Uhambo lwase-Uganda: Emthonjeni weNayile, ukuva i-echo yebhola kunye nehlathi lemvula

Isandi sokuqala sohambo lwase-Uganda, yayingeyompophoma, kwaye yayingelohlathi lemvula, kodwa yayilibhola elikhatywe ngaphandle ebumnyameni base-Kampala. Ibhola yagxuma emhlabeni obomvu, yadlula ivili lesithuthuthu i-boda-boda, yaqengqeleka yaya phambi kwendawo yokosa ubhanana. Umthengisi akazange acaphuke, wathoba wasebenzisa isimbadada ukuyikhaba, wayibuyisela ezinyaweni zomntwana. Omunye wakhwaza esithi "Onyango," amakhwenkwe asasazeka ehleka, aphinde ayijaha ngokukhawuleza. Ngelo xesha ndaqonda ukuba ibhola yase-Uganda ayingomdlalo nje, kufana nolwimi lwesitalato oluqhelekileyo: ngaphandle kwebala, ungawuqala umdlalo; ngaphandle kwezihlangu zebhola, ungabaleka.

I-Kampala yakhiwe ezindulini, ukungalingani kwedolophu kufana nomzobo wamaqhinga ongagqitywanga. Emini, iiteksi, iiveni ezincinci, izithuthuthu kunye nabahamba ngeenyawo balwela indlela enye emxinwa; ebusuku, imarike ibuyisa isantya ngokucothayo. Izibane zemarike yasebusuku e-Owino zijinga zisezantsi, umsi wenyama eyojiweyo, ivumba lamalahle, ubushushu be-cassava eqhotsiweyo kunye nevumba lomhlaba osandul' ukunethwa konke kuxubene. Umfana onxibe ijezi yeqela lesizwe lase-Uganda wasonga iplastiki yaba yibhola, eyinqunqa phakathi kwezitali. Ngalo lonke ixesha eyinqunqa, abantu ababangqongileyo bayamkhuthaza. Ithemba leli lizwe alisoloko libhalwa kwiziqubulo, kumaxesha amaninzi, likwibhola egugileyo.

Ngosuku olulandelayo ukuya e-Jinja, amanzi e-Lake Victoria ayedanyaza ngefestile. I-Uganda ihlala ibizwa ngokuba lilizwe lomthombo weNayile, ukuma ngasemlanjeni e-Jinja, esi sivakalisi ngequbuliso asifani nesikolo. Amanzi aphuma e-Lake Victoria, aqala ngokuthula abe yi-Victoria Nile, emva koko aye emantla, edlula emathafeni, kwimigodi nakwimida, ekugqibeleni abe ngumlambo omkhulu oguqula isiphelo selizwekazi lonke. I-ikhweyitha nayo inqumla kancinci emzimbeni weli lizwe, njengomgca ongabonakaliyo: i-Southern Hemisphere kunye ne-Northern Hemisphere ziyaxhawulana apha, amanzi echibi, amanzi omlambo, umhlaba obomvu kunye namazwi abantu konke kuya phambili ndawonye.

Ndabona umdlalo omncinci ngasemlanjeni. Amapali ngamatye amabini, ibala laliyingxenye yengca, ingxenye ludaka. Omunye wayenxibe i-Arsenal, omunye enxibe i-Manchester United, omunye enxibe ijezi ye-Uganda Cranes ephelileyo. Unozinci obhityileyo waziphosa emhlabeni, izandla zakhe zigcwele umhlaba obomvu, xa evuka wahleka kakhulu. Ibhola apha ayikokubalekela inyaniso, kodwa kukubhala ngokutsha inyaniso okwethutyana ibe yenye into enokwenzeka. Ungahlala kwindawo exineneyo, ungenalo ibala lokuqeqesha elifanelekileyo, kodwa logama nje ibhola isecaleni kweenyawo, ikamva lisengacingeleka.

I-Murchison Falls yaphazamisa loo ntelekelelo ezolileyo ngequbuliso. Imoto yafika e-Top of the Falls, isandi samanzi sasivela ngasemva kwemithi sicinezela phambili. Ukuma ngokwenene ecaleni kwesiporo, apho wazi khona ukuba alisosandi esinokufakwa kwigama elithi "ukuduma." Umlambo wonke weNayile ufunxwe kwisithuba esimxinwa samatye, usuka phezulu ubetheka ezantsi, inkungu yamanzi ibetha ebusweni, kufana nokuba umntu ubeke igubu elimhlophe ecaleni kwendlebe alibethe. Umkhokeli wathi, umlambo apha uba nomsindo, kuba unyanzelwe ukuba ube mncinci. Kodwa ndabukela loo manzi abhudlayo, endaweni yoko ndabona efana nolunye uhlangothi lwabantu base-Uganda: bacinezelwe, kodwa abalahlekelwa ngamandla okuya phambili.

