Aʋawɔwɔ Ƒe Afɔku La

GAƑOÐOKUI tɔxɛ si nye akɔntadzesixlẽmɔ̃ aɖe le Dziɖuɖu ƒe Aʋawɔwɔ Blemanudzraɖoƒe le London, England, eye wònye nukpɔkpɔ si wɔa dɔ ɖe amedzrowo dzi ale gbegbe. Menye gaƒoɖokui si fia ɣeyiɣie wònye o. Eƒe taɖodzinue nye be wòakpe ɖe amewo ŋu woakpɔ alesi gbegbe nudzɔdzɔ si bɔ wu le ƒe alafa sia me​—si nye aʋawɔwɔ le nu gblẽmee. Ne gaƒoɖokuia ƒe aɖe le zɔzɔm la, nuxlẽmɔ̃a tsɔa xexlẽme bubu gakpea esi li xoxo le sɛkɛnd 3.31 ɖesiaɖe me. Xexlẽme ɖesiaɖe tsi tre ɖi na ŋutsu, nyɔnu, alo ɖevi aɖe si ku le aʋawɔwɔ ta le ƒe alafa 20 lia sia me.

Nuxlẽmɔ̃a dze eƒe dɔa gɔme le June 1989 me. Nuxexlẽa awu enu le December 31, 1999 ƒe zã ga wuieve me. Wobu akɔnta be kaka ɣemaɣi naɖo la, xexlẽme si adze le nuxlẽmɔ̃a dzi, si nye ame agbɔsɔsɔme si wosusu be aʋawɔwɔ wu le ƒe 100 si va yi me la anye ame miliɔn alafa ɖeka.

Bu eŋu kpɔ​—ame miliɔn alafa ɖeka sɔŋ! Wosɔ gbɔ wu amesiwo katã le England teƒe eve. Evɔ la, akɔntabubu ma meɖe naneke fia le vɔvɔ̃ kple vevesese siwo me amesiwo ŋu aʋawɔwɔawo gblẽ nu le tona ŋu o. Ʋuu keke wòahayi amesiwo ku ƒe lɔlɔ̃tɔwo​—vidada kple vifofo, nɔvinyɔnu kple nɔviŋutsu, ahosi kple tsyɔ̃evi miliɔn gbogboawo ƒe fukpekpewo ɖɔ ge o. Nusi akɔntabubua fia míe nye esi: Míaƒe ƒe alafa sia mee wotsrɔ̃ amewo le wu ɖesiaɖe le amegbetɔ ƒe ŋutinya me; eƒe ŋutasẽnuwɔnawo ƒo ɖesiaɖe ta sã.

Ƒe alafa 20 lia ƒe ŋutinya hã fia alesi gbegbe amegbetɔwo va bi ɖe amewuwu mee. Le ŋutinya katã me la, aʋawɔnu yeyewo wɔwɔ ɖe zɔ blewu ʋuu vaseɖe ƒe alafa 20 lia sia, si me woli kɔ aʋawɔnuwo ɖi gleglegle. Esime xexemeʋa gbãtɔ dze egɔme le ƒe 1914 me la, Europa srafowo dometɔ aɖewo nɔ sɔwo dzi lé akplɔwo ɖe asi. Egbea, to yamenutomemɔ̃ siwo ɖea foto nuwo le didiƒe kple kɔmpiuta ƒe kpekpeɖeŋu dzi la, aʋawɔtu siwo gblẽa nu le adzɔge ate ŋu awu ame le anyigba ƒe akpa ɖesiaɖe wòasɔ ɖe edzi pɛpɛpɛ nukutɔe. Le ƒe siwo me wòwɔ abe ɖe aʋawɔwɔa ke ene la, wowɔa tuwo, aʋawɔʋuwo, ƒugɔmeʋawɔʋuwo, aʋawɔyameʋuwo, dɔlékuikakaʋawɔnuwo kple aɖinuʋawɔnuwo, hekpe ɖe “bɔmb la” ŋu, eye wotrɔa asi le wo ŋu be woaganyo ɖe edzi.

Nukutɔe la, ameƒomea va bi ɖe aʋawɔwɔ me ale gbegbe be ena vɔvɔ̃ ɖo amegbetɔƒomea. Abe alesi wònɔ blemaŋutinya si wokpa tso Frankenstein ŋu, si me nuwɔwɔ klitsu aɖe vuvu ewɔla le ene la, aʋawɔwɔ va zu ŋɔdzinu si di be yeatsrɔ̃ amesiwo na ŋusẽ ma gbegbee. Ðe woate ŋu axe mɔ ɖe ŋɔdzi sia nu alo aɖee ɖa? Nyati siwo kplɔe ɖo adzro biabia sia me.

[Picture Credit Lines on page 13]

▾ U.S. National Archives photo ▾

U.S. Coast Guard photo

By Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum