Ngaphambi kokuthi ngiye e-Haiti, wonke umuntu wayebuza umbuzo ofanayo

UFrantzdy Pierrot wakhuluma okuthile ngemuva kokuqeqeshwa. Lokhu akukho ngwebhola—nakuba engumgadli weqembu lesizwe lase-Haiti, edlalela ikilabhu e-France, futhi engomunye wabambalwa abangamela i-Haiti emkhakheni wamazwe ngamazwe. Wathi: 'Njalo lapho ngibuyela e-Haiti, izikhulu zempahla esikhumulweni sezindiza sase-Port-au-Prince ziyamazi umama. Hhayi ngenxa yebhola—ngoba wayedayisa isinkwa sikabhanana emgwaqweni ngaphandle kwesikhumulo sezindiza.'

Ngaqala ngalo musho. Hhayi ngoba umayelana nebhola, kodwa ngoba ngokushesha wavula omunye umnyango we-Haiti: umnyango wezwe ongachazwa yizexwayiso zokuhamba, kodwa ngenkumbulo yokubuyela ekhaya nokuqina kwansuku zonke.

I-Haiti itholakala oLwandle lwe-Caribbean, ihlanganyela i-Hispaniola Island ne-Dominican Republic. Ingenye yamazwe ampofu kakhulu eNtshonalanga Nenkabazwe, futhi eminyakeni embalwa edlule ihlangabezane nokungazinzi kwezombusazwe, izingxabano zezigele, kanye nezinhlekelele zemvelo ezigqagqene. Izeluleko zokuhamba zamazwe amaningi ngo-2025 nge-Haiti zazibhala umusho owodwa: 'Ungayi.' Kodwa i-Haiti futhi iyizwe lokuqala emhlabeni elasungulwa yisihlubuki sezigqila ezimnyama. Izwe lamemezela ubukhona balo ngemuva kwezindonga zamatshe ze-Citadelle Laferriere ngo-1804—eminyakeni engaphezu kuka-200 kamuva, leyo nqaba isekhona.

Ukufika e-Port-au-Prince ngaleso sikhathi akuzange kube kuhle. Emgwaqweni wehholo lesikhumulo sezindiza, umculo we-Kompa (Kompa) waqhuma emsakazweni ogugile—isigqi esihlanganisa izigqi ze-Afrika nezingoma zase-Caribbean, sikwenza ungakwazi ukungakunyakazisi amahlombe. Izingane ezimbili zacindezela phakathi kwezixuku ezilindile izimpahla ukuze zingisize ngezikhwama—hhayi ngenxa yomusa, kodwa ngethemba lokuthola ithiphu. Ukushisa nokomisa komoya kwakukubi kune-parking yezindiza ngaphandle. Iqiniso: umbono wokuqala we-Haiti awuyona into enhle. Kodwa nganquma ukungayihlobisi noma ukuyibukela phansi, kodwa nje ukuyirekhoda.

Ngihamba ngomgwaqo ogudle ugu usenyakatho, ngidlula ezihlahleni ezomile nezimakethe ezisemgwaqweni eziqhamuka ngezikhathi ezithile, i-Cap-Haïtien (Cap-Haïtien) yavela emkhathizeni. I-Citadelle Laferriere (Citadelle Laferriere)—inqaba enkulu kunazo zonke eNtshonalanga Nenkabazwe—ihleli phezu kwentaba engamamitha angu-900, ifana nesilo esikhulu samatshe. Umzila oya kuyo unamatshe amakhulu kangangokuba ukuphefumula kwamahhashi kwakuzwakala kakhulu kunomsindo wezinsimbi. Lapho ngifika phezulu, ngiphefumula kanzima ngencika odongeni lwamatshe oluneminyaka engu-200, umqondisi wendawo owayeseduze wathi: 'Uyazi, le nqaba ayikaze ihlaseleke. Inkulu kakhulu, kangangokuba akekho owaba nesibindi sokuza.' Endaweni eyisicaba phansi kwentaba, izingane zazidlala ibhola. Inkundla yayinemigqa ebomvu nhlaza efana nefulegi lase-Haiti—ukuhlanganisa isikhumbuzo sikazwelonke nomdlalo webhola wansuku zonke esithombeni esisodwa. Lona umculo oyiqiniso kakhulu we-Haiti.

