Phambi kokuba ndiye eHaiti, wonke umntu wayebuza umbuzo omnye

UFrantzdy Pierrot wathetha ilizwi emva koqeqesho. Eli lizwi lalingengomdlalo webhola ekhatywayo—nangona engumdlali ohlaselayo weqela lesizwe laseHaiti, edlala kwiklabhu yaseFransi, engomnye wabambalwa abanokumela iHaiti kwiqonga lamazwe ngamazwe. Wathi: 'Qho xa ndibuyela eHaiti, amagosa emthetho kwisikhululo seenqwelomoya sasePort-au-Prince ayamazi umama. Ayikuko ngenxa yebhola ekhatywayo—kuba wayethengisa isonka sebhasi esitratweni ngaphandle kwesikhululo.'

Ndaqala kweli lizwi. Ayikuko ngenxa yokuba limalunga nebhola ekhatywayo, kodwa ngenxa yokuba lavula ngoko nangoko enye indlela yokungena eHaiti: ilizwe elingachazwa zizilumkiso zohambo, kodwa elichazwa ziinkumbulo zokubuyela ekhaya kunye nokomelela kwemihla ngemihla.

IHaiti ime kuLwandle lweCaribbean, yabelana ngeSiqithi saseHispaniola neDominican Republic. Lelinye lawona mazwe ahlwempuzekileyo eNtshona yeHlabathi, kwaye kule minyaka idlulileyo iye yafumana uzinzo lwezopolitiko, ungquzulwano lwamaqela emigulukudu kunye neentlekele zendalo eziphindaphindiweyo. Amazwe amaninzi ngo-2025 abhala isilumkiso esinye sohambo lwaseHaiti: 'Sukuhamba.' Kodwa iHaiti ikwalilizwe lokuqala ehlabathini elasekwa yimvukelo yamakhoboka amnyama. Eli lizwe lazibhengeza ubukho balo ngo-1804 emva kweendonga zamatye zeCitadelle Laferriere—kwaye emva kweminyaka engaphezu kwama-200, loo nqaba isekhona.

Ukufika ePort-au-Prince ngalo mzuzu kwakungekuhle. Kwiholo yesikhululo, umculo weKompa (Kompa) wawugqabhuka kwisandisi-lizwi esidala—eso sisingqi sidibanisa iingqungquthela zomculo waseAfrika kunye nengoma yeCaribbean, sikwenza ungakwazi ukuzibamba ungashukumi amagxa. Abantwana ababini baxinana phakathi kwabantu abalindele iithuthi ukuze bandiphathele iibhegi—kungekuko ngenxa yobubele, kodwa ngethemba lokufumana i-tip. Ubushushu obumanzi emoyeni babungaphezu kweendawo zokulinda iinqwelomoya ngaphandle. Inyaniso yile: umbono wokuqala waseHaiti awunanto ithandekayo. Kodwa ndagqiba ekubeni ndingawuhombisi okanye ndiwugxeke, ndiwubhale nje.

Ngokuhamba ecaleni kwendlela yonxweme ukuya emantla, udlula kumatyholo omileyo kunye neemarike zendlela ezivela ngamaxesha athile, iCap-Haïtien ivela emgceni wezulu. ICitadelle Laferriere—eyona nqaba inkulu eNtshona yeHlabathi—ihleli encotsheni yentaba engama-900 eemitha, ifana nerhamncwa elikhulu elenziwe ngamatye. Indlela eya kuyo inyuka kangaka, kangangokuba ukuphefumla kwamahashe kuvakala ngaphezu kwentsimbi. Emva kokunyuka, ndaphefumla nzima ndibambelele eludongeni lwamatye oluneminyaka engama-200 ubudala, kwaye umkhokeli wendawo wathi: 'Uyazi, le nqaba ayizange ihlaselwe. Inkulu kakhulu, kangangokuba akukho mntu waba nesibindi sokuza.' Kwindawo engenanto emazantsi entaba, abantwana babedlala ibhola. Ibala lalidwebe ngemigca ebomvu namhlophe efana neflegi yaseHaiti—ukucinezela isikhumbuzo sesizwe kunye nomdlalo webhola wemihla ngemihla kumfanekiso omnye. Esi sisingqi esiyinyaniso seHaiti.

IJacmel (Jacmel) sisixeko esenziwe ngepulp yephepha kunye nepeyinti—iimaski zaso zecarnival zezona zobugcisa buntsonkothileyo kulo lonke uLwandle lweCaribbean, kwaye iingcibi ezenza ezi maski zihlala kwizindlu ezingenawo umbane. Ingcibi yemaski yepulp yayihleli emnyango isebenza. Imaski esandleni sayo yayinesiqingatha esihlekayo, esinye isiqingatha sikhala—iindlovu zengonyama zibe ngamazinyo omntu, iintsiba zeentaka zidibene nemifanekiso yaseAfrika. 'Emini yecarnival wonke umntu unxiba imaski,' watsho, 'kodwa ngaphantsi kwemaski kukho iHaiti yokwenyani. Kukho uloyiko, umsindo, kunye nengqungquthela ekwenza udanise kude kuse. Abantu baseHaiti abanxibi maski enye kuphela.' Ndacinga ngoWilde-Donald Guerrier—umdlali osecaleni weqela lesizwe laseHaiti, owasuka kunxweme olusemazantsi ePort-à-Piment waya kumadlalo aseYurophu. Umzila wobomi bakhe ufana neemaski zaseJacmel: isiqingatha sibubunzima, isiqingatha kukukhanya okwenza ihlabathi limjonge.

Ivumba le-Griot (Griot)——iingceba zehagu eziqhotsiweyo ezihamba ne-pikliz (ipikliz)——livela ezityeni ezisecaleni kwendlela kude kube ziikhilomitha ezintathu. Umninawa ngumfazi oneminyaka engamashumi amathandathu, ebhinqe ifaskoti egugileyo esinqeni sakhe. Wathi akubona ndifota, wahleka waza wandifaka ezinye iingceba ezimbini esityeni sam: 'Yitya kakhulu, ubonakala ufuna.' Ubushushu be-pikliz abuhluli kuso nasiphi na isosi yase-Asiya—abantu baseHaiti basebenzisa ubushushu ukujongana nobushushu, ukujongana nobuhlwempu, ukujongana nazo zonke iingxaki ezingenakusonjululwa ngokukhalaza. Kwi-oyile ye-Griot, kumculo we-Kompa (Kompa) okwiikona zezitrato, nakwisantya sezandla zabathengisi bembotyi ezintsholongwane, ndabona into endingenakuyichaza ngaphandle kwegama elithi 'ukomelela.'

Ngobusuku obandulela ukundishiya eHaiti, ndandikwiveranda yehotele ePort-au-Prince (Port-au-Prince) ndijonge amachaphaza okukhanya entabeni ekude—ayingezibane zendlela, kodwa zizibane zekhandlela neze-oyile, ubomi bemihla ngemihla kwiindawo ezingenambane. Ndazikhumbula amazwi abandayo kwizilumkiso zohambo—'izinga eliphezulu lolwaphulo-mthetho,' 'ukungabikho kweziseko ezingundoqo,' 'akucetyiswa ukuba uye.' Ezi ngxelo aziphosanga. Kodwa ukufunda ezi ngxelo kuphela, awusoze wazi ukuba abantu baseHaiti benza njani ukuba babe ne-pikliz eshushu kakhulu kulo lonke iCaribbean; awusoze wazi ukuba amatye eCitadelle (Citadelle) awiwa njani kangangeminyaka engama-200; awusoze wazi ukuba umama kaPierrot (Pierrot) wayethengisa njani izonka zebhanana ngaphandle kwesikhululo seenqwelomoya, kwaye emva kweminyaka engamashumi amabini unyana wakhe wayeza kukhupha igama laseHaiti kwibala lemidlalo lehlabathi.

Kubuyela kumazwi okugqibela kaPierrot (Pierrot) kudliwano-ndlebe: 'Iflegi yaseHaiti ibhala—umanyano ngamandla. Xa ndandisemncinci, ndandingaqondi. Ngoku, xa ndinxiba ihembe lesizwe, ndikhumbula umama ethengisa izonka ezitalatweni. Ayikokuncama. Yindlela yaseHaiti—phambi kwesikhululo sebhasi esingafikiyo, yakha istandile sakho.'