AfrikaBurn
Encyclopedia
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
regional event, held annually in the Tankwa Karoo in South Africa.
History
Afrika Burns Creative Projects (AfrikaBurn) was created in 2007 as a Not-For-Profit Company, with the intention that it would serve as a vehicle for the co-ordination of a South African Burning Man regional event. The initial directors of the organisation were Lil Black, Paul Jorgenson, Robert Weinek, Monique Schiess and Michael 't Sas-Rolfes.The event has been running since 2007, with all events to date held on a private farm called Stonehenge, which is adjacent to the Tankwa Karoo National Park
Tankwa Karoo National Park
Tankwa Karoo National Park is a Scientific National Park in South Africa. The park lies about 70 km due west of Sutherland near the border of the Northern Cape and Western Cape, in one of the most arid regions of South Africa, receiving 50 to 70 mm of precipitation in an average year. The mean...
. The farm is very isolated, as it is situated half way along the R355, an 250km long untarred road between Calvinia and Ceres.
The event was originally called AfrikaBurns, however due to concerns about the name having possible negative connotations there was a public call for proposals on 15 May 2008. On 16 July 2008 the new name, AfrikaBurn, was officially announced via email. The new name preserves the identity of the event, but deals with possible negative interpretations changing the name 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 because the autumn weather is better suited to the event, and so that a public holiday (or in some years two) could be included in that dates. It also means that it is not so close to Burning Man, which will hopefully increase the number of foreign attendees.
The dates for AfrikaBurn 2012 are Wednesday 25 April - Monday 30 April 2012. The 27th of April is a public holiday as is the 1st of May.
| Year | Dates | Location | Theme | Participants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 22 - 25 November | Stonehenge farm | Tribe | ~1,000 | |
| 2008 | 16 - 19 October | Stonehenge farm | Power | ~1,200 | |
| 2009 | 9 - 13 September | Stonehenge farm | Time | ~1,600 | |
| 2010 | 22 - 27 April | Stonehenge farm | Dream | ~2,200 | |
| 2011 | 27 April - 2 May | Stonehenge farm | Stof: the Primal Mud | ~4,000 | |
| 2012 | 25 - 30 April | Stonehenge farm | Mirage | ? |
The current directors of the organisation are Monique Schiess, Robert Weinek, Paul Grose, Julia Savage, Liz Linzell, Jonathan Hoffenberg, Adriaan Wessels and Brad Baard.
San Clan
By analogy to the Man at Burning ManBurning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
, the main sculpture at the event is called the San Clan. It is designed to look like a San
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
rock art glyph of a group of people. The intention is to convey the idea of unity and community at the event.
Culture
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Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
event, AfrikaBurn adheres to the ten principles of Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
. Among these are the Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
philosophy, radical self-expression, radical self-reliance, and communal effort.
Theme camps are one of the key components of vibrant regional Burning Man events. Theme camps are established by participants to enhance the experience for all participants.
Major theme camps from the last few years include "Heartspace", "The Desert Rose", "Partycipation", "Amadeadly Disco" and "Burning Mail"