Ulwembu is a very important play about a very important subject: People (not drugs).

Ulwembu means spider web in Zulu. Here the authors use it to symbolise the social web society spins around drugs and how the web, not the drugs, reflects the real danger to society.

Ulwembu is a very frank and transparent advocacy theater piece. What it does best is pierce the walls we all build in the world to block out levels of existence we feel are negative or that do not concern us. This play gives those that take the effort to see it a glimpse into a world they would normally not have any knowledge or experience of. It shows everybody the true drama that happens behind the ‘scenes’ of a comfortable world where drug users are judged with prejudice by those that graduated from prohibitionist propaganda university. The play succeeds in piercing the stigma, showing the truth.

This real South African story screams and begs us to reconsider our understanding of how drugs function in society. It shows the current state of affairs and clearly illustrates the how the failed war on drugs stigmatises and harms those that need help and compassion the most. The message is clear: The opposite of addiction is engagement. Arresting drug users AND dealers will create more problems than it solves. Ulwembu begs for a rethinking of drug policy and a holistic embracing of harm reduction that should run to the core of drug policy.

The South African Police commented that Ulwembu reveals the root causes of substance abuse. Once again they were wrong. It shows drugs as the root excuses for people to abuse people.

South Africa needs more advocacy theater like this.

Ulwembu is available from Exclusive Books https://www.exclusivebooks.co.za/product/9781776141951

Visit https://www.ulwembu.net