Ngaphambi kokuthi ngiye eHaiti, wonke umuntu wayebuza umbuzo owodwa

UFrantzdy Pierrot wakhuluma izwi ngemuva kokuqeqeshwa. Leli zwi lalingekho ngebhola—nakuba engumdlali wangaphambili weqembu lesizwe laseHaiti, edlalela ikilabhu eFrance, futhi engomunye wabambalwa abangamela iHaiti emhlabeni jikelele. Wathi: 'Njalo lapho ngibuya eHaiti, izikhulu zezimpahla zasePort-au-Prince Airport ziyamazi umama. Hhayi ngenxa yebhola—ngoba umama wayethengisa isinkwa sikabhanana emgwaqweni ngaphandle kwesikhumulo sezindiza.'

Ngaqala ngaleli zwi. Hhayi ngoba likhuluma ngebhola, kodwa ngoba lavula umnyango ohlukile weHaiti: umnyango wezwe ongachazwa yizixwayiso zokuhamba, kodwa ngenkumbulo yokubuyela ekhaya nokuqina kwansuku zonke.

IHaiti itholakala oLwandle lweCaribbean, ihlanganyela isiqhingi saseHispaniola neDominican Republic. Ingenye yamazwe ampofu kakhulu eNtshonalanga yeNhlabathi, futhi eminyakeni edlule ihlangabezane nokungazinzi kwezombusazwe, izingxabano zamaqembu kanye nezinhlekelele zemvelo. Amazwe amaningi ngo-2025 abhala umusho owodwa ngezixwayiso zokuhamba eHaiti: 'Ungayi.' Kodwa iHaiti futhi iyizwe lokuqala emhlabeni elasungulwa yiNkathi yezigqila zabamnyama. Leli zwe lamemezela ubukhona balo ngo-1804 ngemuva kwezindonga zamatshe zeCitadelle Laferriere—eminyakeni engaphezu kuka-200 kamuva, le nqaba isekhona.

Ukufika ePort-au-Prince akukuhle ngalo mzuzu. Ehhovisi lesikhumulo sezindiza, umculo weKompa uqhuma emsakazweni ogugile—isigqi esihlanganisa izigqi zase-Afrika neCaribbean, esikwenza ungakwazi ukumisa amahlombe. Izingane ezimbili zacindezela phakathi kwezixuku ezilanda imithwalo zangisiza ukuthwala izikhwama—hhayi ngenxa yomusa, kodwa ngethemba lokuthola imali yokunikeza. Ukushisa nokomisa komoya kwakucindezela kakhulu kunendawo yezindiza ngaphandle. Iqiniso: umbono wokuqala weHaiti awuthandeki. Kodwa nganquma ukungakuhlehlisi noma ukukulimaza, nje ukuloba.

Ngihamba ngasogwini olusenyakatho, ngingena ehlathini elomile kanye nezimakethe ezisemgwaqweni eziqhamukayo ngezikhathi ezithile, iCap-Haïtien ivela emkhathizeni. ICitadelle Laferriere—inqaba enkulu kunazo zonke eNtshonalanga yeNhlabathi—ihleli phezu kwentaba engamamitha angu-900, ifana nesilo esikhulu samatshe. Umzila oya phezulu wentaba umqansa kangangokuba ukuphefumula kwamahhashi kuzwakala kakhulu kunomsindo wezinsimbi. Ngifika phezulu ngiphefumula kanzima, ngincike odongeni lwamatshe oluneminyaka engu-200, umqondisi wendawo othile wathi: 'Uyazi, le nqaba ayikaze ihlaseleke. Inkulu kakhulu, kangangokuba akekho owayenesibindi sokuza.' Emagqumeni aphansi, izingane zidlala ibhola. Inkundla inemigqa ebomvu noluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka efana nefulegi laseHaiti—kuhlanganisa isikhumbuzo sikazwelonke nomdlalo webhola wansuku zonke esithombeni esisodwa. Lena yisigqi sangempela sokulandisa kweHaiti.

