Kodi Ng’oma za mu Afirika Zimalankhuladi?
Yolembedwa ndi mtolankhani wa Galamukani! ku Nigeria
PAULENDO wake wotsata Mtsinje wa Congo mu 1876—77, woyendera malo Henry Stanley analibe mpata wokwanira woti apende maimbidwe a ng’oma za kumaloko. Kwa iye ndi apaulendo anzake, uthenga wa ng’oma anali kuufotokozera m’mawu amodzi: nkhondo. Atamva kulira kwa ng’oma zikuluzikulu anali kuganiza kuti anali pafupi kuukiridwa ndi ankhondo ankhanza onyamula mikondo.
Patapita nthaŵi, m’nthaŵi za mtendere wochulukirapo, mpamene Stanley anadziŵa kuti ng’oma zingafotokoze zinthu zambiri osati kungoitanira anthu kunkhondo chabe ayi. Pofotokoza za fuko linalake limene linali kukhala m’mphepete mwa Congo, Stanley analemba kuti: “[Iwo] sanayambebe kugwiritsira ntchito zipangizo zamagetsi, komabe ali ndi njira yolankhulirana yogwira ntchito bwino monga zipangizozo. Ng’oma zawo zikuluzikulu zitaimbidwa m’mbali zosiyanasiyana zimatumiza mawu omveka kwa ozidziŵa bwino monga momwe mawu apakamwa angachitire.” Stanley anazindikira kuti oimba ng’oma anali kutumiza zambiri kupambana kulira kwa lipenga kapena belu; ng’oma zimatha kutumiza uthenga winawake.
Mauthenga otero anali kutumizidwa kuchokera m’mudzi wina kupita m’mudzi wina. Ng’oma zina zinali kumveka pamtunda wa makilomita 8 mpaka pamtunda wa makilomita 11, makamaka pamene zinaimbidwa madzulo, atakhala paphaka loyandama kapena pamwamba pa phiri. Oimba ng’oma amene anali kutali anali kumvetsetsa, ndipo anali kutumiza uthengawo kwa anzawo. Mngelezi waulendo A. B. Lloyd analemba motere mu 1899: “Anandiuza kuti kuchokera m’mudzi wina kupita m’mudzi wina wokhala pamtunda woposa makilomita 160, uthenga unali kutumizidwa pamaola osapitirira aŵiri, ndipo ndikhulupirira kuti nkotheka kutero panthaŵi yochepa kwambiri.”
Mpaka m’zaka za zana la 20, ng’oma zinali zothandizabe poulutsa nkhani. Buku lakuti Musical Instruments of Africa, lofalitsidwa mu 1965, linalongosola kuti: “Ng’oma zolankhula zimagwiritsiridwa ntchito monga matelefoni ndi ma telegraph. Mauthenga osiyanasiyana amatumizidwa—kulengeza za kubadwa kwa ana, imfa, ndi ukwati; za maseŵero, magule, ndi miyambo yolumbiritsa; za mauthenga a boma, ndi nkhondo. Nthaŵi zina ng’oma zimanena zamphekesera kapena zongocheza.”
Komabe, kodi ng’oma zinali kutumiza bwanji mauthenga? Ku Ulaya ndi madera ena, mauthenga anali kutumizidwa ndi mphamvu zamagetsi kupyolera m’mawaya a telegraph. Chilembo chilichonse cha mu alufabeti chinali kupatsidwa chizindikiro chakechake kotero kuti mawu kapena ziganizo zinali kupangidwa, chilembo chilichonse panthaŵi yake. Komabe, anthu a ku Central Africa analibe chinenero cholembedwa, choncho ng’omazo sizinali kulemba mawu. Oimba ng’oma a mu Afirika ankagwiritsira ntchito njira ina.
Chinenero cha Ng’oma
Njira yeniyeni yodziŵira mmene amalankhulirana ndi ng’oma ndiyo kudziŵa zinenero za mu Afirikazo. Zinenero zambiri za ku Central ndi West Africa kwenikweni zili ndi matchulidwe aŵiri—silabulo iliyonse ya liwu lolankhulidwa ili ndi matchulidwe ofunika amodzi kapena aŵiri, kaya kukweza kapena kutsitsa. Kusintha matchulidwe kumasinthanso liwulo. Mwachitsanzo, talingalirani za liwu lakuti lisaka, la m’chinenero cha Chikele ku Zaire. Pamene masilabulo atatuwo atchulidwa motsitsa, liwulo limatanthauza “chithaphwi kapena dambo”; atatchula masilabulowo motsitsa-motsitsa-mokweza limatanthauza “lonjezo”; atatchulidwa motsitsa-mokweza-mokweza liwulo limatanthauza “poizoni.”
Ng’oma zong’amba m’mbali za ku Afirika zogwiritsiridwa ntchito poulutsa uthenga zilinso ndi mamvekedwe aŵiri, okwera ndi otsitsa. Mofananamo, pamene atumiza uthenga ndi ng’oma zokasa ndi chikopa, amagwiritsira ntchito ng’oma ziŵiri, ng’oma ina yokhala ndi kamvekedwe kokweza ndi ina yakamvekedwe kotsitsa. Choncho, katswiri woimba ng’oma amailankhulitsa mwa kutsatira kamvekedwe ka mawu a chinenero chake. Buku lakuti Talking Drums of Africa likunena kuti: “Chimene chimatchedwa chinenero cha ng’oma nchofanana kwenikweni ndi chinenero cha fukolo.”
Zoonadi, kaŵirikaŵiri chinenero chamatchulidwe aŵiri chimakhala ndi mawu ambiri ofanana matchulidwe ake ndi masilabulo ake. Mwachitsanzo, m’chinenero cha Chikele, pafupifupi maina 130 ali ndi matchulidwe ofanana (okwera-okwera) monga lakuti sango (tate). Oposa 200 ali ndi matchulidwe ofanana (otsitsa-okwera) monga lakuti nyango (mayi). Kuti asasokoneze anthu, oimba ng’oma amasonyeza nkhani yake ya mawu amenewo mwa kuwaphatikiza m’mwambi wachidule wodziŵika wokhala ndi mamvekedwe osiyanasiyana kuti womvetsera adziŵe bwinobwino chimene chikunenedwa.
Kulankhula ndi Ng’oma Zong’amba m’Mbali
Mwa ng’oma zolankhula pali ija yamtengo yong’amba m’mbali mwake. (Onani chithunzicho patsamba 25.) Ng’oma zoterozo amazipanga mwa kuboola mphako pa mtengo wodula. Kumwamba ndi kupansi kwake sikukhala chikopa. Ngakhale kuti ng’oma ili pachithunziyo njong’amba paŵiri, ng’oma zambiri zimakhala zong’amba kamodzi chamlitali. Atamenya m’mphepete mwa chiboo chimodzicho imamveka mokweza; atamenya m’mphepete mwa chiboo chinacho imamveka motsitsa. Nthaŵi zambiri ng’oma zong’amba m’mbali zimakhala zotalika mita imodzi, ngakhale kuti ingatalike theka la mita kapena kufika mamita aŵiri. Kupingasa kwake zingayambire pa masentimita 20 mpaka mita imodzi.
