As a volunteer-driven event and organisation, AfrikaBurn offers many ways in which anyone can participate. A good starting point would simply to ask yourself what it is you’d like to do, and see where that skill or contribution would fit. Take a look at the following areas, find one that suits you, and then step up, rock up and prepare to have a lot of fun.
For a start there’s a host of volunteer roles that need filling at the event each year – and there’s a full list below where you can read about those, and sign up. You can pick your own shifts, and choose what suits you.
If you’re not sure what you want to volunteer for, no problem – you can hop on over to the Volunteer Facebook page, and check out what they’re looking for right now, or get in touch with volunteer@afrikaburn.com and they’ll help you find your niche.
There’s many areas we need assistance with, but there’s three major areas with the most guts and glory. That’s Rangering, Sanctuary and DPW. Check them out below:
Tankwa Town Rangers are participants who volunteer a portion of their time at AfrikaBurn in service of the safety and well-being of the AfrikaBurn community. Rangers – also known as The Orange – act as non-confrontational community mediators, providers of reliable information, facilitators of public safety, and promoters of the eleven guiding principles upon which AfrikaBurn is based.
Day and night, pairs of Rangers can be found walking and bicycling throughout Tankwa Town, engaging with the community, enjoying the art, and helping participants respond to situations that can range from directing people to the nearest loo to finding lost children, and supporting overwhelmed participants.
Rangers are not a security force. Our event has accredited security that are hired for the period, and they are there to lock down the gate if required and back up the Rangers under extreme circumstances. Within Tankwa Town. ‘law and order’ is maintained by two assumptions. First, Radical Self Reliance means that each participant is responsible and proactive in terms of their own well-being and, in terms of Participation and Civil Responsibility, proactive in terms of the well-being of others. Second, the volunteer-based Ranger organization takes responsibility for working with participants to identify risks, dangers, or hazards, then working with the appropriate departments to minimize, manage, or mediate them.
Becoming a Ranger entails coming to a five-hour training session and then signing up for at least one shift at the event. The more shifts, the more events, the more experience, and the more roles you learn, the more you can contribute to your AfrikaBurn community as well as your own communities and workplaces.
Rangers work within one or more of five organisational roles at the event:
Dust Rangers form the core of all Ranger services. These Rangers walk around, talk to people, visit, interact with AfrikaBurn and all its art, advocate for the 11 Principles, and apply them with compassion where and if needed. These Rangers are the eyes and ears for the whole Ranger crew. They know much about Tankwa Town because they see it all first!
Specialise in helping participants through difficult situations that have a strong emotional or internal component. Green Dots are patient listeners who seek to hold space for participants undergoing inner transformation or experiencing internal or emotional distress.
Knowledgeable and experienced support in the field for other Rangers by offering face to face advice, backup, and coordination support.
Supporting Rangers on shift. At Ranger Headquarters, Tortoise – the call sign for Shift Leads – monitors the Ranger radio channels. When needed, they secure resources to support situations and communicate with other departments to ensure timely response to incidents.
Ranger One is a very special role for seriously experienced and capable Rangers. As the top Ranger on duty, they advise the Shift Leads on complex issues and work with other departments to deliver the best response possible to difficult community situations.
As our city continues to grow each year, the need for Rangers in Tankwa Town grows with it. To support the event, Rangers always looking for dedicated volunteers to help cover more than four thousand hours of Ranger shifts.
If you, or anyone in your camp or crew are interested in stepping up, we invite you to join one of the training sessions held throughout the year in various South African cities, or attend a training session during the event itself. We all share responsibility for holding this space, and together we can ensure it remains safe, supportive, and true to its spirit.
For training updates, shift signups and more information, follow Rangers on their social media pages below:
You are also welcome to email Rangers: rangers@afrikaburn.com
It’s a calm place of safety where anyone having challenging experiences in the dust (and at our events elsewhere) are able to be helped.
Participants can often become overwhelmed by the extreme desert conditions: wind, dust, soop (sound out of place), temperatures, intense partying and the stress of camping.
Radical self-reliance when things get hectic can look like leaning on camp mates, neighbours and friends, asking for help, and figuring out ways to prevent common challenges before they happen. Sanctuary, created by both the org and the community as a gift of support to Tankwa Town, is one of the places to come and ask for help.
