This year 11 Sparks were sent around the country to ignite our Principles, and start some fires.
Our Spark Grants aim to ignite small community-led projects that embody AfrikaBurn’s guiding principles in the default world. The eleven participants, from around South Africa, were given a timeframe of five months to set their firestarters in motion.
Re mmogo aims to bridge the gap between formal and informal education, by equipping young minds with artistic skills and knowledge of indigenous systems, by creating a floor mural during the upcoming school holidays in September. The playful educational tool will be used to play indigenous board games including Morabaraba and Diketo.
Each One Teach One
KinoKadre Community Cinema Circle is a welcoming space where individuals from diverse backgrounds can share their stories through film amplifying marginalised voices. The Spark Grant support is continuing their mission of storytelling and empowerment, offering the youth of Bonteheuwel a creative outlet and steering them away from gang violence and drug abuse.
Radical Inclusion
Road to Wupperthal will support local community tourism that connects the Tankwa and the Cederberg villages, by repairing buildings at Agterfonteinskloof so they are fit for habitation. The wider project seeks to integrate what we experience at the Burn to build into the real world through Solvitur Ambulando: It is solved by walking!
Communal effort
Ubuhlobo Makhanda champions Radical Self-Expression and Self-Reliance through workshops that aim to equip young people in Makhanda with the tools to express their thoughts and feelings creatively. Addressing real-world issues like contaminated water, lack of services, and social isolation, the project uses mime, puppetry, and masks work to raise awareness and spark discussions.
Each One Teach One
A Play park is a gift of creating a much-needed children’s play park in Vanwyksdorp which will be transformative for the local community, because the majority of community members cannot afford recreational activities, leaving a significant gap for the children of the small town..
Gifting
Threads of continuity aims to create 365 dolls representing people holding hands, symbolising a collective hug around the world. It will involve 80,000 groups or individuals, fostering Communal Effort, Radical Inclusion inclusivity and Each One Teach One. By addressing hopelessness through creative collaboration, the project will connect women and communities, promoting a collective vision and social action iin Scarborough, Masiphumelele, Redhill, and Fish Hoek.
Communal effort
Magical Marvellous Maitland Murals aims to bring the mural art of Woodstock, Salt River, and Observatory to Maitland by transforming abandoned spaces through community collaboration. Cleaning up polluted areas and working with local businesses and residents, the project hopes to to amplify the voices of artists and the community.
Radical self-expression
Eco-Art Innovations: Giving life to recycled materials advances Leaving No Trace by incorporating sustainable practices and minimising environmental impact through the use of biodegradable, recycled, or repurposed materials. A workshop and exhibition involving school children in Langa at Gugu S’thebe focuses on environmental cleanup and restoration, turning plastic waste into valuable art, and educating communities about plastic pollution and waste management.
Leave No trace
Hand knitting workshop a facilitated workshop in George, focusing on upskilling and skill transfer for out-of-school youth, parolees and women from rural areas. This initiative aims to address poverty and enhance social cohesion by teaching participants to use their hands to create and generate income. The workshop offers therapeutic benefits, helping individuals identify their skills and explore endless possibilities.
Each One Teach One
Vape Shapes Leaving No Trace, the project encourages the community to repurpose hoarded vapes into art by creating 4 to 5 sculptures, each 1.5 metres tall, placed around Cape Town. Each sculpture will have a hole for dropping used vapes, addressing the environmental harm of vape waste, which is hazardous and difficult to recycle. This initiative aims to confront consumerism, raise awareness about the dangers of disposable vapes, and inspire inclusive action.
Leave No Trace
Impendulo Agri-Education Project – the installation of RESPEK a spekboom labyrinth on Youth Day, launched the Impendulo Agri-Education Project which applies Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Radical Inclusion, Each One Teach One, and Participation to create a lasting environmental legacy and foster a shared vision within the Riebeek community, which has a history of spatial and racial segregation.
