Ukuhamba Kwindlela Awayehamba Kuyo Amakhoboka

UKUSUSELA ngenkulungwane ye-17 ukuya kweye-19, isixeko saseOuidah sasilikomkhulu lokurhweba ngamakhoboka eNtshona Afrika. IOuidah namhlanje ekwilizwe elibizwa ngokuba yiRiphabliki yaseBenin, yayilizibuko ekwathathwa kulo amakhoboka angaphezu kwesigidi. Izihlandlo ezininzi ama-Afrika ayethengisa ngamanye ama-Afrika ukuze afumane izinto ezinjengotywala, amalaphu, iibhengile, iimela, amakrele nemipu eyayiyimfuneko ngenxa yeemfazwe zobuzwe ezazikho ngelo xesha.

Phakathi kwenkulungwane ye-16 neye-19, ama-Afrika amalunga nezigidi ezili-12 awezwa uLwandle lweAtlantiki ukuze aye kuba ngamakhoboka kumasimi nemigodi yaMazwe Aphesheya. Incwadi ethi American Slavery—1619-1877 ithi, amakhoboka amalunga nama-85 ekhulwini “asiwa eBrazil, nakwiziqithi zeCaribbean ezazingamathanga eBritani, iFransi, iSpeyin nelamaDatshi.” Amalunga nesithandathu ekhulwini asiwa kumathanga kamva awabumba ilizwe laseUnited States.a

Ekuqaleni kohambo lwawo, amakhoboka amaninzi—awayebotshwe ngamatyathanga, ebethiwe yaye ephawuliwe ayehamba umgama weekhilomitha ezine ukusuka kwindawo ngoku ebizwa ngokuba yiOuidah Museum of History ukuya kwindawo eselunxwemeni ekwakusithiwa yiDoor of No Return. Ukusuka kuloo ndawo amakhoboka ayethunyelwa phesheya. Igama layo lelokomfuziselo kuba amakhoboka ayengathathwa kuloo ndawo kuphela. Kwakutheni ukuze abantu bafune amakhoboka?

Imbali Ende Nebuhlungu

Kwamhlamnene iinkosi zaseAfrika zazithengisa amabanjwa emfazwe kubarhwebi bama-Arabhu. Kamva namazwe aseYurophu aqalisa ukuthenga amakhoboka ingakumbi emva kokuba eqalise ukuba namathanga kumazwe aseMerika. Nangelo xesha, iimfazwe zobuzwe zazisenza kubekho amakhoboka amaninzi nto leyo eyayisenza abantu aboyisileyo nabo babethengisa ngamakhoboka benze ingeniso eninzi. Ukanti, amanye amakhoboka ayexhwilwa okanye athengwe kuma-Afrika awayewaqhuba ukusuka phakathi elizweni. Nabani na wayenokuthengiswa njengekhoboka, kuquka nenkosana eyayixabene nokumkani.

Usaziwayo kwezorhwebo ngamakhoboka yayinguFrancisco Félix de Souza waseBrazil. Ngowe-1788, uDe Souza waluthabathela kuye ulawulo lwenqaba elwaluqhutyelwa kuyo ishishini lamakhoboka aseOuidah yaseBenin. Ngelo xesha, iOuidah yayilawulwa buBukumkani baseDahomey. Noko ke, uDe Souza noKumkani uAdandozan waseDahomey baxabana. Ngoko ke uDe Souza nomninawa walo kumkani baqulunqa iyelenqe lokumbhukuqa, mhlawumbi ngoxa uDe Souza wayesesentolongweni ibe bakwazi ukukwenza oko ngowe-1818. Ngenxa yoko, lo kumkani mtsha uGhezo noDe Souza owayengumphathi weshishini lamakhoboka baqalisa ubuhlobo obabazisela ingeniso enkulu.b

UGhezo wayefuna ukwandisa ubukhosi bakhe yaye ngenxa yoko wayedinga izixhobo zaseYurophu ukuze aphumelele. Ngenxa yoko, wamisela uDe Souza ukuba abe ligosa laseOuidah elalijongene nezorhwebo kunye neYurophu. UDe Souza wakhawuleza waba sisinhanha kuba yayinguye kuphela owayethengisa amakhoboka kuloo nxalenye yeAfrika yaye ishishini lamakhoboka elalikufutshane nomzi wakhe laliphithizela abathengi baphesheya nabaseAfrika.

Intlungu Yamakhoboka Awayeqhutywa

Xa utyelele indlela awayehamba kuyo amakhoboka aseOuidah uqala kwinqaba yamaPhuthukezi elungisiweyo. Le nqaba eyakhiwa ngowe-1721 namhlanje iyimuziyam. Abantu ababeza kuthengiswa njengamakhoboka babevalelwa kule yadi. Ukuze ifike apha, inkoliso yamakhoboka yayihamba ebusuku kangangeentsuku eziliqela ibotshwe ngamatyathanga. Kwakutheni ukuze bahanjiswe ebusuku? Ukuhamba ebusuku kwakubenza bangazi ukuba baphi nto leyo eyayisenza kube nzima ngabo baqhweshileyo ukuba babuyele ekhaya.

Xa amakhoboka efika, ayethengiswa yaye abarhwebi babewaphawula lawo bawathengileyo. La makhoboka ayeza kuthunyelwa phesheya ayesiwa elunxwemeni apho ayefika akhweliswe kumaphenyane nezikhephe ezaziwasa kwiinqanawa.