Sanctuary offers a safe and supportive space at Off Centre Camp between Medics and Ranger HQ, to regain balance through peer support and practical help with wellbeing like rest, refreshments and care. Sanctuary also works with the operations team to put prevention strategies in place to reduce future community challenges.
There are 4 roles open to volunteers that meet the approval criteria:
Shifts are 24/7 beginning when the gates officially open, and ending on the Monday of Exodus, 6 hours long:
6:00 to 12:00
12:00 to 18:00
18:00 to 24:00
24:00 to 06:00
To sign up for a Sanctuary shift you need:
NB: It would be super if you had previous harm reduction, medical, mental health, and/or psychological counselling experience (psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, registered counsellors and social workers most welcome).
DPW are our Department of Public Works, and they’re spoken about more over here.
To make Tankwa Town function smoothly takes a small army of volunteer to fill over 3,000 shifts – and every year we have an amazing showing by many people, but there are always a lot of shifts left open that you could help with.
Afraid not: our event takes place on a private nature reserve, which means that no pets of any kind are permitted. RIP Maffy The Rat, 2011.
There are loads of reasons – firstly, it’s great fun and you get to meet loads of people. Volunteering also gets you involved in the do-ocracy that creates the magic of Tankwa Town. Volunteering also embodies the principles of gifting, civic responsibility, decommodification – and best of all you’ll feel great for doing it.
Please email the volunteer team – or alternatively, sign up at the event by heading over to the Volunteer booth at Off-Centre Camp to see what needs doing.
The great feeling that you are a huge part of team. You might also receive a MOOP bag and various items depending on how many shifts you complete.
Oh, and a network of close, connected friends from around the planet. People you’d never meet in the default, with whom you’ll do things that you never thought possible.
Hell, yes! It’s the best way to learn about how things work, meet new people and complete your experience.
Absolutely: all the available shift descriptions can be found below. Still uncertain? Mail volunteer@afrikaburn.com
Sorry, no. Only by having volunteers fill over 3,000 shifts can we keep ticket prices as low as possible.
For sure – we welcome it. Get in touch with us at volunteer@afrikaburn.com to find out how.
Depending on what your skills are and how you wish to volunteer, we’ll find activities in your area and match you. Please email volunteers@afrikaburn.com and let them know of your wonderful offer.
Head to Off-Centre Camp 15 minutes before your shift starts and check in with the friendly Volunteer Booth crew.
Absolutely, yes. Head to the Volunteer Booth at Off-Centre Camp and find out what is still available.
One beauty about volunteering is you get to choose how you would like to gift your time. You’re welcome to volunteer for anything that interests you.
Shift times vary from 2 hours to 6 hours, depending on what you choose to do.
Yes in two ways, either by attending a briefing beforehand – which some portfolios do, and others you will be shown the ropes when you arrive.
Yes, and details can be sent to you. The details will also be here on our site and if you missed any of those, then go to the Volunteer Booth and find out when the trainings are scheduled.
For info on our Ranger Training dates click here, and for info on Sanctuary Training click on over this way.
Make contact with a Theme Camp by browsing the Theme Camps Group. Then ask them if you can join!
Sure – mail art@afrikaburn.com and they’ll get back to you.
Yes. We hold a few before the event in Cape Town and in Joburg. We’ll be putting those dates on our site, on social media and also will email you directly. You can also keep an eye on upcoming Volunteer Days at our HQ on the Volunteers At AfrikaBurn Facebook page.
Yes you may. You can either change it yourself through sign up genius on line before the event or come straight to the Volunteer Booth at Off Centre Camp. However please, no changes if there are less than 24hrs before your shift
Consider doing one at another time or looking at the many other volunteer roles available.
That’s easy. Sign up together or come speak to the Volunteer Booth crew at Off-Centre Camp.
When shift lists on our Participation page are open, you can check shifts and who else has signed up.
If you’re at the event and cannot remember come to the Volunteer Booth at Off-Centre Camp anytime – the shifts are on a notice board right next to the Booth.
