RANGERS

Rangers are a group of burners (just like you) who make their commitment to the principles of AfrikaBurn a little more formal. As non-confrontational community mediators, their role at the event is to support our community by providing participants with reliable information, supporting the 11 principles, facilitating public safety, and helping participants resolve disputes.

Rangers work in shifts and can be found, day and night, in pairs walking and cycling the streets of Tankwa Town, engaging with the community, and enjoying art. They can be identified when on duty by their highly visible orange attire. Rangers are the easiest way to access help and info in Tankwa Town. Beyond this, Rangers have taken the time to attend training, most of it centered around mediation to help smooth any disagreements that may arise.

Rangers also maintain specialised teams with additional training.

Rangers work within one or more of six 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!

Green Dot Rangers 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.

Fire Perimeter Rangers support burning art projects by managing a perimeter between participants and open flame. They work closely with the artists and Fire Safety to organize, train, and deploy Rangers around a burn site.

Dust Leads provide knowledgeable and experienced support in the field for other Rangers by offering face to face advice, backup, and coordination support.

Shift Leads support 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 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.

With our city population growing each year, we need more Rangers in Tankwa Town than ever before. We are always looking for qualified Rangers to staff over four thousand hours of shifts during the event.

If you, or anyone in your camp or crew, are interested in stepping up, please feel free to join us at the various training dates planned throughout the year in various South African cities, or join us at training at the event. We all hold the space together, and together can we hold it right.

To join the AfrikaBurn Rangers in 2022, CLICK HERE.

Have further questions about Rangers? Mail us at rangers@afrikaburn.com

To find out more, chat to any Ranger, come to Ranger HQ at Off-Centre Camp, or go to the Ranger page on our website.