Spring break came and left as always, too quickly. The first few days, it was a relaxing wind down from writing paper after paper and reading article after article. Nothing worth writing home about.
Although, I did go to AfrikaBurn 2009, embarking on the journey Wednesday morning and beaconing home sometime Saturday.I must admit, I have grown relatively lazy on writing in this blog because I have so many other things to write. It always seems that I am writing SOMETHING. So in defense of the genre, I hereby am guilty of self-plagiarism for this post will be a repercussion of a a blog post about AfrikaBurn I wrote for my Print Production class. Forgive me!? All in all, when I have the creative concepts going again, I will return with fresh, un-published material. Haha.
Enjoy the post and the pictures <3
**MEL
AFRIKABURN 2009
$: R350
When: 09-13.09.2009
Where: Tankwa Town, Karoo
www.afrikaburn.com
TIME- 09-13.09.2009 was the theme carried on for the event known as AfrikaBurn. Modeled after the American burning man, AfrikaBurn brings a community and participatory essence to South Africa.
Making 2009 its third year, AfrikaBurn stands for a cooperation of human kind, isolated in the desert and beautified with the key elements to what it means to have dignity, respect, creative juice and a peace of mind. Free of judgment and ridicule, AfrikaBurn gives one time to express themselves in a realm otherwise covered up by the ills of society.
“…a place to collaborate, cooperate & contribute to our collectively created experience… an opportunity to invent the world anew… to generate a culture… a connective environment… to be idealistic & celebratory… to have fun… this town may be temporary, but we hope the experience stays with you… this is an invent rather than an event…”
Spring break in America means hitting the beaches of Cancun, exploring the coast of Southern Cali or just really venturing to someplace warm and sunny and getting wasted with your friends. While that sounds like a nice little week off from college, it begins to feel routine and overrated. This invent as AfrikaBurn deems the event gives people not just a time to get away from the formalities of society but also a time to create something to bring back from this temporary space and intertwine the aspects into everyday life.
We left Wednesday around noon- embarking on this three-hour journey was something of a mystery to me. Carrying with the theme of time, we left our cell phones, our watches and just any electronical piece at home. It was a disconnect from technology and a time to enhance a time where you can really, truly find yourself, connect with humanity, and express yourself in a free and open environment without the harsh judgment or stress of reality.
Lost in the Karoo desert of Tankwa Town, AfrikaBurn provided you with that escaped sense of self, that ideal essence of being where you could connect with a simplistic symphony of ideas and creativity. Having Spring break in September is a cool benefit from studying abroad, but being lost in the desert for 4 days is even a larger benefit. I chose to bring this to our Around the Corner blog so that people can see how cool of an experience it is, so that they can venture into the invent next year.
As a giving community, AfrikaBurn prohibits any monetary exchange and that idea is really stressed on. You don’t have to get your keys or your ID card in order to go someplace, you just need your two feet and your brain. Having an open mind is probably one of the largest things to carry with you at all times; without it, the Karoo isn’t right for you. Since we all lived together in this abyss of communal entity, we ended up using that idea of giving, trading our neighbors for some cheese in exchange for eggs, beer for water, fire for coffee. The exchanges were always fair and it always meant that you could meet and talk with someone completely new.
Cascaded with an explosion of collaborative creativeness, AfrikaBurn was circled around with structures and sculptures that made you just stop in awe and think about why they stood there and what impact they had on your life. ‘The Wish’ was a large white, wooden structure that took semblance to that of Epcot Center in Disney World except for the idea that it had nothing to do with space but more of finding what you truly wish for in life. Created by Brendan Smithers and the Upsetters it honors Welcome Nombila who lost his life in July 2009. It has been apart of AB since last years invent. No matter where you go around the site, you can see ‘The Wish’ which puts this on your mind and makes it a permanent backdrop in your stay.
Other art that was shared was, The Paranoid Android, Memory, Spiral Time Peace, Devoid of Fridge Poetry, Art on a Blank Canvas, The Triple Bypass, Timeless DNA, Half Past Nine, Shipwrecked at AfrikaBurn—Buried in the Sands of Time, etc. Each piece of art carried its own deep connection with time and why it is important to have displayed at AB.
Other than art, AB had themed camps that were set up along the outside of the site, surrounding the art. The theme camps included The Silent Cinema where you could watch a range of classic, antique, silent and rare films. Burning Mail where you can send post to your family and friends. Heart Space where you can go and relax, recharge, rejuvenate and be inspired. The Homeless Hotel which had six hammocks made from 2 litre plastic bottles suspended in a circular design with a fire at night and a portable pool filled with plastic bottles and balls.
Recycle and re-use is a common aspect of the festival. The site is a leave no trace site, making sure you leave with what you have brought. This allows for the desert to be left in the same state that we arrived in and gives respect to Mother Earth.
The variety that is around AB is incredible. It gives you a sense of the diversity that we often forget in a busy, urbanized world. This differentiation is something to carry with you no matter where you are, whom you are with or what you are doing in life. Having a tight grasp on being kind and open is crucial in understanding the order of the world.
So with this all being said, go to AfrikaBurn next year if you have never gone. Get a group of your friends, hire a car, a tent, a sleeping bag and a bunch of food (don’t forget the beer!) and go have the time of your life. I know I did. And I also know that what I learned at this invent will always be with me and it stands as somewhat indescribable, making it that much more valuable.
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