Ukufa Okumnyama—Ubhubhani WaseYurophu Ngamaxesha Aphakathi

Ngumbhaleli KaVukani! EFransi

Kwakungowe-1347. Lo bhubhani wayesele egqugqisile kwiMpuma Ekude. Ngoku wayesele enwenwele nakwimida yempuma Yurophu.

ABEMI baseMongolia baberhangqe indawo yorhwebo yamaGenoa eKaffa, ngoku ebizwa ngokuba yiFeodosiya, eCrimea. Njengoko babebulawa sesi sifo singumnqa, abemi baseMongolia balurhoxisa uhlaselo lwabo. Kodwa ngaphambi kokuba barhoxe, batsho ngezithonga ezivakalayo ezabulala abantu. Besebenzisa iingadluma zeelori zemfazwe, baziphosela ngaphakathi kweendonga zesixeko izidumbu ezibulewe ngulo bhubhani. Xa abaphumi-mkhosi abambalwa bamaGenoa bathi kamva bakhwela izikhephe bebaleka kule dolophu ithwaxwa ngulo bhubhani, batyala esi sifo kuwo onke amazibuko ababehamba kuwo.

Kwisithuba seenyanga lonke elaseYurophu laligutyungelwe kukufa. Ngokukhawuleza kwanwenwela kuMntla Afrika, eItali, eSpeyin, eNgilani, eFransi, eOstriya, eHungary, eSwitzerland, eJamani, eScandinavia nakwiiBaltics. Ngaphezu nje kweminyaka emibini, ngaphezu kommi omnye kwabane eYurophu, abantu abamalunga nezigidi ezingama-25, baye bangamaxhoba oko bekubizwa ngokuba “kokona kubulawa kwabemi kukhohlakeleyo okwakha kwabonwa ngabantu”—Ukufa Okumnyama.a

Ukubeka Isiseko Sentlekele

Kwabakho nezinye izinto ezininzi ezibandakanyekileyo kule ntsindabadala yoKufa Okumnyama ezingaphandle kwesi sifo. Kukho iinkalo eziliqela ezayenza mandundu le meko, enye yazo yaphenjelelwa lunqulo. Omnye umzekelo yimfundiso yentlambululo-miphefumlo. Umbhali-mbali ongumFrentshi uJacques le Goff uthi: “Ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane ye-13, intlambululo-miphefumlo yayizalise yonke indawo.” Ebutsheni benkulungwane ye-14, uDante wavelisa incwadi yakhe enempembelelo ethi The Divine Comedy, esichaza ngokuphandle isihogo nendawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo. Kwavela imeko yonqulo apho abantu babetyekele ekujamelaneni nalo bhubhani ngokungakhathali ngendlela emangalisayo, bewamkela njengesohlwayo esivela kuThixo. Njengoko siza kubona, ukuphelelwa lithemba okulolo hlobo kwabangela ukwanda kwesi sifo. Incwadi ethi The Black Death, ebhalwe nguPhilip Ziegler ithi: “Ayikho enye into efana nako eyabangela ukunwenwa kwalo bhubhani.”

Kwakhona kwakukho nengxaki yokungakhuli kwezityalo ngokuphindaphindiweyo eYurophu. Umphumo waba kukuba, abemi abandayo besi siqithi abazange bondleke—ngoko bengenakukwazi ukumelana nesi sifo.

Lo Bhubhani Uyanda

Ugqirha kaPopu Clement VI, uGuy de Chauliac uthi, zimbini iintsindabadala eziye zahlasela iYurophu: inyumoniya nobhubhani. Uthi xa ebhala ngokuphandle echaza ezi zigulo: “Esokuqala sathabatha iinyanga ezimbini, siphelekwa ngumkhuhlane ongapheliyo nokutshica igazi, yaye ngenxa yaloo nto umntu wayesifa emva kweentsuku ezintathu. Esesibini sathabatha lonke elo xesha, naso siphelekwa ngumkhuhlane ongapheliyo kodwa sikwakhupha amathumba emzimbeni, ingakumbi emakhwapheni nasemiphakathweni. Umntu sasimbulala kwiintsuku ezintlanu.” Oogqirha babengakwazi ukumnqanda lo bhubhani.

Abantu abaninzi babaleka buphuthuphuthu—beshiya ngasemva abo bankone sesi sifo. Eneneni, phakathi kwabantu bokuqala ababalekayo zizikhwakhwa ezineemali zazo nezifundiswa. Nangona nabanye abefundisi babalekayo, amarhamente amaninzi aziqhusheka ezindlwini zawo ngethemba lokuba anokusinda ekwasulelweni.

