Ndichithe Iintsuku Ezintathu E-DR Congo NdiZama Ukubona Intaba-Mlilo—Yaye Isiqingatha Nesingakanani Soku Yayikukungxinana Kwezithuthi

I-ring road yase-Kinshasa ngentsimbi yesine emva kwemini iba yindawo yokupaka engenasiphelo. Iteksi yam emthubi yayixinene phakathi kweelori, izithuthuthu, nabahambi ngeenyawo ababethwele imithwalo epheleleyo yebhanana entloko, bengahambi kwaphela. Umqhubi, umfana omncinci ogama lingu-Pascal, wavala ifestile yakhe waza wangena kwingxoxo-mpikiswano ngesi-Congolese French kunye nomthengisi wamakhadi omnxeba — hayi malunga nokufumana umqondiso, kodwa ngenxa yokuba umthengisi wayecinga ukuba ii-Leopards zingaphumelela ubuncinane umdlalo omnye kwi-Africa Cup ezayo, wathi u-Pascal: 'Ukuba ii-Leopards zifaka inqaku elinye ndiza kukunika le teksi.' Ibhola ekhatywayo sesona sixhobo siphumelelayo sokwaphula umkhenkce e-Kinshasa. Ukuxinana kwezithuthi kusesibini.

I-Democratic Republic of the Congo ihleli entliziyweni ye-Afrika, ikomkhulu i-Kinshasa, inani labemi lingaphezulu kwezigidi ezili-100. Ubungakanani bomhlaba wayo buphindwe kane e-France, kodwa ineekhilomitha ezingaphantsi kwe-3,000 zeendlela ezigangathiweyo. Xa ndathi kubahlobo abasekhaya ndiya e-DR Congo ukuya kubona intaba-mlilo, impendulo yabantu abaninzi yayikukuthi: 'Uyazi ukuba i-Mount Nyiragongo yaqgabhuka okokugqibela ngo-2021, andithi?' Enye impendulo eqhelekileyo yayikukuthi: 'Uyayazi indlela ekungxinana ngayo i-Kinshasa, andithi?' Ndandisele ndiza kufumanisa.

I-Kinshasa sisixeko osiva ngaphambi kokuba usibone. Ngentsimbi yesihlanu yesiqingatha ekuseni, unomathotholo wommelwane uqala ukuvuza i-rumba yase-Congo — eso singqi sityhafileyo, esinomtsalane ongenakoyiswa esenza i-hiplife yaseNtshona Afrika kunye ne-salsa yase-Cuba zombini zivakale zinganelanga. Ngeyesithoba, ukukhwaza kwasemarikeni sele kuyi-symphony engena- conductor — abathengisi bentlanzi, abathengisi beetjhaja ezingasetyenziswanga, iisuti ezindala, iinkukhu eziphilileyo, lonke ilizwi lisilwa ukuphila kwi-frequency enye. Emini emaqanda, isandi sophondo lwesikhitshane soMlambo i-Congo siyaduma — inowuthi ephantsi kangangokuba iyangcangcazela esifubeni sakho. Ngentsimbi yesithandathu ngokuhlwa, ikwayara yecawa iqala ukuziqhelanisa — i-Congo lelona lizwe likhulu elithetha isi-French ehlabathini kwaye lelinye lawona anenkolo ye-Katolika ngamandla. Ngentsimbi yesithoba ebusuku, amagqabantshintshi ngembandela webhola ekhatywayo aqhuma kwifestile evuliweyo yebhari — igama lika-Chancel Mbemba liqengqeleka njengesingqi segubu lase-Afrika. Ndichithe iintsuku ezimbini kwesi sixeko kwaye andizange ndizive ndindedwa nakanye.

Indlela eya empuma isuka e-Kinshasa luvavanyo lomonde. Iikhilomitha ezingamakhulu amathathu zingathatha naphi na ukusuka kwiiyure ezisibhozo ukuya kwezilishumi elinambini — kuxhomekeke kwimozulu, kubuninzi beebhokhwe eziwela uhola wendlela, nakumathuba okuba itanki ye-oyile yonakale. Ndagqiba ingxowa epheleleyo yee-plantain eziqhotsiweyo zasecaleni kwendlela — ziqhuqhuva ngaphandle, zithambile ngaphakathi, zifakwe ityuwa erhabaxa ne-tshilisi — kwaye indlela yayingekavuleki. Kodwa ngokuthe ngcembe ndaqaphela into: emnyango welali nganye, kwakukho isiqwenga somhlaba obethiweyo, kwaye kwisiqwenga ngasinye somhlaba, abantwana bengenazihlangu bedlala ibhola ekhatywayo — abanye ngeebhotile zeplastiki, abanye ngesipha samadlavu abotshwe ukuba yibhola, ngamathuba athile ibhola ekhatywayo yokwenene edlakazileyo enolusu lweplastiki olugugileyo lwada lwabonisa imisonto ngaphakathi. Sonke isiqwenga somhlaba sasiyiNdebe yeHlabathi encinci. 'Izihlalo zababukeli' yayingamabhakethi eplastiki aguqulweyo. Usompempe yayiyibhokhwe edlulayo.

