Babengathini Ukwenza Oko?
ABANTU babekuthethelela njani ukurhweba ngamakhoboka? Ababhali-mbali balatha kwelokuba ukuya kuthi ga kwinkulungwane ye-18, bambalwa abantu abakuthandabuzayo ukufaneleka kobukhoboka. Incwadi ethi The Rise and Fall of Black Slavery ithi: “Ngexesha laxa uColumbus wagaleleka kwiiWest Indies, icawa neencwadi zayo azizange zibanike abemi bangomso baloo ndawo uluvo lokuba ukufaka kwabo abantu uviko kwakunokugqalwa njengokungafanelekanga, nangona abahambi-cawa abathile bakuthi thsuphe ukukuthandabuza kwabo oku. . . . Kwakungekho nto yayibonisa ukuba ukumiselwa kwenkqubo yobukhoboka, okwakusamkelwa libutho labeLungu liphela, kwakunokuze kucelw’ umngeni.”
Kwakuba oku kurhweba ngamakhoboka awayethunyelwa phesheya kweAtlantiki kuqhuba ngamandla, abefundisi abaninzi basebenzisa iingxoxo ezingokonqulo ukuxhasa ubukhoboka. Incwadi ethi American Slavery ithi: “Abefundisi bamaProtestanti [eMerika] babekhokela phambili ekukhuseleni ubukhoboka . . . Mhlawumbi eyona ngxoxo yonqulo isasazeke ngokubanzi neye yanowona mphumo mkhulu yayiyingcamango nje yokuba ubukhoboka babuyinxalenye yecebo likaThixo lokubhenca abantu abangabahedeni ukuza kuthi ga ngoku ukuze kusikelelwe ubuKristu.”
Kodwa impatho yenkohlakalo nengqwabalala yamakhoboka ifanelwe sisizathu esibhadlileyo kunokusithela nje ngesebe lenkawu ngokuthi kukuze “kusikelelwe ubuKristu.” Ngoko abaphathi bamathanga kwanababhali neengcali kwintandabulumko eYurophu bazixelela ukuba abantu abantsundu babengafani nabamhlophe. UEdward Long, umnini-masimi owayeza kubhala incwadi ethi History of Jamaica, wathi: “Xa siqwalasela indlela abayiyo aba bantu, nokungafani kwabo nolunye uluntu, asimele na sigqibe ngelithi balolohlobo olwahlukileyo?” Imiphumo yengcinga elolo hlobo yavakaliswa yirhuluneli yaseMartinique ngokuthi: “Ndifikelele kwinqanaba lokukholelwa ngamandla ukuba abantu abaNtsundu bamele baphathwe njengezilwanyana zasendle.”
Ekugqibeleni ukuxhalabela ezoqoqosho nentlalo-ntle yabantu kwaba negalelo ekupheliseni ukurhweba ngamakhoboka awayethunyelwa phesheya kweAtlantiki. Ukususela ekuqaleni abantu baseAfrika babekuchasa ukukhotyokiswa kwabo, yaye ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane ye-18, babevukela kanobom. Abanini bawo ababesoyika babezifumanisa bekwimeko enobungozi ngakumbi. Kwakhona bazibuza enoba, endaweni yokuxhasa amakhoboka, bekungenakuzinciphisa kusini na iindleko zokuqesha abasebenzi xa kwakuyimfuneko.
Kwangaxesha-nye, iingxoxo ezazimayela nokungafaneleki kobukhoboka, ukuchasana kwako nonqulo kwanentlalo-ntle yabantu zaxhaswa ngakumbi eYurophu naseMerika. Amaphulo okububhangisa aba namandla ngakumbi. Nakubeni ukurhweba ngamakhoboka kwabhangiswa ngokusemthethweni kumazwe amaninzi ukususela ngowe-1807 ukusa phambili, imiphumo yobukhoboka yahlala ihleli.
Ifilimu kamabonwakude edlala ngokweziqendu ethi, The Africans: A Triple Heritage, yazivakalisa kabuhlungu iimvakalelo zoonyana neentombi zaseAfrika ngokuthi: “Kude kudala ngaphambi kweemini zobukhoboka, sasihlala . . . eAfrika. Kwandula ke kwafika abantu basemzini baza bathabatha abanye bethu bemka nabo. Kungokunje, sithe saa mbombo zone kangangokuba ilanga alitshoni kwinzala yaseAfrika.” Ukubakho kwezigidi zabantu abayinzalelwane yaseAfrika eMntla naseMzantsi Merika, kwiCaribbean naseYurophu kungumphumo ozicaceleyo wokurhweba ngamakhoboka.
Abantu basaphikisana ngelokuba ngoobani kanye kanye ababekek’ ityala ngokurhweba ngamakhoboka awayethunyelwa phesheya kweAtlantiki. UBasil Davidson, ingcaphephe kwimbali yaseAfrika, ubhala oku kwincwadi yakhe ethi The African Slave Trade: “IAfrika neYurophu zazibandakanyeke ngaxhatha linye.”
“Mabufike Ubukumkani Bakho”
Kukho okuthile okumele kufundwe—okuthile okuchaphazela ulawulo lwabantu. Indoda esisilumko yabhala oku: “Ndabuya ke mna, ndakubona konke ukucudisa okwenziwayo phantsi kwelanga. Ndazibona iinyembezi zabacudisiweyo, bengenamthuthuzeli; esandleni sabacudisi babo kuphuma ububhovubhovu, bengenamthuthuzeli bona.”—INtshumayeli 4:1.
Okubuhlungu kukuba loo mazwi, awabhalwa kude kudala ngaphambi kokuqala kokurhweba ngamakhoboka eAfrika, asaqhubeka eyinyaniso unanamhla. Basekho abacudiswayo kwanabacudisi, yaye kwamanye amazwe asekho amakhoboka neenkosi zawo. AmaKristu ayazi ukuba kamsinya, ngorhulumente woBukumkani bukaThixo, uYehova “uya kulihlangula ihlwempu elizibikayo, nabaziintsizana abangenaluncedo.” (INdumiso 72:12) Ngenxa yeso sizathu kwanezinye, aqhubeka ethandaza kuThixo esithi: “Mabufike ubukumkani bakho.”—Mateyu 6:10.