It is with remarkable and profound sorrow that we mark the parting of a true legend – someone who made sure that we all had a home in Tankwa Town – our Cyndi.

For many years, since the very beginning, Cyndi was the unbreakable and indomitable head of the AfrikaBurn kitchen crew. She didn’t just feed our stomachs, she fed our hearts and souls. Her love and passion, her dark sense of humour, her personal strength, and her wicked cackle was the pulse of countless burns – the kitchen being the beating heart of operations in the desert.

She later brought her passion to the Supplies Team where she continued to greet us on arrival. A smirk, a joke and a hug to welcome us home. But her influence spread far and wide – so much further than our crew or our kitchen. She was the Dread Pirate Roberts across the South African event scene – a force to be reckoned with, both feared and loved (probably in equal measure for most).

We’ve all lost a true legend. Our Mama Dread. A badass friend that will tell you exactly what she thinks. Someone to bounce our shitty ideas off. Someone who spread love and passion across every festival and experience in the country.
Nothing will ever taste the same, the coffee will never be as strong, and there’s never going to be enough marijuana. Everything has changed.

And yet we carry her with us.
Her laugh.
Her care.
Her defiance.
And her unwavering belief and love.

So it is with true sadness, and absolute love that we wish her goodbye.

‘Shirts off in the kitchen.’

P.S. No matter what, you know she’s still caring about you and what you do. Even if no one else does.