refers to kevin carter's addiction to the so-called 'white pipe': a mixture of the drugs mandrax (a sedative derived from the drug Methaqualone in combination with an antihistamine) and dagga (marijuana) smoked in a broken-off bottle neck. This practice is exclusive to South Africa and is much more dangerous than taking either of these drugs alone.in the end of his life, carter became more and more addicted to the white pipe, as he wasn't able to cope with his memories about the cruelties of war he had seen, the death of his friend ken oosterbroek, and the questions others and he himself asked him about the way he had treated the sudanese girl he had taken a picture of (see vulture stalked).