Iraki Iindaba: Ngiye EIraq—Akusikho Ukuzitjengisa, Kodwana Ngombana IBabiloni Isakhona

IBaghdad. Umfula iTigris. Ihora lesithandathu ekuseni. Umrhobi wayemi ngemphambili yesikepe sakhe samapulangwe, ephosa inethi yakhe ngesenzo esifana ncamashi naleso esibonakala eenkumbini zobu-Asiriya eminyakeni eyizigidigidi ezimbili edlulileko. Ngaphesheya komfula, umgwaqo iMutannabi bewuvuka — abathengisi beencwadi bavula iinthephela, bebeka amavolumu aphuzi eenqalweni ezivulekileko. Indlu yetiyi eqathanisako beyithumela umusi wokuthoma wamalahle ekuseni. Ukusuka kwesinye isikhulumeli eseduze nonqenqemeni lomfula kwezwakala iindaba zasekuseni ngesi-Arabhu — iphalamende ye-Iraq iphikisana ngomthetho othileko, isivinini somsakazi besifana nomuntu ozama ukuqeda umutjho ngaphambi kokuthi ukuqala kweRamadan. Ziindiza zokulwa ezikude kwaphela nejuba elidlula ngezinye iinkhathi ebelikukhumbuza bona akusikho ukusa kwaseMesophothamiya yakade — bekuli-Iraq yange-2026.

Bengingezanga lapha ngebangelo lobuqhawe. Akusikho ngombana bengifuna 'ukuphikisa' ilizwe elichazwe linobungozi mumidiya yeNtshonalanga. Bekungombana, ngemva kokufuna okukodwa kwaphela 'Iraq World Cup 2026,' isikrini sami besingakabonisi iincazelo zokuhamba kwaphela — besikhombise isithombe seenkumbi zeBabiloni. Ingonyama ekhazimulako ngokuluhlaza, eneminyaka eyizigidigidi ezimbili nengxenye, ngemva kogobho lwekhadeni esigcemeni esinethuli, cishe iyodwa kwaphele. Umcabango wami ngaleso sikhathi: nange iBabiloni isakhona, kungani kungekho muntu oyako?

IIraq iseMpumalanga Ephakathi, iMesophothamiya yakade — 'ilizwe eliphakathi kwemihlaba emibili.' ITigris ne-Euphrates zihlangana lapha, zibeletha ukuhlakanipha okuthoma kobuntu: ukubhalwa kwe-cuneiform, iKhodi kaHammurabi, iingadi ezilengisako. Iimpi neengxabano kusukela ngo-2003 zibhale kabusha ibizo lelizwe leli zisuka 'kubulongweni bokuhlakanipha' ziyisa 'endaweni yeengxabano.' Kodwana amaLions of Mesopotamia — iqembu lesitjhaba le-Iraq — lizokumela ilizwe leli esiteji seNdebe yoMhlaba ngo-2026. Kubantu abanengi abangakhenge bafune ii-Iraq, ibhola leenyawo kisisusa sokuthoma ukuvula lomnyango.

UMgwaqo iMutannabi uphethe imakethe yeencwadi ehle khulu yeBaghdad ngalo Lwesihlanu. Ukukhethwa kuyindlela yesikhathi edidekileko: amavolumu aphuzi wezinkondlo eduze kweenewadi ezishibilikileko zesiNgisi, amaphampuletha wezomkhulumasitjhaba wesikhathi sikaSaddam eduze neenguqulo zesi-Arabhu ezifundwe khulu zeHarry Potter. Umnikazi wesitolo seencwadi — iingilazi zokufunda zihlezi emathangeni wakhe, iminwe imphunga ngemva kweminyaka eminengi ye-inki nethuli — wakhuluma nami ngesiNgisi: 'Ngesikhathi sikaSaddam, iincwadi ezisesitolo zomgwaqo lo zatshiswa. Ngesikhathi sokuhlasela kwama-America, zaphinde zatshiswa. Kodwana iincwadi azifi, nomfula awutjhugulukanga.' Wakhomba ngaphandle iTigris: 'Umfula lo mdala ukudlula yoke imikhulumasitjhaba esike saba nayo ihlangene. Ubone amakhosi weBabiloni, iimbongi zomnqophi wama-Abbasid, amathangi wamaBrithani — kanti kwanje uyasibukela.'