Check up on the sign up genius page, when you log in, it will inform you of the shifts you have signed up for. Any problems please write to volunteer@afrikaburn.com or come along to the Volunteer Booth at Off-Centre Camp at the event.
Working here means you’re the reception desk for arriving artists and theme camps, both registered and unregistered. You’d get to help them locate their designated spots (or find them one). This is a great way to meet the people that create the magic of Tankwa Town.
More information: art@afrikaburn.com
The Artefactory is a museum of all things AfrikaBurn. It’s a mélange for explorers seeking to learn its history, the 11 Principles, previous events, creative initiatives and Miss Nesbitt’s memoires, all of which are showcased in displays within a giant shipping container. It also features the best rooftop viewing deck where you can sit and watch things happen out of the blue.
If you have ever wanted your own night at the museum tale, or just wanted to be a part of telling this maginificent story, come work at the Artefactory for some curatorial cosiness.
A shift in the Box Office takes you out of the desert elements for 4 hours and puts you into the hot seat at one of the Box Office windows, scanning the many burners arriving in the desert into Tankwa Town.
Some shifts are extremely busy, and some are quiet, so be prepared to work both eventualities. It’s always fun working a Box Office shift, and we invite you to join the Box Office furniture. You may even get a shirt out of it!
For more info, send an email to: patsy@afrikaburn.com
CHILLAZ, situated at the epicenter of the Off Centre, exists as a hub and a platform for all artists, performers, and creatives looking for a stage in dusty Tankwa Town.
Chillaz is looking for volunteers to fill various roles during their event, including stage manager, technical support, fluffers, artist booker, and stagehands.
Love the smell of LRP in the morning?! Why not hitch a ride on the back of a butterfly, a bumblebee or a unicorn? Come meet the builders, artists and creators, get to know them and be inspired to maybe build your own. So get on the highway, point yourself our way, DMV awaits.
Volunteer for registration here.
And if you’re a strong super shift lead, click here.
Our DPW are responsible for creating the key infrastructure of the event: roads, signage, toilets and much more. Like getting your hands dirty? Your skills will be put to good use working with the DPW.
In order to take on the role of being DPW crew volunteer, you’ll need up to five weeks free time out in the Tankwa Karoo.
Read more about DPW here, here and here. The form is on one of those pages – consider finding it the first part of your application process.
Beyond chopping vegetables and preparing meals, it’s an invitation to shape the communal spirit and radical self-expression that define AfrikaBurn. Join a family of like-minded individuals, where every task contributes to the vibrant tapestry of this temporary city in the Tankwa Karoo.
The application process for kitchen is the same as for DPW, so follow the links on those pages.
For more information, email kitchen@afrikaburn.com
When people arrive with Tankwa stars in their eyes, this is the crew that processes them and their tickets. It’s a great way to meet loads of people, and share in the stoke of arrival. Sound good? It is good.
You shall not pass!
Bubbly? Enthusiastic? Fancy welcoming the citizens of Tankwa Town with a smile, song or dance? Perfect. Get to dress up and welcome, orientate and inform people as they arrive.
They dish out the coolest – and only – product sold in Tankwa Town. It’s a great way to meet people, and earn the undying admiration of thirsty and hot burners.
Ice Ice Baby
Every year, behind the scenes, the hard-working Kitchen Crew swings into action to keep the AB staff steady on their feet 24/7 by keeping them fed and well-hydrated. Even if you’re a kitchen novice, come and help prep, serve, and of course, clean up. You’ll have unique, behind the scenes, interactions with folk from all over the world who make AB happen.
Our Just In (e) booth is where all the missing things are collected. From lost cameras to lost minds, you can find it all here. Shifts involve manning the booth, receiving lost items and logging them and then reuniting people with found items.
Contact lostandfound@afrikaburn.com for more details.
The Tankwa Karoo is a pristine environment, but all the stuff that hits the ground has to be removed, and despite the fact that AfrikaBurn is a Leave No Trace event, some people don’t read – or sometimes forget – the manual. Which is when MOOP happens. (Matter Out Of Place)! Got some karma to earn?
In keeping with our core principle of ‘leave no trace,’ we are firmly committed to the responsible management of waste.