Ng’oma zong’amba m’mbali sanali kungozigwiritsira ntchito potumiza mauthenga kuchoka m’mudzi wina kupita m’mudzi wina chabe. Mlembi wa ku Cameroon Francis Bebey anafotokoza za mbali ya ng’oma zotere m’maseŵera olimbana. Magulu aŵiri olimbanawo atakonzekera zokumana pabwalo la maseŵera la pamudziwo, ngwazi zinali kuvina motsatira kulira kwa ng’oma zong’ambazo pamene ng’omazo zimawachemerera. Ng’oma yambali ina inalira motere: “Ngwazi iwe, kodi unakumanapo ndi mwamuna mnzako? Ndani angafanane nawe, tiuze ndani? Anthu achabechabewa . . . aganiza kuti angakugonjetse ndi [kamunthu] kachabechabe kamene amakatcha ngwazi . . . , komatu palibe amene angakugonjetse.” Oimba a gulu lina la adani anali kumvetsetsa kudzikweza koseketsa koteroko ndipo anali kuyankha msanga ndi ng’oma zawo mwa kunena mwambi uwu: “Nyani wamng’ono . . . nyani wamng’ono . . . afuna kukwera mumtengo koma aliyense akuganiza kuti akugwa. Koma nyani wamng’onoyu ngwakhama, sangagwe mumtengo, akwerabe mpaka pansonga, nyani wamng’onoyu.” Ng’omazo zinali kupitirizabe kuwasangalatsa mpaka kumapeto kwa maseŵera olimbanawo.
Ng’oma Zolankhula Bwino Koposa
Ng’oma zampweya zimachita zoposerapo. Ng’oma imene mukuiona pachithunzipo kulamanja imatchedwa dundun; ndi ng’oma yolankhula yachiyoruba yodziŵika bwino ku Nigeria. Imaoneka ngati hourglass, ndipo kumbali zonse ziŵiri njokasa ndi chikopa cha mbuzi chofufuta ndi chopyapyala. Zikopa ziŵirizi nzolumikiza ndi zingwe zachikopa. Zingwezo zitakanikizidwa, zikopazo zimachunika kotero kuti ng’omayo imatulutsa mawu oyambira pa octave kapena kupitirira. Mwa kugwiritsira ntchito mtimbo wopindika ndi kusintha kachunidwe ndi kamvekedwe ka mawu, katswiri woimba ng’oma amatsatira kukwera ndi kutsika kwa mawu a munthu. Choncho, oimba ng’oma angathe “kukambitsirana” ndi oimba ng’oma ena amene angathe kutanthauzira ndi kuimba chinenero cha ng’oma.
M’May 1976 ukatswiri wolankhula ndi ng’oma wa oimba ng’oma unasonyezedwa ndi oimba a pabwalo la mfumu yachiyoruba. Anthu odzifunira m’gulu la omvetsera ananong’oneza wotsogolera poimba ng’omazo kumuuza malangizo osiyanasiyana, amene pambuyo pake anaimbira malangizowo woimba mnzake wokhala kutali ndi bwalolo. Poyankha malangizo oimba pang’omawo, woimbayo anali kusinthasintha malo ndipo anachita zilizonse zimene anapemphedwa kuchita.
Kuphunzira kutumiza uthenga woimba pang’oma nkovuta. Wolemba I. Laoye ananena kuti: “Kuimba ng’oma kwa Ayoruba nkovuta ndipo ndi umisiri wovuta umene umafuna zaka zambiri za kuphunzira. Woimba sangofunikira chabe kudziŵa kwambiri kugwiritsira ntchito manja ake ndi kuzindikira maliridwe, koma ayeneranso kukumbukira bwino ndakatulo ndi mbiri ya tauniyo.”
Zaka makumi angapo zaposachedwapa, ng’oma za mu Afirika sizikulankhula monga momwe zinkachitira kumbuyoku, ngakhale kuti zimathandizabe kwambiri poimba. Bukulo Musical Instruments of Africa likunena kuti: “Kuphunzira kutumiza mauthenga ndi ng’oma nkovuta kwambiri; choncho, luso limeneli likuzimiririka mofulumira mu Afirika.” Katswiri pakufalitsa nkhani Robert Nicholls akuwonjezera kuti: “Ng’oma zikuluzikulu zakale, zimene zinkatumiza mawu pamtunda wamakilomita ambiri ndipo zimene ntchito yake inali kuulutsa uthenga, tsopano zikupita zikumazimiririka.” Anthu ambiri lerolino zimawapepukira kungoimba telefoni basi.
[Chithunzi patsamba 25]
Ng’oma yong’amba m’mbali
[Chithunzi patsamba 25]
Ng’oma yolankhula yachiyoruba