IJacmel yidolobha elakhiwe ngepulpiti nemibala—izifihla-buso zayo ze-carnival ziyimisebenzi yobuciko eyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu eCaribbean, futhi izingcweti ezenza lezi zifihla-buso zihlala ezindlini ezingenawo ugesi. Umcweti wezifihla-buso ze-pulpiti ugobile emnyango esebenza. Isifihla-buso esisesandleni sakhe sinengxenye yokumamatheka, enye ingxenye yokubhodla—uboya bengonyama buphenduke amazinyo omuntu, izimpiko zezinyoni zihlangene namaphethini ase-Afrika. 'E-carnival wonke umuntu ugqoka isifihla-buso,' esho, 'kodwa ngaphansi kwesifihla-buso kukhona iHaiti yangempela. Kukhona ukwesaba, intukuthelo, kanye nesigqi esingakwenza udanse kuze kuse. Abantu baseHaiti abagqoki isifihla-buso esisodwa kuphela.' Ngikhumbula uWilde-Donald Guerrier—umdlali oseceleni weqembu lesizwe laseHaiti, owasuka ogwini oluseningizimu yePort-à-Piment waya enkundleni yaseYurophu. Umzila wempilo yakhe ufana nesifihla-buso saseJacmel: ingxenye ubunzima, enye ingxenye ukukhanya okwenza umhlaba ubuke.

Iphunga le-Griot — inyama yengulube eqhotsiweyo ene-pikliz (isaladi esibabayo) — livela emgwaqweni. Umnikazi wendawo ngumfazi osekhulile, oneminyaka engamashumi ayisithupha, egqoke ifaskoti egugile. Wathi ngenkathi ngithwebula izithombe, wahleka wangenezela izicucu ezimbili zenyama esitsheni sami: 'Yidla kakhulu, ubonakala udinga.' Ukubaba kwe-pikliz akuncani kunoma yisiphi isoso esibabayo sase-Asia — abantu baseHaiti basebenzisa ukubaba ukubhekana nokushisa, ukubhekana nobuphofu, nokubhekana nazo zonke izinkinga ezingenakuxazululwa ngezikhalazo. Ku-Griot othosiweyo, emculweni we-Kompa emgwaqweni, nasekushesheni kwabesifazane basezimakethe behlubula ubhontshisi, ngibone into engingakwazi ukuyichaza ngaphandle kwegama elithi 'ukuqina'.

Ubusuku bokugcina ngaphambi kokuhamba eHaiti, ngangisemhubheni wehhotela e-Port-au-Prince ngibuka amalambu akude entabeni — kwakungezona izibani zomgwaqo, kodwa amakhandlela nezibani zikaphalafini, okuyinto evamile ezindaweni ezingenawo ugesi. Ngakhumbula amazwi abandayo ezeluleko zokuhamba — 'izinga lobugebengu liphezulu', 'izingqalasizinda azanele', 'akunconywa ukuya khona'. Lezi zitatimende aziphuthile. Kodwa uma ufunda lezi zitatimende kuphela, ngeke wazi ukuthi abantu baseHaiti benza kanjani isaladi esibabayo kunazo zonke eCaribbean; ngeke wazi ukuthi amatshe eCitadelle awiwa kanjani eminyakeni engu-200; ngeke wazi ukuthi umama kaPierrot wathengisa kanjani izinkwa zebhanana ngaphandle kwesikhumulo sezindiza, futhi eminyakeni engamashumi amabili kamuva indodana yakhe yafaka igama laseHaiti emhlabeni jikelele emidlalweni yamazwe ngamazwe.

Buyela emazwini kaPierrot ekugcineni kwengxoxo: 'Ifulegi laseHaiti libhala — ubunye ngamandla. Ngesikhathi ngisemncane, ngangingakuzwa. Manje njalo ngenkathi ngigqoka ihembe leqembu lesizwe, ngikhumbula umama ethengisa izinkwa emgwaqweni. Lokho akukhona ukulahla ithemba. Yindlela yaseHaiti — lapho ungakwazi ukulinda ibhasi, wakhe isitolo sakho.'