The art of waste separation and recycling is a pivotal element of our overarching sustainability mission, and its success depends on the dedication and collaborative efforts of individuals like yourself.
Rangers aren’t the police or security, but rather there to make sure everyone has a good time and doesn’t get hurt. They’re active participants in the community, who promote awareness of what AfrikaBurn is all about and point out potential hazards. Rangers walk about, engage with the community and mediate where necessary.
So if you enjoy assisting others, guiding the odd burner through a difficult circumstance and generally enjoy keeping the peace, you’re Ranger material. But bear in mind you must be calm, flexible and have a sense of humour.
Meet up with Rangers here: Info & Training Page
Learn a little more about them here, here, and even here.
It’s the place where anyone can go if they’re having a hard time, or feeling overwhelmed. If it’s a physical or psychological challenge people are facing and it’s too much to handle, our Sanctuary crew will be on hand to assist in a calm, peaceful space. And you’re welcome to join the team. Contact Sanctuary here: sanctuary@afrikaburn.com
*Please note you need to have done Sanctuary training to be able to volunteer.
For info on Sanctuary (and a link to sign up, if you have the required skills), head back up this page.
Skollie Patrollie is at the heart of the dance of vehicles in the dust. They’re Tankwa Town’s self-managed volunteer traffic crew. They help keep people on and off the road, keep an eye on speeding nonsense, and generally are sensible in a crisis.
Got a hankering for keeping things safe from a distance? Want to make sure our town is ship-shape?
In Ghost Rider we trust.
Voted ‘Most Satisfying Crew in 2022’, these are the peeps that roll around in the morning making sure that the loos are stocked and clean and ready to go!
It’s a SUPER fun few hours (especially on the days that we find deposits from the Gifting Fairies) and you get to rest easy in the knowledge that YOU have taken care of some shit for the day.
Ever wanted to spend some time at the nerve centre, and encourage people to sign up for shifts and help burners volunteer for what they want to do to make this event what it is?
Once we all get back from the desert and have shaken the dust out of our hair, then it’s (nearly immediately) time to gather again at our Decompression. It’s like a massive family picnic & jol, with art and music and all the cool things you find in Tankwa Town.
Interested in helping out with Decompression? Mail decom@afrikaburn.com or mail volunteer@afrikaburn.com if you just want to help out.
If you’re looking for a theme camp, artwork or mutant vehicle crew to join, we’re busy working on a new solution to help people find their places. Please email art@afrikaburn.com, themecamps@afrikaburn.com or dmvreg@afrikaburn.com if you would like to volunteer on projects. They’ll be able to assist you.
Our event and community are built on active participation. You’re welcome to raise your hand at any time and put yourself forward and get involved. Apart from our main annual event in the Tankwa Karoo, there are also others like Decompression and Streetopia where you could pitch in.
Visit the Portfolios Section for contact details and get in touch to find out how you can get involved in the organisation, or contribute to various ongoing projects. You’re also welcome to consider joining the organisation as a Member in order to provide oversight, guidance and input. Read up on how the organisation is managed, and how you can become a Member.
You can also fill out the Volunteer form online or email volunteer@afrikaburn.com and a volunteer coordinator will get back to you.
There are a bunch of other ways to unleash your imagination. If you’re keen on building an artwork or having a performance, or creating and hosting a Theme Camp click those links – otherwise there’s more information about other topics below:
Raising money for your project can be hard. We’ve put together a host of tips and tricks to assist you on your funraiser.
If you’re looking to take photos or videos at the event, please read through the media guidelines, and consider registering.
Your gift should not be a reflection of, or associated with, your Default job. In Tankwa Town, nothing and no one is a product.
First things first: please don’t use the San Clan emblem, or the date badge from our website, on your promo material in a branding fashion. We’re a decommodified community and organisation, and wouldn’t want our identity used in a context that could create the impression that AfrikaBurn endorses, or is associated with, any brands.
If you use our identity it can create the impression that your event event is ‘organised by AfrikaBurn’, which can be problematic. More than that, your events are an opportunity for you to develop your identity as a Theme Camp, Mutant Vehicle, Artwork or Performance. Use that to your advantage.
