AfrikaBurn is a vibrant, community-driven festival held annually in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, about 300 kilometers north east from Cape Town, South Africa. The festival brings artists, musicians, performers, and curious individuals together for a week-long celebration of self-expression, creativity, and communal living, in a remote desert environment.

As any communally built concept will have, AfrikaBurn has key elements that form a large part of its curated experience and value system; these include:

1.  Art Installations:  Large and often interactive art installations are created and displayed by artists and collectives across the small piece of land AfrikaBurn claims its own for its duration.  Many pieces are also burned ceremonially toward the end of the festival, as AfrikaBurn is an official Burning Man regional event.

2.  Theme Camps:  Groups of friends, co-workers, family or even strangers now turned fellow campmates, create “theme camps” that offer unique experiences, performances, workshops and food or drinks all freely shared with in the spirit of gifting.  At AfrikaBurn, there is no money exchanged, so bring something you wish to gift if you want to exchange it for something else in return (although people do usually gift without the intention of receiving anything in return, which is honestly the beauty of it all).

Here’s a picture of me participating in one of the interactive experiences provided by an AfrikaBurn theme camp.

3. Self-Reliance:  Attendees of AfrikaBurn are responsible for bringing all of their own supplies, from food and water to shelter.  The only thing provided for you by the festival, are gorgeous four-poster open air toilets that sit about 3 meters off the ground (and loo roll).  Otherwise, you’re on your own.

The View from the Loo.

4. Leave No Trace:  All attendees of AfrikaBurn are expected to clean up completely after themselves.  The intention is to try leave the space in the same, if not better, conditions than what you found it in before.  This is to preserve the natural beauty of the Karoo.

5. Radical Inclusion and Expression:  AfrikaBurn emphasises openness and creativity, welcoming people from all backgrounds and encouraging them to participate and express themselves however they wish.  A part of the freedom people feel within this space is that it is far removed from their day-to-day lives, and a large part of this is that they are disconnected from technology.  So, please do not spoilt it by pulling out your phone to record something that you know intuitively should be private.  Somethings are left better in the memory of the desert, and I promise you that nothing you see at AfrikaBurn is forgettable.

One thing I guarantee you about AfrikaBurn, is that the energy is palpable.  Imagine this.  You and a car of your closest friends are filled to the brim, music blaring and energy high as you near the end of the dirt road leading to the unknown.  As the cars in front of you come to a slow, the nose of your car peers over the hill with the rest of the nervous eyes, as the tiny creative town that like-mined people have built in the Karoo comes into vision.

One of the structures from AfrikaBurn 2024 – The Tree of Stories – burnt at the end of the festival alongside one of the portable art installations.

Your heart swells and stomach drops thinking about the possibilities that comes with exploring the below, until you set up camp and the reality hits that you might have left behind most of the things that would make your stay as comfortable as possible.  Do not let being underprepared for 7 nights of camping in the Karoo (if you choose to stay the whole time) dim your chances of enjoying and absorbing the energy of AfrikaBurn and all the festival has to offer.

Luckily for all the curious readers out there, I have a bunch of experienced Afrika-burner friends who taught me the ropes and I am equally going to pass on their knowledge to you.

What you should not bring:

1.  Glass Bottles:  These are incredibly difficult, and space consuming, to take back home with you as rubbish once the festival is over (nothing is left behind, including the rubbish you generate over the week). Additionally, having them accidentally break, and leaving pieces of glass behind in the Karoo is too high of a risk.

2.  Glitter or Face Jewels of Any Sort:  You will be sweating, and your glitter and face jewels will simply end up as litter on the AfrikaBurn floor for hundreds of years!

3.  Feather Boas:  Although it might look rather fun, the cheap feather boa you bought last minute isn’t going to hold out, and instead will scatter feathers across the AfrikaBurn floor leaving a permanent reminder of your presence in this beautiful natural landscape.

Now, I don’t mean to sound judgey.  In fact, I had glass bottles and face jewels on my “to bring list” for my first time at AfrikaBurn, until I overheard conversations at one of our group planning meetings that told me maybe I should do some rethinking.

What you should bring (beyond the expected camping necessities):

1.  A Bunsen Burner:  You may think you can live off chip rolls like any other festival, but AfrikaBurn is long, hot and you are walking up to and beyond 20,000 steps a day.  Pre-making and packing easily made meals that can be heated up or cooked during the festival will make a huge difference to feeling well-fed, energised and rested throughout the week. (My friends and I each take turns cooking dinner for one another, that way you cook once with dinner served every other night)

2.  A Hammer / Heavy Tool:  This is to crush the cans you bring in place of glass bottles, to make them as small and compact as possible for when you have to take them back in your car with you.  There are various method for doing this though, and my personal favourite method is lacing up my combat boots and giving the can a stomp on.

3.  10 Litres of Water per Day:  Buy 25 litre containers from any plastic dispensary near you and fill them up with water.  This 10 litres per day amount takes into account drinking water, and any cleaning or showering water.  This amount may seem excessive but when it comes to the desert, I would rather be safe than sorry – especially when it comes to water.

4.  Portable Ashtray:  A rollie in the desert is special, but not having bins to throw away the stompie (South African for cigarette end) is not.  Bring a sort of portable ashtray to prevent your bag from smelling like a fire for the foreseeable future.  An example I have seen used to great effect, is the plastic casing a 35mm photographic film roll comes in.

5.  Carabiner for your Bottle:  Carrying around your bottle, filled with water or your drink of choice for the day, is tiring after a while.  Having a bottle that can be clipped onto your bag with a carabiner frees up your hands to partake in all the fun.

6.  Wet Wipes:  The dust of the desert finds its way into every available hole exposed (and I am not being dramatic).  Bring wet wipes to clean ears, noses or places a makeshift shower cannot quite reach.

7.  Ear Plugs:  The music can be rather loud, with massive speakers attached to mutant vehicles and stages where all the partying happens.  So, if you have any kind of sensitive ears, bring some earplugs to protect those ear drums.

One of the Mutant Vehicles taking part in AfrikaBurn 2024.

8.  Carpets for your Campsite Floor:  This isn’t essential, it’s just a vibe, and is a nice way to turn your campsite into a camphome.  It also helps keep the dust at bay.

So, if you’re ready to brave the desert, please don’t just rely on the very comfort-based suggestions I have given. Check Out “Quaggapedia” as your go-to guide—AfrikaBurn’s very own Encyclopedia, packed with answers to all the crucial questions you didn’t even know you had.

But, above all, the most important thing you can bring is your attitude: be bold, be open, and be fully present — after all, you said you wanted to AfrikaBurn!

(This article was written by Amy Novak, a Guest Writer for The Africa Rally; to get in touch about joining our team of Guest Writers, or taking part in one of our events, please email the HQ Team on info@africarally.com)