ECuraçao, Netherlands ayikaze ihambe — kodwa ifundze kugcoka tibhulukwe letimfishane

Nangabe tihlali letinemibala taseWillemstad (Willemstad) tibukeka emanzini eSanta Anna Bay, utawutsi uyabona — nangabe Amsterdam yadonswa ngentambo yayiswa edvute ne-equator, yakhohlwa kuphatsa tihlali letinetintjingo letiseceleni kwemifula, bese ishiswa lilanga laseCaribbean iminyaka lamakhulu lamane, nguwona umphumela.

Letakhiwo tilandzela kuhleleka kwaseNetherlands kanye nemihlobiso yetintjingo, kodwa imibala — lemoni, pinki yemakhorali, luhlata lweminti, buluhlata — ayikho nhlobo eNyakatfo yeYurophu. Umhlahlandlela wendzawo utamele emkhanjeni weQueen Emma Bridge, akhuluma ngePapiamento. Ubone ngiyabuka tihlali, wavala lucingo, watsi ngesiNgisi lesinemtsimbi waseNetherlands: 'Uyati yini kutsi letihlali tinemibala lekhanyako kangaka? Kuyatsiwa kudzala umbusi watsi kukhanya kwemhlophe kwakuhlaba emehlo, wayala kutsi tonkhe takhiwo tipendwe ngemibala. Kodwa bantfu bendzawo batsandza kusho — sifuna nje kukhumbuta bantfu baseNetherlands kutsi lena akusiyo iYurophu.'

ICuraçao ingumhlaba wemtsetfo weNetherlands, itfolakala eningizimu yeCaribbean, ikude ngu-65 km ekugcineni kweVenezuela. Bantfu baleli live bangu-160,000. Indzawo yayo yemhlaba inyatsela siphetfo sayo: sichingi semtsetfo waseYurophu eCaribbean, lapho emafekthri ekuhlunga kaphethiloli kanye netihlanti temakholoni tihlala ndawonye emkhathini.

Nangihamba emigwaqweni yaseOtrobanda (Otrobanda), ngeva inkulumo lengenakuvisiswa ngumhambi — bomakoti lababili bahleli emkhanjeni, bakhuluma ngePapiamento, umusho ngamunye ufana nekufaka ematsambo esiSpanish esikhunjeni sesiDutch, bese ungeta sigqi sase-Afrika. IPapiamento ingumtsetfo weCuraçao: emagama esiDutch elulwimi ngumlandvo wekukholoniyali, umsuka weSpanish yindzawo yayo, sigqi sase-Afrika ngumonakalo webugcili. Umbhali wendzawo wake wabhala: 'Nangabe sikhuluma i-Papiamento, siyacinisekisa kabusha buwutsa betfu — bantfu baseCaribbean, umtsetfo waseNetherlands, umsuka wase-Afrika.'

Kudla kubonisa umtsetfo lofanayo wekuhlanganisa. Kudla lokubitwa ngeKeshi Yena — kukhipha likhoba le-Edam cheese yaseNetherlands, kugcwalise inyama yenkhukhu, emapelepele, ema-olive, kanye nemagilebhisi lomisiwe, bese kuyosiwa kuze kuncibilike ushizi — kufana nembhalo wemlandvo wekukholoniyali. Umnikazi wendzawo yekudla wangitsela: 'Ematilosi aseNetherlands aletsa ushizi esichingeni, bapheki base-Afrika bagcwalisa ngekwabo. Emakhulwini lamane eminyaka ledlule, bekungukudla kwetinceku — umnikazi adla umongo woshizi, inceku igcwalise likhoba loshizi lelisele ngekudla lokusele. Kodwa nyalo, kungukudla lokwakhisako emshadweni.'

Ijezi yetimiso letivelele taseCuraçao ingumhlaba loluhlata lotsite nemugqa we-orange — umhlaba loluhlata lotsite lulwandle lwaseCaribbean, i-orange ngumndeni wasebukhosini waseNetherlands. Esitolo semidlalo eWillemstad, lejezi ilengiswe endzaweni lebalulekile, edvute kwayo kunemafulegi lamancane aseCuraçao kanye nesitfombe sakudzala — lilanga lekutsi batsatsa umklomelo weCaribbean Cup nga-2017, lapho wonkhe umgwaqo waseWillemstad ugcwele bantfu. Umnikazi wesitolo, indvodza leneminyaka lengu-50, watsi: 'Bhola yindzlela yekutsi iCuraçao ikhumbute bantfu baseNetherlands ngetfu. Asikhiqizi kaphethiloli, asinayo indzawo yemali. Kodwa sinabo badlali — Leandro Bacuna wadlala ePremier League, Cuco Martina bekangumdlali wasemuva we-Everton. Bantfu baseNetherlands nangabe bambona batsi: O, ngumuntfu waseCuraçao.' Wema kancane, wanezela: 'Ngaphambi kwaloko, bantfu labanyenti baseNetherlands bebangati noma iCuraçao ingumhlaba, hhayi nje indzawo yekuphumula elwandle.'

Klein Curacao — 'iCuraçao lencane' — sichingi lesingena bantfu, sinelibane lelisele kanye nelwandle lolumhlophe lokungafani nemhlaba. Umkhwenyana wemkhumbi waniketa umfana wakhe lomncane sikhwama sekuhamba, wavula umsakato emtsetfweni lowudlala tingoma takudzala taseNetherlands, bese washintsela ku-reggae. 'ECuraçao,' watsi, 'umsakato awukaze udlale tingoma talulwimi lolunye kuphela. Lijubane lekushintsha emafrikhwensi, lijubane lekushintsha buwutsa balesi sichingi.'

Nangabe lilanga lishona, ngabuyela eQueen Emma Bridge. Tikhanyiso temchankato tivuliwe. Tihloni letinemibala letimbili tibukeka emanzini, tiphulwa ngumkhumbi lowedlulako. Emchankatweni, umuntfu wendzawo uyawela ayekhaya, umhambi uyekuma atsatse sitfombe semkhumbi, umfana lomncane ugibele ibhayisikili adlule ngekushesha — agcoke ijezi yekufundzisa ye-orange yeCuraçao. Tihloni talaba bantfu labatsatfu tihlangana kancane emanzini. Bese umchankato uvaleka kabusha. LikuCuraçao lilanga ngalinye lifana nalomchankato: uhlala uphulwa yimikhumbi, kodwa awukaze wehluleke — ulindze nje umkhumbi udlule, bese uhlanganisa kabusha.