Ukuqhubekeka emazantsi-ntshona, indlela iqala ukungena ezintabeni. I-Uganda likhaya malunga nesiqingatha seegorila zentaba zehlabathi, kwaye igama elithi i-Bwindi Impenetrable Forest alizandisi. Alilo ihlathi ongalinela "lula," lifana nodonga oluluhlaza, olufumileyo, oluphefumlayo. Ngentsimbi yesixhenxe ekuseni, umlindi wehlathi kwindawo yokuhlanganisana wachaza imigaqo: abantu abasibhozo ngeqela, xa ufumene iigorila ungahlala nje iyure enye, akukho kusebenzisa i-flash, kufuneka ulandele imiyalelo. Isivakalisi ngasinye sasiqhelekile, kodwa xa amathonsi emvula esiya emnqwazini, wonke umntu wathi cwaka, ngokungathi ungena kwisithethe esidala.

Izinyathelo zase-Bwindi zikhethekile. Aysisandi sezihlangu ezihamba endleleni, kodwa sisandi sodaka olubamba iibhutsi, imithana erhuqa iibhulukhwe, isandla esisika amasebe, intaka ezikude ngequbuliso ziyeke ukukhala. Sahamba sadlula kwigadi yebhanana, saphinda sangena emthunzini omnyama. Ihlathi lemvula alizange lilungiselele indlela egudileyo kubakhenkethi, umthambeka ushelela, iingcambu zomthi zifana nezandla ezikhubekisayo. Abakhaphi baqala bencokola, emva kwexesha kwaba kukuphefumla kuphela. Umlindi wayemisa ngamaxesha athile, ephulaphula irediyo yomkhondo, aphakamise isandla asikhombe ukuba silandele.

Malunga neeyure ezintathu kamva, umlindi ongaphambili wathi cwaka ngequbuliso. Umoya wabanjwa. Iimitha ezimbalwa kude, i-silverback gorilla yayihleli phakathi kwamatyholo, ubwele bayo obumnyama buxinene ngamanzi emvula, indawo engwevu emqolo ikhanya emthunzini. Ayizange idlale, kwaye ayizange isamkele, yasuka nje yaphula isebe elincinci, yalifaka emlonyeni yalihlafuna. Ecaleni, iigorila ezincinci zaziqengqeleka, zitsala amagqabi, kufana nabantwana abaxambulana ngebhola kwimarike yasebusuku yase-Kampala. Kodwa xa i-silverback iphakamisa amehlo, ihlathi lonke laphinda lathi cwaka.

Loo yure ayizange ihambe njengeyure. Uya kulibala ikhamera, ulibale udaka, ulibale ukuba usebenzise amandla angakanani ukufika apha. Abantu bahlala bethanda ukwenza izilwanyana zasendle zibe "ziindawo zokhenketho," kodwa e-Bwindi, ubudlelwane buguqukile. Ziigorila ezisivumeleyo ukuba sihlale okwethutyana emaphethelweni obomi bazo. Zitya amagqabi, zilale, zisondelelane, azisidingi ukumangala kwethu. Xa sihamba, ndajonga ngasemva, la silverback yayijikile, kufana nelitye elimnyama elihambayo, ibuyela ngokucothayo kubunzulu behlathi.

Endleleni ebuyela e-Kampala, bendilokhu ndicinga ukuba ibhola kunye neegorila zinxulumana njani. Enye isekoneni lesitrato somhlaba obomvu, enye isehlathini lemvula leentaba; enye yeyengxolo, ukubaleka kunye nokukhwaza, enye yeyokuthula, umgama kunye noloyiko. Kodwa zombini zithetha into enye: I-Uganda iwagcina njani amandla okuphila. Ibhola lulwimi lwethemba, abantwana balusebenzisa ukuthi "ndisakwazi ukubaleka"; indalo lulwimi lwexesha, i-Bwindi iyisebenzisa ukuthi "kufuneka ucothe."

Ngomnye ubusuku bokugqibela, ndaphinda ndaya kwimarike yasebusuku yase-Kampala. Izimbawula phambi kwendawo yokosa inyama zazivutha kakhulu, kunomathotholo wokuphawula ngebhola, amadoda aliqela engqonge iscreen esincinci exoxa ngesigqibo. Kude abantwana babeqhubeka nokudlala ibhola, ibhola iqengqeleka ethunzini, iphinde ibuyiselwe phantsi kwesibane. Ndakhumbula iNayile ezolileyo iqala e-Jinja, ndakhumbula i-Murchison Falls ityhalela isandi samanzi esifubeni, ndakhumbula indlela i-silverback gorilla ehlafuna amagqabi ehlathini lemvula.

Yiyo le nto endiyikhumbulayo ngohambo lwase-Uganda: ayingombono omnye we-Afrika, ayikukubukela izilwanyana zasendle, iimpophoma okanye iigorila. Yindlela esuka ebala lesitalato isiya enzulwini yehlathi lemvula. Uqala uve abantwana base-Kampala bekhwaza ithemba, emva koko ubone amanzi eqala kanjani emlanjeni weNayile, ekugqibeleni ufunde ukuthulisa ilizwi e-Bwindi. Xa ushiya, umhlaba obomvu usabambelele ezihlangwini, izinyathelo zehlathi lemvula zisezindlebeni, kwaye ibhola egugileyo, ibonakala isaqengqeleka phantsi kwezibane zemarike yasebusuku.