Ngaphambi kwekutsi ngiye eHaiti, wonkhe umuntu abuta umbuto munye

Frantzdy Pierrot watsi umusho munye ngemuva kwekuphela kwemtfundvo. Lona umusho bekungasi ngebhola — noma ngabe ungumdlali wephambili weHaiti, udlala ekilabhini yaseFrance, ungumuntfu lombalwa longamela iHaiti emkhatsini wetive. Watsi: 'Njalo nangibuyela eHaiti, tikhulu temasimba asePort-au-Prince Airport tiyamati umake. Hhayi ngebhola — ngobe bekatsengisa sinkhwa sebhanana emgwaqweni ngaphandle kwesikhumulo.'

Ngisuka kulomusho. Hhayi ngobe umayelana nebhola, kepha ngobe uvula umnyango weHaiti lowehlukile: umnyango longachazwa tixwayiso tekuhamba, kepha wakhiwe tinkumbulo tekubuyela ekaya nekuphila lokunembeza.

IHaiti iseCaribbean, ihlangene neDominican Republic esihlengeni saseHispaniola. Ingenye yetive letimpofu kakhulu eNshonalanga, yabhekana netimo tepolitiki letinyakazako, tinkinga temacembu, netinhlekelele temvelo eminyakeni leminyenti. Tive letinyenti tatsi umusho munye ngetinhlelo tekuhamba eHaiti nga-2025: 'Ungayi.' Kepha iHaiti nayo yaba live lekucala emhlabeni lelasungulwa tigcili temuntfu lomnyama ngekuvukela. Leli live lamemezela bukhona balo nga-1804 ngemuva kwetindvonga tetshe taseCitadelle Laferriere — eminyakeni lengu-200 ngemuva kwaloko, leli bhanti lisakhona.

Kufika ePort-au-Prince akukuhle. Emkhatsini welihhovisi lesikhumulo, umculo weKompa ukhala emsakazweni lodzala — lowo mculo ohlanganisa tigqi te-Afrika netigqi teCaribbean, ukwenta ungatsi ufuna kuhambisa emahlombe. Bantfwana lababili bacindzetela emkhatsini webantfu labacoshako emasaka, basita ngekutiphatsa — hhayi ngenhlanhla, kepha ngethemba lekutfola tifiso. Umoya lomunyu nekushisa kwenta umuntfu atfole umoya lomubi kunendzawo yemabhati. Liciniso: umbono wekucala weHaiti awumuhle. Kepha ngatsi ngeke ngiwuhle noma ngiwubuke kabi, nje ngiwubhale.

Ngihamba ngemgwaco welwandle uye enyakatfo, ngidlula etihlahleni letomile netimakethe letisemgwaqweni ngekhatsi, iCap-Haïtien ivela emkhatsini. ICitadelle Laferriere — libhanti lelikhulu kakhulu eNshonalanga — lihleli phezu kwentaba lengu-900 m, lifana nesilo setshe lesikhulu. Umgwaco lowenyuka wentaba umunyuta kakhulu, kutsi emahhashi akhokhotele kakhulu kunezinsimbi. Ngesikhatsi ngifika ekugcineni, ngincike etindvongeni teminyaka lengu-200, umhlahlandlela wendzawo watsi: 'Uyati, leli bhanti alikaze lihlaselwe? Likhuphuke kakhulu, kwekutsi akukho muntfu lowafuna kuhlasela.' Emkhatsini wentaba, bantfwana badlala ibhola. Inkundla inemigca lebovu neluhlata okwesibhakabhaka njengefulegi leHaiti — kuhlanganisa libhanti lesive nemdlalo webhola wansuku tonkhe esithombeni sinye. Loku yindlela yeliciniso yekulandzela iHaiti.

IJacmel (Jacmel) lidolobha lelakhiwe ngepulpa nemibala — emasaka ayo emcarnival ngemisebenti yobuciko lenyenti kakhulu eCaribbean, kepha ticashamba letiwentako tihlala etindlini letingenamandla kagesi. Sicebha semasaka epulpa sigobile emnyango. Emkhatsini wesandla sakhe, lisaka lihleka ngesigamu, lihlaba umkhosi ngesigamu — tinwele zebhubesi tiphendvuka ematinyo emuntfu, tinsiba tetyoni tihlangana netifanekiso tase-Afrika. 'Wonkhe umuntfu ugcoka lisaka emcarnival,' kusho yena, 'kepha ngaphansi kwelisaka kukhona iHaiti yangempela. Kukhona kwesaba, kufutseka, kanye nomculo longakwenta udanse kwaze kwasa. Umuntfu waseHaiti akagcoki lisaka linye.' Ngikhumbula Wilde-Donald Guerrier — umdlali wasemaceleni weHaiti, wahamba elwandle lwasePort-à-Piment waya enkundleni yaseYurophu. Indlela yakhe yekuphila ifana nelisaka laseJacmel: sigamu siyinkinga, sigamu kukhanya lokwenta umhlaba ubuke.

Griot — tinhlamu yeminyama yengulube lehleliwe (pikliz) — iphunga layo lihamba ekudeni kusuka etitolo tendlela. Umnikazi ngumfati lotsenga iminyaka lengu-60, abotfwe siphetfo lesigugile ekhalweni. Ngesikhatsi angibona ngitsatsa tithombe, wamomoteka wangenelela ticucu letimbili enkanyeni yami: 'Dla lokunyenti, ubonakala udinga.' Pikliz inebukhali lobungaphansi kwanoma yimuphi umhlobiso wase-Asia — bantfu baseHaiti basebentisa kubabha kumelana nekushisa, kumelana nebubha, kumelana nato tonkhe tinkinga letingeke tixazululwe ngekukhalela. Epanini leGriot, emculweni weKompa emkhatsini wemgwaqo, nasekushesheni kwetandla temakebhe letihluba timboti, ngibone intfo lengingeke ngiyichaze ngalokunye ngaphandle kwekutsi 'kubekezela'.

Ngalikusuku lekugcina ngaphambi kwekushiya iHaiti, ngangihleli ebaleni lehhotela ePort-au-Prince ngibuka ematfunti ekukhanya etintsabeni letikude — bekungasiwo emalambu emgwaqo, bekungemakhandlela nemalambu kaphalafini, lokuyintfo levamile etindzaweni letinemoya. Ngakhumbula emavi labandzako esexwayiso sekuhamba — 'kubulawa kwemacala', 'kungenteki kwemisebenti', 'akunconywa kuhamba'. Lamavi akulona emanga. Kepha nangabe ufuna nje lamavi, ngeke wati kutsi bantfu baseHaiti bakwenta kanjani pikliz lebabha kakhulu kulo lonkhe leCaribbean; ngeke wati kutsi ematshe eCitadelle angaweli kanjani eminyakeni lengu-200; ngeke wati kutsi umake waPierrot atsengisa kanjani sinkhwa semabhanana ngaphandle kwesikhumulo semoyezulu, futsi eminyakeni lengu-20 ngemuva, indvodzana yakhe itawukhipha kanjani ligama leHaiti emhlabeni jikelele enkundleni yemidlalo.

Buyela emavini laPierrot akhuluma wona ekugcineni kwengcoco: 'Lifulegi leHaiti libhala — Bumbano ngemandla. Ngesikhatsi ngisemncane, bengingakuchubi. Nyalo nangabe ngembatsa ijezi yelicembu lesive, ngikhumbula umake atsengisa sinkhwa emgwaqweni. Lokho bekungasiyo kushiya. Yindlela yaseHaiti — lapho ungakwati khona kulinda ibhasi, wakhe sitalo sakho.'