Kusekho loo ngxubakaxaka, upopu wavakalisa unyaka we-1350 njengoNyaka Ongcwele. Abahambi ngezonqulo ababetyelela eRome babeza kusuka bangene ngqo eparadesi ngaphandle kokudlula kwindawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo! Uninzi lwabahambi ngonqulo basabela kolo bizo—ngaloo ndlela behamba betyala esi sifo kwiindawo ababehamba kuzo.

Imigudu Elilize

Imigudu yokulwa noKufa Okumnyama yaba lilize kuba akukho namnye umntu owayesazi ukuba kudluliselwa njani na. Abaninzi babeqonda ukuba ukubamba umntu onako—okanye impahla yakhe—kwakuyingozi. Abanye babesoyika kwaukujongwa ngumntu onesi sifo! Noko ke, abahlali baseFlorence, eItali, bathi lo bhubhani usuka kwizinja neekati zalapho. Bazibulala ezi zilwanyana, bengaqondi ukuba ngokwenza loo nto babevulela ithuba esona silwanyana singunobangela wokunwenwa kwesi sifo—impuku.

Njengoko inani labantu abafayo laya lintinga, abanye bacela uncedo kuThixo. Amadoda nabafazi banikela ngako konke ababenako ecaweni, ngethemba lokuba uThixo uya kubakhusela ekuguleni—okanye ke ubuncinane abavuze ngokuphila ezulwini xa bethe bafa. Le nto yayityebisa icawa. Ezinye izinto ezazithandwa gqitha ngamakhubalo ethamsanqa, imifanekiso kaKristu namaqhaga ezikhumbuzo. Abanye babhenela kwiinkolelo, imilingo nakoosinga-mayeza ukuze bazinyange. Kwakusithiwa iziqholo, iviniga nemixube ethile inokusiphelisa esi sifo. Elinye iyeza elalithandwa kukuzophisa. Icandelo lezamayeza kwiYunivesithi yaseParis lada lathi lo bhubhani ubangelwa kukushukuma kwezijikelezi-langa! Ubuvuvu “nonyango” olungasebenziyo aluzange lumthothise lo bhubhani ungumbulali.

Imiphumo Engapheliyo

Kwiminyaka emihlanu kwabonakala ngathi ekugqibeleni uKufa Okumnyama kuyigqibile indima yako. Kodwa ngaphambi kokuphela kwaloo nkulungwane kwaphinda kwazibonakalisa kangangezihlandlo ezine. Imiphumo yoKufa Okumnyama iye yafaniswa naleyo yeMfazwe Yehlabathi I. Incwadi ethi The Black Death in England yowe-1996 ithi: “Ababhali-mbali bakutshanje bavumelana ngamxhelo-mnye ngelokuba ukuvela kwalo bhubhani wenza unothanda kwaba nemiphumo engathethekiyo kwezoqoqosho nakuluntu ngokubanzi emva kowe-1348.” Lo bhubhani wabulala inxalenye enkulu yabemi, yaye kwadlula iinkulungwane eziliqela ngaphambi kokuba amanye amazwe achache. Njengoko abasebenzi babevuthuluka, ngokuzenzekelayo lenyuka ixabiso lokuqesha abantu. Abanini-mhlaba ababekhe bazizityebi baphelelwa yimali, nenkqubo yolwabiwo-mihlaba—uphawu lwamaXesha Aphakathi—yabethwa yaziingceba.

Ngoko ke, lo bhubhane wabangela inkqubela-phambili kwezobupolitika, kwezonqulo nasekuhlaleni. Ngaphambi kwalo bhubhani, isiFrentshi sasigqalwa njengolwimi lwabona bantu bazizifundiswa eNgilani. Noko ke, ukufa kwabafundisi-ntsapho abaninzi abangamaFrentshi kwanceda ulwimi lwesiNgesi lwangaphezu kwesiFrentshi eBritani. Kwabakho utshintsho nakunqulo. Ngokutsho kombhali-mbali ongumFrentshi uJacqueline Brossollet, ngenxa yokuba mbalwa kwabantu abanokungenela ubufundisi, “iCawa yayisoloko iqesha abantu abangazi nto nabangakhathaliyo.” UBrossollet uthi “ukuwa kwamaziko [ecawa] okufundisa nokholo kwaba ngomnye woonobangela boHlaziyo.”