I-Jacmel (Jacmel) iyidolobha elakhiwe ngephepha elenziwe nge-pulp nemibala—amaskhi ayo e-carnival ayizinto zobuciko eziyinkimbinkimbi kunazo zonke e-Caribbean, futhi izingcweti ezenza lawa maskhi zihlala ezindlini ezingenawo ugesi. Ingcweti yokwenza amaskhi e-pulp yayigobile emnyango isebenza. Umaskhi esandleni sayo wawunengxenye emoyizelayo nengxenye ehlabayo—uboya bengonyama babuphenduke amazinyo omuntu, izimpande zezinyoni zahlangana namaphethini ase-Afrika. 'E-carnival wonke umuntu ugqoka umaskhi,' kusho yena, 'kodwa ngaphansi komaskhi kukhona i-Haiti yangempela. Kukhona ukwesaba, intukuthelo, nesigqi esikwenza ugide kuze kuse. Abantu base-Haiti abagqoki umaskhi owodwa kuphela.' Ngacabanga ngo-Wilde-Donald Guerrier—umgadli weqembu lesizwe lase-Haiti, owasuka ogwini oluseningizimu ye-Port-à-Piment (Port-à-Piment) waya emkhakheni wase-Europe. Umzila wempilo yakhe wawufana namaskhi ase-Jacmel: ingxenye ingukuhlupheka, enye ingukukhanya okwenza umhlaba ubuke.

Iphunga le-Griot—izingcezu zengulube ezithosiwe ezinophela (pikliz)—linamandla okuhamba amakhilomitha amathathu emgwaqweni. Umnikazi we-stall ungumfazi oneminyaka engamashumi ayisithupha, egqoke i-apron efiphele, wangibona ngithatha izithombe, wangimomothezela wangengeza izingcezu ezimbili zenyama esitsheni sami: 'Yidla kakhulu, ubonakala udinga.' I-Pikliz inobuhlungu obungaphansi kwanoma iyiphi i-Asian chili sauce—abantu baseHaiti basebenzisa ubuhlungu ukubhekana nokushisa, ukubhekana nobuphofu, ukubhekana nazo zonke izinkinga ezingaxazululeki ngokukhononda. Emgqonyeni kaGriot, emculweni we-Kompa emgwaqweni, ekushesheni kwezandla zabesifazane emakethe behlubula ubhontshisi, ngibone into engingayichaza ngaphandle kwegama elithi 'ukuqina.'

Ubusuku bokugcina ngaphambi kokushiya iHaiti, ngangise-balcony yehhotela e-Port-au-Prince ngibuka amachashazi okukhanya ezintabeni—hhayi izibani zomgwaqo, kodwa amakhandlela nezibani zikaphalafini, okuyinto evamile ezindaweni ezingenawo ugesi. Ngikhumbule amazwi abandayo ezexwayiso zokuhamba—'izinga lobugebengu liphezulu,' 'izingqalasizinda azanele,' 'akunconywa ukuya khona.' Lezi zitatimende aziphuthile. Kodwa uma ufunda lezi zitatimende kuphela, ngeke wazi ukuthi abantu baseHaiti benza kanjani i-pikliz ebabayo kunayo yonke eCaribbean; ngeke wazi ukuthi amatshe eCitadelle awiwa kanjani iminyaka engu-200; ngeke wazi ukuthi unina kaPierrot wathengisa kanjani izinkwa zebhanana ngaphandle kwesikhumulo sezindiza, futhi eminyakeni engamashumi amabili kamuva indodana yakhe izofaka igama laseHaiti emhlabeni wonke emkhakheni wamazwe ngamazwe.

Buyela emazwini okugcina kaPierrot engxoxweni: 'Ifulegi laseHaiti libhala—ubunye ngamandla. Ngesikhathi ngisemncane ngangingaqondi. Manje njalo lapho ngigqoka ijezi leqembu lesizwe, ngikhumbula umama ethengisa izinkwa emgwaqweni. Lokho akukho ukulahla ithemba. Leyo yindlela yaseHaiti—ngaphambi kwesiteshi sebhasi esingalindelekile, wakhe isitendi sakho.'