An official AfrikaBurn fundraiser event (such as our Decompression and Streetopia events) has to have proper Health & Safety plans in place, an event permit and a host of other legal requirements. Please note: the use of wording also applies to Decompression – as tempting as it might be to call your post-Tankwa event a ‘Decompression’, we do ask that you avoid using that name, as it also creates the impression that it might be the ‘official’ Decom – but if it’s not, it’s not.
Feel free to mention AfrikaBurn in your Facebook group name and in your fundraiser promotion but please make sure that it is only in reference in a sentence.
e.g. CAMP CARROT – a project for AfrikaBurn
or CIRCUSACT – a theme camp fundraiser for AfrikaBurn
or CATALYST FUNDRAISER – an art installation for AfrikaBurn
Your project or event name is the star here – make it the largest and most noticeable text.
RADIO FREE TANKWA NEEDS PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!
If you’re in touch with members of our community who have projects, or would like to inform our community about your project in the dust, please consider creating PSA’s for your community radio station, or suggesting to others that they do so.
It’s really easy and anyone – even a sleeping infant two-toed sloth – can create their own PSA’s. Here’s how:
Download Audacity (it’s free and easy to use) or use other sound software. If you need an Audacity tutorial, there’s a useful one here. Then send us the PSA’s at rft@afrikaburn.com
The Baardskeerder is available for you & your project info! Use it to promote your fundraising activities, make callouts, or simply to get your project known out there.
The Baardskeerder usually goes out every two weeks from January to May, and on a content basis the rest of the year.
To submit newsletter content, please click right here.
NB: Your info has to be in by 6pm the day before the newsletter goes out.
Posts on Facebook are not as easy. We usually prioritise event related information. If there is space, our communications team will post your fundraiser at their discretion, through the AfrikaBurn channels. You can also post it on the AfrikaBurn Facebook groups or event pages yourself.
There’s a really relatively helpful list of social media and community links here.
Our ticketing agent (Quicket) has kindly offered their platform for projects to easily collect money from supporters. It’s not a crowdfunding platform (like Thundafund, IndieGogo or Kickstarter) – it’s more like a donations box that makes it easier for people to contribute money towards your project using all sorts of payment platforms.
This operation involves costs, and Quicket will do it at cost price. This means you’ll pay whatever they pay in credit card and bank fees, but only that. If you’re interested, send an email to support@quicket.co.za (they’re also burners, and will do their best to help you).
If you have a registered project, we can offer you an official letter of motivation from AfrikaBurn towards securing donations or discounts from suppliers and service providers.
If you think this would help, please request this to art@afrikaburn.com.
If your project is stuck because you don’t have a workspace, tools, enough hands on, expert advice, etc. and you have already tried everything you can to solve this and are still coming up dry, please don’t give up. Send us an email and tell us about your struggle and we’ll see how we can assist.
Remember that Radical Self-Reliance and Communal Effort are two of the 11 Guiding Principles.
Contact Us – You know how to contact us: art@afrikaburn.com
And please remember the first rule of Art Club:
Always use the name our your project in the subject line of your email.
E.g. [PANTS OF FIRE] – Letter of Support
This is a huge help to keep email communication effective between us. Emails without a subject or a subject such as “artwork question” might take a long time to be answered.
Don’t forget that your fundraising event will be seen as an extension of AfrikaBurn, and its community – consider both location, and the nature of the venue, in terms of accessibility and inclusivity, and make the right choices with that in mind. It could make a big difference to the experience and the number of people able to attend your event.
In summer, energy and enthusiasm run high: it’s a great time for fundraisers. Remember that in the lead-up to AfrikaBurn, there’s a lot happening every weekend – so if you plan an event at that time, you stand a fair chance of being drowned out by the many others that are happening.
Think about your dates carefully, and try not to compete with any major events that might be aiming for the same crew you’re hoping to attract.
Our newsletter, Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter account are all great methods of spreading the word, and they are at your disposal for fundraisers.
Head to the Baardskeerder’s submission page to send info in for our newsletter.
Include a brief write-up exactly as you’d like it to be printed, including all the important details. You’d be surprised how many people send info without dates and venues! Don’t forget to include the project name, date, venue, price, theme, etc. If you have made a Facebook group page and or event page, include the link for that too.
