It’s been 6 days since I returned from Afrika Burns. Six days filled with mixed emotions, from euphoria to uncertainty and sadness. That’s why I’ve taken so long to blog about my experiences at Afrika Burns. I don’t want them to be influenced by the emotions I’ve been through. But now, back in the full swing of life, I feel I’m ready to share my experiences and thoughts on the temporary community which existed in the Tankwa Karoo.
It’s always best to enter into situations without any expectations – that was one of the greatest lessons I learned at an Art of Living course. But I’d be lying if I said I never had any expectations for Afrika Burns, especially since I’d read up quite a bit on the Burning Man festival which takes place in the USA and was well aware of the core principles of Afrika Burns.
My expectations were pretty simple. Arrive in the desert, meet amazing people, actively participate in building the community, and then party it up at night. My expectations were pretty much on target, but I experienced so much more which I could never have expected.
When people say the desert is a harsh environment they aren’t just making it up. The location of Afrika Burns, the semi-arid Tankwa Karoo, was extreme. With temperatures falling just short of 40° C during the day, and dropping to around 5° C at night one had to come prepared. Then there was the powerful wind which blew a lot of the time and was responsible for several broken tents, and gazebos.
The harsh environment, coupled with the fact that there was no running water (all water had to be brought from home) and that there was no electricity (except at a few lucky camps where they had generators!), meant that there was an aspect of survival involved which in turn enshrined the core principle of self-reliance. You had to take it upon yourself to ensure that you were okay at all times. Thankfully though, there were medics available at all times for when things got too hard to handle by yourself.
The core principle of decommodification made money, arguably the leading cause of stress in society, useless. Instead, a gift economy existed in which participants would give without any expectation of return. Many gifts were passed around, ranging from ice cream on a hot day, to small clay pots with quotes on them. However, there weren’t only tangible gifts but also intangible ones, like the music of the symphony orchestra which walked around and stopped at camp sites to play a piece or two.
The general absence of time and schedules (except for the scheduled burns) removed an aspect of control which exists in (dare I say) normal society. It made me realise how much the concept of time controls our lives; from when we wake up and go to bed to what we do in a day. Naturally everyone became an expert sun reader and was able to judge the time based on the sun’s position (though no one who judged the time in my presence ever got it right).
I, and many others I’m sure, felt free of judgement at Afrika Burns. Everyone could be themselves, without fear of what others might say. Everyone was living under the same conditions. No one had access to proper showers. No one was smelling amazing. Everyone was covered in dust and had knotty hair. No importance was placed on appearance and looking good, two ideas which strongly dictate many of our lives. Instead we could be free, in comfortable clothes, smelling bad but having an awesome time!
With the three biggest controlling aspects of our lives (money, time and appearance) absent, everyone was in carefree spirits and easy going. Life became easy.
The theme camps and art pieces at Afrika Burns provided entertainment over the duration of the festival. Camps ranged from the chill Neon Nomads, to the all partying Camp Vuvuzela, and everything else in between. The art pieces which littered the landscape were absolutely amazing, from the spell bounding Turbine to the significant San Clan.
I realise that this post is getting rather long and descriptive. This wasn’t my intention but it’s natural. I need to describe Afrika Burns to the non-participant in order to describe and illustrate the underlying ideologies, intentional and unintentional, which existed in the temporary community, and which should be brought forth into our (normal) lives. I hope I’ve done justice in my description, and have painted a clear picture of what Afrika Burns would have been like if someone observed it from the outside. I have been reflective at times, but now I will move on to being a lot more reflective, to work through the thoughts which have been brewing in my mind over the last week.
I believe there were two types of participants at Afrika Burns: those who were there for a party and those who were there because of the core principles of the event. In the last week I’ve spent thinking about Afrika Burns I’ve tried to differentiate between the experiences of the two types of participants, or at least what I think they were. My thoughts however brought me to the conclusion that the experiences of the two types of participants were very similar if not the same. The only thing which was different was the expectations the different types of participants had when they arrived at Afrika Burns. By the end of the festival it appeared that most participants had experienced the same magic. Magic which only existed because of the core principles of the festival. It’s understandable if someone misreads what I’m saying as that individually, all participants at Afrika Burns experienced the same thing. In fact, I believe that for every participant the experience was different, a very personal matter and a point I’ll touch on later. What everyone did feel however was the magic.
Everything at Afrika Burns was voluntary. The art pieces, themed camp sites and everything else were created by individuals, completely at their own expense. The core principles of communal effort and participation shone. I’ve spent time in the past thinking about why individuals are willing to do something at their own expense, when there’s no clear benefit to themselves. I’ve called this the community development model, a topic which I have blogged on before. In the community development model, a group of people come together, usually at their own personal expense, and work towards contributing to something greater than themselves for the sake of ‘the greater good.’
So what was the greater good at Afrika Burns? I think the greater good at Afrika Burns existed in it’s core principles. Those who created themed camp sites, art pieces and gifted (the act of giving things away with no expectations), did so because the the themes and ideologies of Afrika Burns were something they could appreciate and valued above the personal costs associated with making Afrika Burns a success.
Participants at Afrika Burns were people from diverse backgrounds and upbringings. Doctors, metal workers, artists, students and many other people lived together and worked towards creating a temporary community. With no electricity, the normal forms of entertainment were absent. Instead, the best thing to do with one’s time was to engage with others; strangers, friends, and strangers who became friends. Many participants were the type of people who saw something wrong with the world. People who were unhappy with the detachment we have from the natural world and each other. People who felt that things could be better for humanity. These were the greatest people to spend time with, and listen to and discuss their ideas about the world. There was the young lady who held a workshop encouraging people to become ‘masters of their universe.’ There was the amazing Mighty Moe, the super hero alter-ego of Moshe Singer, who wanted to go into the townships and improve the lives of disadvantaged children. Amazing, life-long relationships and friendships were started.
An interesting aspect of community evolution took place over the course of the festival. During the first few days participants appeared unsure of exactly how the community would operate. However, towards the end of the festival there was a connectedness which existed among all the participants. There was no problem or awkwardness in walking to the camp sites of random participants and sitting down to drink tea and have a conversation. False, society created barriers which normally exist broke down.
As the sun set upon the Tankwa Karoo on the last two nights of the festival a new energy rose into the air. Something was going to happen, exactly what it was no one knew, but everyone could feel it. It was the burning.
As was the case with the whole festival, the burn meant something different to all participants. Many people wrote letters and personal hopes and dreams on pieces of paper and had them burnt with the art sculptures. The burning of the art sculptures was meant to represent the detachment from material goods, something which we attribute too much value to in real life. To create and then destroy something is an amazing feeling because it helps you realise that it’s not the final product which is important, but rather the journey.
As mentioned before, the festival meant something different to all participants. It would be impossible to try and describe what it meant to everyone and largely unnecessary. What is important though is to realise that Afrika Burns is ultimately a personal experience. As a participant you make Afrika Burns what you want it to be. The beauty of the festival is that it’s a blank canvas for self expression, to make it what you want it. To be yourself. To express yourself.
Leaving the all loving and gifting world in the Tankwa Karoo and returning to the competition driven world we live in left a lot of space for reflection. Afrika Burns was what the participants made it, and everyone’s lives were affected by it in one way or another. A wise man at Afrika Burns said something which formed the inspiration for this post. He said that when we return to our normal lives we should live Afrika Burns. We should take what Afrika Burns meant to us and what we loved about it, and make it part of our everyday lives.
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