I-Virunga National Park ingasentla kwe-Goma. Ukungena epakini kufuna umkhaphi oxhobileyo — hayi ngenxa yohlaselo lwezilwanyana zasendle, kodwa ngenxa yokuba lo mmandla uhlaselwe ngokuphindaphindiweyo ziingxabano ezixhobileyo kumashumi eminyaka edlulileyo. Umgadi wayengumfana oselula ophakathi kwiminyaka engamashumi amathathu ogama lingu-Emmanuel. Emlenzeni wakhe wasekunene, isiva esidala — 'Ngo-2008, i-chimpanzee. Hayi uhlaselo — yatsiba nje emthini yandikhubeka kuyo.' Walibalisa eli qula ndini engancumanga. Wayekhe wakwiipatroli zokuthintela ukuzingela ngokungekho mthethweni ezingaphezulu kwe-120, kwaye wathi xa kuthelekiswa nentaba-mlilo, abazingeli abangekho mthethweni babengenakuxelwa kwangaphambili ngakumbi.

Ukunyuka kwe-Mount Nyiragongo kuqala kwiimitha ezili-1,989 ngaphezu komphakamo wolwandle, kwihlathi elinemvula yetropikhi. Iiyure ezimbini zokuqala: umoya oxineneyo ngokufuma, imilenze igcwele udaka. Uhlaza lutshintsha ukusuka kumagqabi abanzi ukuya kwi-fern ukuya kubuthuntu obuthe saa, emva koko — emva koko konke okuluhlaza kuyanyamalala. Ngaphezulu kweemitha ezingamawaka amathathu, umhlaba uba lilitye lentaba-mlilo elimnyama. Isinyuko ngasinye siyakhrwitsha, njengokuhamba kwiibhiskithi ezitshileyo. Ubushushu behla ukusuka kumashumi amathathu ukuya kwisibhozo. Umkhaphi wathi: 'Ngoku uyasiqonda isizathu sokuba ndikuxelele ukuba uze nejakethi eyongezelelweyo.'

Ngesiqingatha emva kwentsimbi yesixhenxe ngokuhlwa. Ndema eludinini lwempumlo yentaba-mlilo. Elona chibi le-lava lisebenzayo ehlabathini lalijikeleza ngaphantsi kweemitha ezingamakhulu amabini — alibomvu, kodwa ngumbala o-orenji ongenakuthiywa, izitho zangaphakathi zelanga, igazi loMhlaba elivezwe ngqo emoyeni. Akukho zingcingo zokhuselo. Akukho naluphi na uhlobo lwesibane sokwenziwa. Ukuphela kwesikhanyiso yayilelo chibi liqengqelekayo lomgubo wamatye onyibilikileyo. Umoya wawutsala phezulu ukusuka kumphantsi wentaba-mlilo, uthwele isalfure kunye nesandi esiphantsi esingcangcazelayo — asosandi ngokwenene, kukungcangcazela okuva emathanjeni akho. Ugxa wam wokunyuka — umfundi ovela e-Goma — walala phantsi eweni eludinini kwaye akazange athethe nto kangangemizuzu elishumi. Emva koko wathetha into nge-Lingala. U-Emmanuel wayiguqulela: 'Uthi — ndisengumntwana ndandicinga ukuba iintaba-mlilo zizinto ezisuka kwiintsomi, zizotywe ezincwadini zesikolo. Ngoku andisayazi.'

Endleleni yokuhla, imilenze yam yayingcangcazela. Hayi ngenxa yoloyiko — i-creatine nokudinwa. Izibane ezithe saa zase-Goma zazikhanya ngaphantsi, uMlambo i-Congo uyiribhoni emnyama ebusuku. Inkwenkwana encinci yakhomba izihlangu zam zokunyuka intaba yathi ngesi-French: 'Tu es allé au volcan?' Ndanqwala intloko. Yandinika i-thumbs-up yabaleka. Amabala ebhola ekhatywayo ase-Goma enziwe ngothuthu lwentaba-mlilo — ibhola igxumagxuma kubude obungalunganga kancinci, ukujikeleza kwayo kuyayala i-physics eqhelekileyo. Kodwa abantwana balapha kudala baziqhelanisa. E-DR Congo, uhlala uhlengahlengisa ukugxumagxuma okungalandeli mithetho ilindelekileyo — nokuba yibhola ekhatywayo, ukuxinana kwezithuthi, okanye intaba-mlilo enomsindo.

Ndabuya e-Kinshasa, imvula yakusasa yayina. Iteksi ka-Pascal yaphinda yaxinga kuloo ring road inye — okanye ubuncinane enye ekhangeleka ifana nayo. Unomathotholo wawudlala i-rumba; wayeyicula, ebetha iminwe yakhe kwivili lokuqhuba. Ndambuza ukuba usacinga ukuba ii-Leopards zingafaka inqaku. Wancuma: 'E-Congo, ukuba nethemba sisakhono sokuphila — sibalulekile njengokwazi ukuthethathethana ngexabiso.' Ngaphandle kwefestile, ndabona umfana onebhola ekhatywayo ezinyaweni zakhe, amanzi emvula etsiba kumphezulu wayo, ebamba ukukhanya. Unomathotholo ka-Pascal watshintsha ukusuka kwi-rumba ukuya kumagqabantshintshi omdlalo — u-Chancel Mbemba wayephinde wafaka inqaku. Wavula ifestile yakhe wakhwaza emntwini osemnyama owayehamba ecaleni kwendlela. Akukho mntu wayiqondayo into awayeyithetha. Kodwa wonke umntu wancuma.