Whoonga play for KZNSA

ULWEMBU, a play about whoonga, can be veiwed at KZNSA Gallery on Friday 22 April from 7pm to 8.30pm.

Ulwembu is a collaborative documentary-theatre project that brings together theatre-makers, citizens and civil society to engage the interface between street-level drug-addiction, policing and mental health in the city of Durban, South Africa.

The play’s intention is to make visible the invisible life worlds of vulnerable people in Durban, and its surrounds, as well as create new social learning opportunities for the Police, Department of Health, NGOs, families of users, and other groups.

The presentation of Ulwembu is part of the Urban Futures Centre’s contribution to the public programme. Over the course of 2015 and 2016, a dynamic team of story-tellers, playwrights, theatre-makers, academics and researchers set about exploring the Whoonga (Low grade heroin) crises currently plaguing KZN communities.

The result of the two year research/play-making process is an immersive and powerful 60-minute theatre production titled Ulwembu (isiZulu for Spider web) will be presented as part of the public programme for Approach: Cultural Production is a Shifting Social Context at the KZNSA Gallery.

The creative team consists of award-winning playwright and director Neil Coppen, educational sociologist Dylan McGarry, Durban actress Mpume Mtombeni, and Kwa-Mashu based community-theatre group: The Big Brotherhood.

Ulwembu, which has been described as ‘poignant’ and “essential” theatre, affords audiences the opportunity to walk in the shoes of misunderstood others: be it users, dealers, police-officers, social-workers or parents of drug users.

The Ulwembu team encourages police officers, social workers, public health practitioners, families affected by drug use, schools, and other concerned members of the public to come watch the play, and participate in the post-show exchange.

Admission is free and seats are limited. RSVP through the gallery at gallery@kznsagallery.co.za