AfrikaBURN. Oh my GOD. I don’t know where to even begin with this post. I have been taken on a spiritual journey. I think it holds some health and aging value though and I want to share it.
Afrikaburn is a regional event of Burning Man, the American desert fire festival that is held in Nevada. It revolves around the concept of erecting beautiful statues of art and then actually physically lighting them on fire until they burn to the ground. Due to the desert environment, the flames do not catch onto anything else, and tens of thousands of people sit and watch while each log of wood kindles and spreads from the heat.
Just like any festival though, it has of course developed into much more than just that. This week long event attracts “burners” from all around the world, creating a wild, beautiful and riveting community in “Tankwa Town” (Afrikaburn’s temporary city in the desert – Burning Man’s is called “Black Rock City”), five hours outside Cape Town in the absolute middle of the African desert. The best way to explain the setting here was a completely non-conformist society centered on community building, trading, connectivity, honesty and love. A majority of people stroll the open desert land completely nude, fostering their true inner self while focusing on giving back to others in the most humane way. This non-societal society fully thrives on generosity. Everyone in the festival gives so much: from free pancakes and coffee to massages to hand written notes to simple deep life perspectives. There is no money at this festival. The only thing that is for sale is ice that you use to keep your food cold. Everything is centered on trading. I wrote 150 positive affirmations and cut them out on little pieces of paper. That was my trading item and I am SO glad that this is what I did. Nothing made my day more than giving a quote to someone and seeing the light on his or her face when they connected so deeply to one of the quotes. A few people actually shed tears when they read their note from me. I have never been genuinely thanked so sincerely with hugs and smiles.
The people I met here were some of the most interesting humans I have ever come across. Everyone had a different reason for being there. I wondered if these people were escaping their “real” lives and using this experience as a form of escape or they truly embody this free, non-conforming, self-expressive life style. It for sure changed my mind on the type of existence I want to live as I grow. Freedom.
There were people here of all ages. Young children, teenagers, adults and even older people. This one conversation with this older lady stands out to me specifically. She was probably in her mid 70s and said that she had been coming to the burn for her 6th year now. She was so proud telling me that. What she loves so much from this experience is the value of presence, of being able to just be content with simplicity for a week. She says that she comes here and everything is the way that it should be in her mind. She said that there is always so much commotion during her life in Cape Town, of people who have the wrong priorities. She comes here and she meets people who are so genuine and open and compassionate. In her old age she said it’s harder and harder to meet people who deeply want to just be, rather than do, and that’s been something so important that I have kept on my mind throughout this entire experience. We are human beings, not human doings. Age is really but a number also. We were able to foster such a deep connection just based off this conversation and we had the same intentions of what we wanted to get out from our experience at the burn. There was something at this festival for everyone. I asked this lady also if she thought coming to this festival had any implications on her health (of course was thinking about this). It is a pretty physically tough weekend, as you have to bring all your own food, water and shelter. She said that the simplicity is what we need to live a long life- all the things we add : drugs, vitamins, doctors offices, stress: they don’t actually help us. What makes a life long is a clear mind and a open heart.
BOOM. That’s the answer!! J
She was incredible.
Everyone else there was diving into their creativity, creating these different theme camps as well as funky, hippie vehicles. For example, there was a theme camp called “The Human Library” had you create a library card for yourself, applying the old school library system of opening the drawer and finding the location of the book. People who “checked you out of the library” or came and found you, could then ask you any question they wanted, reading you just like they would read a book!! Meanwhile, while this was all happening, elaborately decorated vehicles roamed through the desert at all times. You could take a ride on a magic carpet ride, which one vehicle was decorated to look like, or to find you a dancing partner on the Spirit Train. There was also a lady bug vehicle, a moving boob van, the party bus or the Indian Tea Bus, just to name a few.
There was also many other incredibly cool themed camps and tents. There was one tent where you could send a letter anywhere around the world. There was a place where you could play a game on a giant scrabble board, singing and laughing meditations, yoga tent, a palm reader, a bead making tent, a tent with huge chalkboards where you can write quotes and color, a body art tent. SO much amazingness.
The ambience of this community-feel where everyone is working to enhance each other’s experience was absolutely incomparable to anything else I have EVER seen. It showed the true power of human beings and challenged concepts of why we blindly accept so many societal expectations and norms ALL THE TIME. The people were so good in the true sense of the word, free loving, accepting, encouraging, and kind beautiful souls.
Throughout my four days at Afrikaburn, I feel like I created this entire new mindset with myself and my outlook on life. I know that’s a huge statement, but I felt so changed from my experience there. The freeness I felt was nothing like I had before. I engaged in myriad thought-provoking discussions and enlightening moments with myself, actually never feeling more alive and free. With rhythmic indie folk/chill music, it captured completely different vibes and energy than anything I have experienced. Also during the day we had absolutely no plans, obligations, motives or desires. We roamed free in the wild, feeling more and more human as time passed. I spent a lot of time in the figures that ended up burning at night. It was so interesting connecting so deeply to a wooden creation. Watching them burn at night was surprisingly highly emotional for me as I felt like I was kind of losing a part of myself, in a way. The theme of rebirth is what the burning is all about: connecting and destroying and reemerging.
I feel so fortunate and grateful to have been able to partake in all of these mind-altering events and recognize what a powerful impact they have made on my experience abroad in South Africa, as well as on my overall life and self.