The Psychedelic Story in South Africa: A Dialogue on Forgotten History, Modern Discoveries, & the Law

An evening with Sebastian William Foster & Cullen Taylor Clark
The psychedelic renaissance is truly underway! Despite their ancient, interwoven history with humanity, these complex substances have endured near-total global prohibition since the 1970s. Half a century on, contemporary science is shining a light back on what was suppressed – illuminating their history, their cultural significance, and their extraordinary potential.

On 8 April at café Roux, join two researchers at the forefront of South Africa’s psychedelic conversation for a 90-minute evening that is part history, part science, and part law. Cullen Taylor Clark is one of South Africa’s pioneering citizen mycologists and researcher of southern Africa’s forgotten psychedelic history. His fieldwork in indigenous mushroom traditions across the subcontinent, and his meticulous study of rock art as a record of ancient psychedelic practice, is geared to help reframe the conversation about what these substances are, how they are used, and what they have meant to human beings for millennia. On the night, Cullen will take you into the field – into the caves, into the archaeology, into the astonishing continuity between ancient visionary practice and the scientific findings of the present day.

Sebastian William Foster is an attorney, LLM (International Law) candidate at the University of Göttingen and PhD researcher at the University of Zürich. His academic and legal work sits at the intersection of psychedelic policy, international and domestic drug laws, and fundamental human rights. Sebastian will trace the shadowed history of the political architecture behind global and domestic prohibition, illustrating how psychedelics were criminalised, and the complexities faced in challenging these laws today. Drawing on his work locally, Sebastian will detail the unique rights-centric approach which may offer a meaningful avenue for change globally.

By the end of the evening, we aim to ensure that you leave with a fresh perspective on psychedelics: a peak into their past; a look at ancient evidence; an understanding of how they work; knowledge of why they’re criminalised; and clarity on how, we argue, the law should change.

This event is a fundraiser. Proceeds support Sebastian’s participation at the Chacruna Institute’s Psychedelic Culture Conference in San Francisco on 17–19 April, bringing South Africa’s legal perspective to an international stage, as well as Cullen’s forthcoming book based on his field research. Your ticket directly supports both projects.

DOORS OPEN AT 6PM, SHOW STARTS AT 7:30PM