UKufa Okumnyama kwashiya uphawu kwezobugcisa, eyona nto kwakusele kuthethwa ngayo kwezobugcisa ikukufa. Idanse macabre genre edumileyo eyayidla ngokubonisa ubugoxo bamathambo nezidumbu yaba ngumzekelo obalaseleyo wamandla okufa. Njengoko babengaqinisekanga ngekamva, abaninzi kwabasindayo bayiphosa kwelokulibala imilinganiselo yokuphila. Ngoko imilinganiselo yokuziphatha yehla ngendlela engathethekiyo. Ngenxa yokusilela kwecawa, ukuthintela uKufa Okumnyama, “umntu owayephila ngamaxesha aphakathi wavakalelwa kukuba iCawa yakhe imdanisile.” (The Black Death) Abanye ababhali-mbali bathi utshintsho oluninzi olwalandela emva koKufa Okumnyama lwakhuthaza ukuzimela geqe noshishino nenkqubela phambili ekuhlaleni nakwezoqoqosho—izandulela zobukapitali.

Kwakhona uKufa Okumnyama kwakhuthaza oorhulumente ukuba bavelise iinkqubo zogutyulo. Emva kokuphela kwalo bhubhani, iVenice yathabatha amanyathelo okucoca izitrato zesixeko sayo. UKumkani John II, waseFransi obizwa ngokuba ngoLungileyo, naye wayalela ukuba kucocwe izitrato njengendlela yokulwa lo bhubhani. Lo kumkani wayenza le nto emva kokuva ngogqirha wamandulo waseGrisi owasindisa iAthene kubhubhani ngokucoca aze agutyule izitrato. Izitrato ezininzi zamaxesha aphakathi, ezazinkcenkceza amanzi amdaka, ekugqibeleni zacocwa.

Ngaba Yinto Yexa Elidluleyo?

Noko ke, kwakungowe-1894, xa isazi ngeentsholongwane esingumFrentshi uAlexandre Yersin sathi sayibona intsholongwane ebangela uKufa Okumnyama. Yathiywa ngaye kwathiwa yiYersinia pestis. Kwiminyaka emine emva koko enye indoda engumFrentshi uPaul-Louis Simond, yafumanisa indima yesi sinambuzane (esifumaneka ezimpukwini) ekusasazeni esi sifo. Kungekudala kwaveliswa isitofu esaba luncedo ngomlinganiselo othile.

Ngaba lo bhubhani yinto yexesha elidluleyo? Akunjalo konke konke. Ngobusika bowe-1910, abantu abamalunga nama-50 000 babulawa ngulo bhubhani eManchuria. Yaye nyaka ngamnye iWorld Health Organization ichaza amawakawaka angakumbi—eli nani liyaqhubeka lisanda. Kuye kwafunyaniswa ukuba esi sifo siza ngeendlela ezintsha—iindlela ezikwaziyo ukumelana nonyango. Ewe, ukuba imilinganiselo esisiseko yococeko ayilandelwa, lo bhubhani usesisisongelo kuluntu. Kungako nje incwadi ethi Pourquoi la peste? Le rat, la puce et le bubon (Why the Plague? The Rat, the Flea, and the Bubo), epapashwe nguJacqueline Brossollet noHenri Mollaret, iqukumbela ngelithi “kunokuba ibe sisifo nje seYurophu yamandulo ngamaXesha Aphakathi, . . . kulusizi ukuvakalisa ukuba lo bhubhani usenokuba sisifo sekamva.”

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 15]

Amadoda nabafazi banikela ngako konke ababenako ecaweni, ngethemba lokuba uThixo uya kubakhusela ekuguleni

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 16]

Ihlelo Labazohlwayayo

Njengoko babejonga lo bhubhani njengesohlwayo esivela kuThixo, abanye bazama ukuthothisa umsindo kaThixo ngokuzikatsa ngesabhokhwe okanye ngokuzohlwaya. UBuzalwana Babazohlwayayo, umbutho ekuthiwa unamalungu angama-800 000, wazifumanela udumo ngexesha loKufa Okumnyama. Imithetho yeli hlelo yayikwalela ukuthetha namabhinqa, ukuhlamba okanye ukutshintsha iimpahla. Umntu wayezohlwaya kabini ngemini esidlangalaleni.

Incwadi ethi Medieval Heresy ithi: “Ukuzohlwaya kwakuyenye indlela yokuzikhulula kwabemi ababengcangcazela luloyiko.” Abo bazohlwayayo babekwadume ngokugxibha isifundisi secawa nangokudobelela uxolelo lwezono olwalusenziwa yicawa nolwalunemali eninzi. Ngoko, akumangalisi ukuba ngowe-1349 upopu waligxeka eli hlelo. Noko ke, ekugqibeleni eli hlelo laziphelela emva kokudlula koKufa Okumnyama.

[Umfanekiso]

Abo Bazohlwayayo bazama ukuzicengezela kuThixo

[Inkcazelo]

© Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, Bruxelles

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 17]

Ubhubhani eMarseilles, eFransi

[Inkcazelo]

© Cliché Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 17]

UAlexandre Yersin wayibona intsholongwane ebangela ubhubhani

[Inkcazelo]

Culver Pictures