Iinkumbi zeBabiloni zingamakhilomitha angaba ngamashumi ayisishiyagalombili nahlanu eningizimu yeBaghdad, uhambo lwamahora amabili. Kodwana lawo mahora amabili adlula okungenani eenhlolweni zekuphepha ezine nendawo yomkhathi iAmerican drones abeyiqalela ngesikhathi esidlulileko. Ngifika, ngabala iimoto ezimbili endaweni yokupaka — eyodwa kungeyomkhambeli enye kungeyomsebenzi womkhandlu wezobucwephetshe bakade we-Iraq. Umkhambeli, umuntu wendawo yesiFunda saseBabiloni ogama linguHassan, wavula isango lensimbi elisindako lesiza se-ankayoloji ngokuhlehlela okwejwayelekileko komuntu ovula igadi yakhe yangemva: 'Akusikhathi sabavakatshi — iBabiloni ayikaze ibe sikhatjhini savakatshi.' Wakhomba iSango le-Ishtar — amathayela alo akhazimula ngokuluhlaza, iidragoni neenkabi zisaphelele — wathi: 'Ngesikhathi uNebuchadnezzar II akha leli sango, iBabiloni belikulidolobha elikhulu emhlabeni. Kwanje — kwanje alinayo nendlela yebhasi.' Kwakungekho kuzitlhaba emezweni lakhe. Bekusisitatimende kwaphela.

Ukuya phambili enyakatfo, i-Erbil, inhlokodolobha yesiFunda seKurdistan ye-Iraq, isebenza ngesivinini nezinga lekuphepha elehluke khulu. ICitadel — indawo enabantu emhlabeni enganqanyulwanga, ingakhenge ishiywe eminyakeni eyizigidigidi eziyisithandathu — iphakama ukusuka esikhungweni sedorobho njengekeyiki enkhulu enombala wesihlabathi. Umfundi weyunivesithi yomKurd wangiyisa esitendini sakhe sakheebabu, phakathi kokuluma ngokufuthwe lithala, wangitjela ngegoli lakamuva lika-Aymen Hussein, elikhabwe ngehloko bebhekene ne-Oman. 'Yoke indlu yetiyi e-Erbil yagadangala ngesikhathi sinye — amaKurd, ama-Arabhu, amaTurkmen — bekumbuso munye kwaphela ekamelweni lelo.' Wasebenzisa isikhonkwane sakhe sekebabu ukudweba umumo wenqala yetjhadu phezu kwetafula, wabhala amezwi amabili esikhungathini: Iraq.

IMesopotamian Marshes eningizimu — indawo kuthiwa yeGarden of Eden — zaba yinto yokugcina, nephazamisako khulu, engiyibone e-Iraq. Izindlu ezinhlayako zeengabungabi ezaziwa njengemudhif zanyikinyeka kancane emanzini. Imihlambi yamanzi beyingakabonakali lutho ngaphezulu kwamanzi ngaphandle kwamakhala neenpondo ezigobileko. Umrhobi, emi esikebheni sakhe semashoof, wathi ngesiNgisi esilula: 'USaddam wake wazama ukumisa yoke lemihlambi — ukujezisa amaMarsh Arab ahlala lapha. Amanzi anyamalala iminyaka elitjhumi. Ngemva kwalokho kwafika ama-America, amanzi abuya. Kwanje — amanzi ayahla, ayenyuka, aphinde ehle futhi. Imihlambi iseyimihlambi.' Wathinta isigwedlo sakhe; ngaphambili kwethu, umhlambi weenyoni ezimhlophe zaphaphazela. Kwakungathodeki lokhunye ukuhlotjhiswa. Amaqiniso ngokwawo ayethwele woke umthwalo.

Ngelanga lami lokugcina ntambama eBaghdad, ngabuyela endlini yetiyi emgwaqweni iMutannabi. Isihlalo sisinye, iketela linye lekhofi yobu-Arabhu. Etafuleni eliseduze, insizwa beyihumutjha iindaba zakamuva zokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba ye-Iraq irisuka emtjalekweni wayo iyiswa ebanganini bayo ngesi-Arabhu, amezwi athi 'Mbappé' kanye 'Messi' akhambe ngezinye iinkhathi — ibhola leenyawo kusisihlahla-mphahlwa somhlaba wonke. Nasekubhaleni amanothisi wami wokugcina, umbizo womthandazo wezwakala ngaphandle. ITigris, ingabonakali emnyameni, beyizwakala kwaphela kwanje — umsindo wamanzi ahambako. Bengifuna ukufaka koke emutjhweni munye, kodwana uHassan — umkhambeli waseBabiloni — bekangibhalele wona nakangisusa: 'Uyazi, ngaphasi kweminyaka elikhulu ngemva kokufa kukaNebuchadnezzar, iBabiloni beyingenamuntu. Kodwana iincwadi zokuhamba zanamhlanje? IIraq ithola umutjho munye: Ungahambi. Ihlanhla leli dorobho alikho kuhle — umlando ulinike isihloko esikhulu khulu, esikhathini samanje salinika isibuyekezo esincani khulu.' Ngabhadala ikhofi yami. Ngasayina incwadi yeembuyhi — nanyana bekungekho muntu ozoyifunda.