Your announcement will be included in the next newsletter – usually within two weeks.
You’re welcome to post your event info on our main page – and event pages – on Facebook. There are also numerous other pages and groups out there which would be useful to broaden your exposure – use them!
You can find a handy list of many of the AfrikaBurn-related pages and groups on social media on our Community Links page.
Follow @AfrikaBurn, and #tag us, and we’ll be able to pick up on the content.
One word about asking our Communications crew to punt your event: whilst they’re happy to help from June to December (which is our annual ‘quiet’ period as far as communications about our main event goes), it’s not possible to promote your event from January until the end of May, as our channels need to be kept clear for important announcements.
As it happens, our crafty creative team has put together a helpful PDF that provides lots of valuable tips that will assist you in making the best decisions for your planned fundraiser. You can grab the Fundraising Guide here, read it, and share it with your Collective crew members.
Good luck with your fundraising! Get creative and think out of the box – there are many ways to raise funds. You’re resourceful – make it happen!
This information pack provides links to South African history, data and statistics, diversity theory and a couple of simple practical exercises, to help us better understand AfrikaBurn within the context of the Burn Community and AfrikaBurn within the context of South Africa and the African continent. It’s an opportunity to bring awareness to own power and positions that we carry as individuals.
Bolded links to articles are must reads.
Other links provide background and are recommended reading.
4 Ways White People Can Process Their Emotions Without Bringing the White Tears
Things White People can do to process their emotional responses to conversations about race
That’s amazing; the gift of music is one of the greatest joys in Tankwa Town (just not in the quiet zone). Whether you DJ or sing, play guitar or penny whistle, your performance on Quaggafontein should be given freely and without any expectation of compensation (other than a big round of applause). This creates an opportunity for you to connect with the Tankwa Town residents on a much deeper level than if you’d booked the Sydney Opera House and performed for all your mates who like exactly the same tunes as you.
When a performance or DJ set is gifted, it is given out of a sense of love and passion for the art form rather than for any other type of gain. This creates more meaningful and authentic experiences and is what delivers the magic that you only get at a Burn event (compared to Coachella or Glastonbury).
It’s very important to our community that, as a decommodified space, you do not see the AfrikaBurn event as an opportunity to promote your DJ career or brand. While it’s essential to credit any creative performance appropriately, we encourage you to free yourself from any perception of the default world and perform entirely anonymously.
How cool would it be to go and see a random band called ‘The Churnups’ and then discover it’s the Foo Fighters? When you’re in Tankwa Town, we encourage you to be more like Larry Lurex instead of Freddie Mercury.
After the event, we encourage you to share any performance or DJ set in the default world in the same manner. If you really want to share your set/performance from AfrikaBurn, please don’t do it in a way that makes it look like you’re a resident act at AfrikaBurn to get opportunities in the default world. Use your gift to teach others why AfrikaBurn is so great as a decommodified and unbranded space.
Have you heard of Bangers and Mash? Hopefully, only if you’ve been to AfrikaBurn … At AfrikaBurn, they throw legendary intergalactic dance parties in the dust, but outside of the Burn in the default world, nobody has ever paid to get into a Bangers and Mash venue or listen to Bangers and Mash perform. Bangers and Mash aren’t charging you extra for a VVIP ticket to their dancefloor at AfrikaBurn; they let anyone be a part of their soundscape (they also gift banging potato treats on their dancefloor).
Despite the numerous emails we get from booking agents, AfrikaBurn does not book or curate any performers or DJs at AfrikaBurn. If you want to perform, Radical Self Reliance is key to finding a place to perform your music. Your best way to perform at AfrikaBurn is to start a sound-based Theme Camp or creative project … If your dream is to play a piano in the middle of the desert at midnight, then we’re not going to stop you, but it’s up to you to bring a piano to Tankwa Town and take it all home again.
You also don’t need to bring a massive rig or a double-decker bus to be able to play your music. You can start small and build your way up over time.
The absence of commercialism at AfrikaBurn allows us the rare opportunity to gift rather than sell, to receive rather than buy. It allows us to try social currency instead of transactions.
Some words on this page have been sampled and remixed from Travis Lyle and Charlie Dolman