have prepared me for the crazy colours of the African sunsets and I certainly didn’t miss the fact that it was a lot less dusty than Black Rock City.

Just like Burning Man, at Afrika Burns you have to be completely self reliant, bringing in all of your own food and water and leaving no trace on your departure. There are no services provided beyond basic toilets (a hole in the ground) and nothing can be bought or sold, just ‘gifted’. It can also be a fairly harsh environment to camp in as the temperatures in the day are ridiculously hot and freezing at night. You end up partying harder at night because it’s too hot during the day but are then denied sleeping in too late as your ice box tent turns into an oven with the flick of a switch as the sun comes up.

I met some great people out there and I got to kick it on some great stages. The night I arrived I was invited to play at the Desert Rose which is put together by some of the founding figures of Afrika Burns making it the spot to be at that night. The following evening I cranked it up a notch, playing for the Vuvuzela Lounge guys who are also founders of Afrika Burns. They parked their giant truck complete with hefty sound system next to the giant Lego Man in the middle of the playa and I got to throw it down for over four hours, making it one of the most fun parties I’ve played in a while. I got to repeat that feat on the night of the burn where yet again the Vuvuzela Lounge was at the heart of the action parked right next to the Man as it was set alight and burnt to the ground. Regular Burners will appreciate that this is the fate that awaits most of the art installations as the week draws to a close, though I still don’t know how i feel about the giant Lego Man getting incinerated on the last night.

Some of the funniest stuff I saw included the group of blacksmiths who’s camp were regularly blowing anvils into the air with huge charges of gunpowder. These solid chunks of Iron were getting thrust some thirty feet into the air with the force of the explosions which prompted everyone to shout warnings of ‘anvil!’ from all directions, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. With a refreshing absence of health & safety, I guess if you’re a blacksmith that’s how you get your kicks. Other highlights included the rabbit hole, the giant burning pendulum and the fish tank.

Overall I had an amazing time and can’t wait to get back out there next year where I got the feeling this thing is only going to grow and grow. I had personally been responsible for seeding the idea of going to Afrika Burns amongst a bunch of people in South Africa on a previous trip so I was doubly stoked that it seemed pretty much everyone was talking about how they’d be stepping up their involvement the following year as if it was a given that they would be returning, every year for a very long time.

Ali B

www.afrikaburns.com