For a week, a community of festival-goers gathers in the heart of the desert, just four hours north of Cape Town, to take part in AfrikaBurn, an event inspired by the famous Burning Man held every year in the Nevada desert.
A tent city, cleverly named "Tankwa Town", emerges around art installations and sculptures. Music resonates incessantly, creating a vibrant atmosphere. Beyond the simple festivities, the community and artistic aspect of the event arouses enthusiasm.
Huge wooden constructions are erected during the festival, only to be deliberately consumed. AfrikaBurn adopts the same guideline as Burning Man: "Leave No Trace". No waste is tolerated in order to preserve the integrity of the site, and all participants are invited to contribute to this approach.
It's crucial to bring everything you need to survive a week in the desert. No monetary transactions are permitted on the festival site. No water, food or drink is available for purchase; each individual must bring his or her own reserves. Exchange is the rule!
In addition to the giant wooden effigies and the many workshops showcasing their work, the festival is also home to a whole host of unusual and wacky disguises and contraptions! It's a magical universe you won't find anywhere else..
If you're planning a trip to South Africa at the end of April, it's well worth a visit!
