Considered one of Zambia’s maximum usual actors and filmmakers Owas Mwape penniless a social taboo by means of admitting that one among his younger sons has an dependancy to medicine when he posted a up to date attraction for recommendation on Fb.

The 52-year-old advised the BBC he sought after to worth his status as a family determine to obvious the lid on Zambia’s drug issues and support alternative folks who concern the stigma of getting a kid with substance abuse in a socially conservative nation.

“I’ve discovered most parents hide such kind of things, they’re hiding their children,” mentioned Mwape, the daddy of 5 sons and one daughter.

“It’s out there and on our doorsteps. We can’t run away from it. As long as you send your children to school, know that it could hit your household.”

The superstar of award-winning motion pictures like Mwansa the Superb assuredly to sit down all the way down to do an in-depth interview with the BBC to speak about the intense ache he feels as a dad or mum and the disease that has obviously shattered his folk over the terminating 4 to 5 years.

Mayamiko, now 23, was once an adolescent when issues started to resolve.

First his dad spotted that cash was once lacking from his locker account – Mayamiko had hacked his telephone to scouse borrow about $3,000 (£2,300) over about two years. Nearest there was once some petty thieving.

First of all it was once no longer sunny that he was once the usage of the cash for medicine, however issues got here to a head a couple of mins ahead of he was once because of scribble final-year college tests – and he ran clear of house to survive the streets.

All of it obviously surprised and pained Mwape who may just no longer consider the boy he described as sparky and beneficiant may have long gone indisposed this trail, pronouncing his complete manner adjustments when he’s on medicine.

“It’s a very difficult thing to be a father in the moment that I have found myself in. It’s tough because every child is special and Maya is one of those special kids because he is intelligent,” he says.

However he says you need to forgive your kids to support them, turning to an African proverb to precise himself: “Your child is like an axe, it will hammer you and you pick it up and put it on your shoulder.”

Mayamiko is now again in contact together with his father, however it’s at all times on his phrases as he makes use of other telephone numbers, making it tough to touch him.

Nevertheless it has given his father hope that issues can exchange – regardless that he realises that for any rehab to paintings, Mayamiko must wish to exchange.

Once we met for our interview, Mwape had controlled to coax Mayamiko to come back alongside too. It was once a frank dialog that at one level was a transferring dialogue between father and son.

“Maya, if we found you work to do and you start getting paid, are you going to work extra hard?” Mwape requested him just about an occasion into our consultation.

Mayamiko, whose pronunciation was once relatively incoherent and punctuated by means of lengthy pauses, admitted he would really like some support to switch his way of life and be capable to generate income.

His dad adopted up with this query: “Are you promising us that you will stay away from drugs?”

Mayamiko hesitated and mentioned: “Yeah.”

For his father it was once a diversion to listen to that he has aspirations – it’s one thing that he can create on.

However probably the most irritating factor for Mwape is that his second-oldest son is rarely specific about what medicine he takes, how he will get retain of them – and steadily obfuscates when requested a query.

“When you’re trying to speak to him, you can tell that things are not adding up, so that’s why for me I really need that sort of… intervention.”

When probed extra all through the interview concerning the medicine, Mayamiko mentioned he most commonly took “cheese” – a connection with marijuana – or “anything”.

This is why Mwape, who’s lately starring in usual Zambian cleaning soap opera Zuba that airs on DStv, took to Fb, as a result of he sought after to find out about rehab centres that experience confirmed examples of luck – tales no longer extensively shared in a rustic the place drug dependancy is this sort of hush-hush affair.

There are countless personal amenities in Zambia – however incorrect publicly funded one – and he says some family have even reportedly despatched their kids to China.

“I couldn’t believe [it], there were a number of parents who came into my inbox with similar problems,” he mentioned.

Mwape’s revel in has additionally influenced the flicks his corporate has lately produced – with material regarded as to be “un-Zambian”.

“Girls 2 Ladies is about drugs in boarding schools,” he mentioned.

“I’m not saying boarding schools are not good, but I think it’s important as parents now that we put a keen eye to try to find out what type of schools we’re sending our children to, [which is] one of my greatest fears even with what type of rehabilitation centre I should send him [Mayamiko] to.”

His oldest son, Maxwell, has simply directed The Flask, a hard-hitting account of an alcoholic’s downward spiral into dependancy that can be excepted after occasion.

Researching a majority of these tasks has led Mwape to the door of Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Fee (DEC) – headed by means of Nason Banda, whom he praises for his enlightened management that favours interventions for kids instead than prison – which many fogeys concern.

“Sending them to prison doesn’t help because there are still drugs in there,” Mwape mentioned.

In step with Mr Banda, drug abuse in Zambia is worsening, with one of the crucial maximum abused medicine being hashish, cocaine, heroin and over the counter drugs such because the cough syrup Benylin, which comprises codeine.

He advised the BBC there were a 300% building up within the collection of family his organisation had attended to over the life 10 years.

“Now that is just as DEC but we have several other institutions that assist with drug-dependent persons, so that is not the full reflection of the extent of the problem.”

The pinnacle of the rustic’s anti-drug company mentioned the principle drivers of drug abuse had been damaged households plus the accessibility and affordability of medicine.

Peer power and the glamourising of drug tradition by means of adults had additionally contributed, he mentioned.

The DEC was once dedicated to preventing drug abuse by means of concentrated on providers, customers and proceeds of the industry, Mr Banda mentioned, including that he additionally sought after the federal government to foundation a devoted rehab centre if the cash was once to be had.

For Mwape, he hopes his openness about his son’s issues is not going to most effective support his personal folk however others too – and restrain the rustic dwelling in denial.

And week he admits the ache of a dad or mum by no means leaves, he feels he’ll be triumphant – and that Mayamiko gets blank.

“Sometimes, battles are never won by simply getting into battle – battles are won by employing strategy and I know that all strategies that I have employed are definitely taking me to the right place.”