Enye indawo oyibonayo xa uhamba kule ndlela yamakhoboka yindawo owawukade ukuyo uMthi Wokulibala. Namhlanje, kukho isikhumbuzo kule ndawo owawukuyo umthi amakhoboka angamadoda awayenyanzelwa ukuba awujikeleze kasithoba aze wona amabhinqa awujikeleze kasixhenxe. Kwakusithiwa ukujikeleza lo mthi kuza kuwenza amakhoboka alilibale ilizwe lawo nto leyo eyayiza kuwenza angavukeli.

Kule ndlela kukwakho nesikhumbuzo sezindlu ekwakusithiwa ziiZomaï, nezingasekhoyo namhlanje. Igama elithi zomaï libhekisela kubumnyama obabukwezo zindlu ekwakuxinaniswa kuzo amakhoboka ukuze aqhelane neemeko awayeza kujamelana nazo xa esenqanaweni. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba amakhoboka ayegcinwa kwezo zindlu iinyanga ngoxa elindele ukuthuthwa. Lawo ayesifa ayengcwatywa emngxunyeni omnye.

Ilitye lesikhumbuzo ekuthiwa yiZomachi elimela inguquko noxolelwano, lihlab’ umxhelo. Izizukulwana zamakhoboka nabarhwebi ziya apho rhoqo ngoJanuwari ukuze ziye kucelela uxolo abo babenenxaxheba kwezo zenzo zenkohlakalo.

Uhambo lwamakhoboka luphela kwindawo ekuthiwa yiDoor of No Return—ilitye lesikhumbuzo elimela indawo yokugqibela amakhoboka ema kuyo kumhlaba waseAfrika. Kulo mnyango mkhulu kukho umzobo wama-Afrika abotshwe ngamatyathanga emiswe kwimiqolo emibini edibana elunxwemeni yaye uLwandle lweAtlantiki luphambi kwawo. Kuthiwa xa ayekule ndawo amanye amakhoboka atya isanti ukuze akhumbule ilizwe lookhokho bawo. Amanye akheth’ ukufa ngokuzikrwitsha ngamatyathanga.

Inkululeko!

Ekuqaleni kweminyaka yee-1800 abantu balwa nzima ukuze baphelise ubukhoboka. Isikhephe sokugqibela esasithwele amakhoboka sivela eOuidah sisiya eUnited States safika eMobile Alabama ngoJulayi 1860. Noko ke, la makhoboka akazange asebenze xesha lide kuba ngowe-1863 urhulumente waseUnited States wapasisa umthetho owawuyalela ukukhululwa kwamakhoboka. Ekugqibeleni ubukhoboka bapheliswa eNtshona ngowe-1888 xa iBrazil yabuphelisayo.c

Eyona ntsalela ibonakalayo yobukhoboka bubukho bama-Afrika amaninzi kumazwe aphesheya nto leyo eye yaba nempembelelo ebonakalayo kwintlalo nakwinkcubeko yamazwe amaninzi aseMerika. Ukanti enye kukwanda kwevoodoo, uhlobo lonqulo olusebenzisa imilingo nokuthakatha noluxhaphake kakhulu eHaiti. IEncyclopædia Britannica ithi “igama elithi voodoo livela kwelithi vodun elibhekisela kwisithixo okanye umntu welemimoya, ngolwimi lwamaFon aseBenin (eyayikade ibizwa ngokuba yiDahomey).”

Okubuhlungu kukuba abantu basakhotyokiswa nanamhlanje nangona bengengomakhoboka okoqobo. Izigidi zabantu zibila zisoma phantsi kweemeko zezoqoqosho ezinzima. Abanye balawulwa ngoorhulumente abacinezelayo. (INtshumayeli 8:9) Ezinye izigidi zikhotyokiswa ziimfundiso zeecawa zobuxoki naziinkolelo. Ngaba oorhulumente babantu banokukwazi ukukhulula abantu babo kwezi ntlobo zobukhoboka? Unotshe! NguYehova uThixo kuphela onokuyenza loo nto yaye uza kuyenza! ILizwi lakhe iBhayibhile lithembisa ukuba bonke abanqula uYehova ngokuvumelana nenyaniso eseBhayibhileni—inyaniso ekhulula abantu—ngeny’ imini baya kufumana ‘inkululeko ezukileyo yabantwana bakaThixo.’—Roma 8:21; Yohane 8:32.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

‘UMNTU UYE WALAWULA UMNTU WAZA WAMENZAKALISA’

Abantu abaninzi bacinga ukuba abantu ababerhweba ngamakhoboka bangena kwiilali zama-Afrika baza baxhwila nabani na ababemfuna. Kudliwano ndlebe lwakhe nonomathotholo, unjingalwazi wembali yama-Afrika uGqr. Robert Harms wathi, nangona oku kusenokuba kwenzeka, abathengisi bamakhoboka babengena kukwazi ukuxhwila izigidi zabantu “bengakhange bancediswe ngabalawuli nabarhwebi abangama-Afrika.” Ayinyaniso ngokwenene amazwi athi, ‘umntu uye walawula umntu waza wamenzakalisa!’—INtshumayeli 8:9.

[Inkcazelo]

© Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, NY

[Iimaphu ezikwiphepha 22]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

Amalunga nezigidi ezili-12 ama-Afrika awawezwa uLwandle lweAtlantiki ukuze aye kuba ngamakhoboka

AFRICA

BENIN

Ouidah

Unxweme Lwamakhoboka

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 22, 23]

Le nqaba yamaPhuthukezi eyakhiwa ngowe-1721, namhlanje iyiOuidah Museum of History

[Inkcazelo]

© Gary Cook/Alamy

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 23]

Umfanekiso oqingqiweyo wekhoboka libotshwe ngamatyathanga livalwe nomlomo

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 23]

IDoor of No Return—sisikhumbuzo esimela indawo yokugqibela amakhoboka ema kuyo kumhlaba waseAfrika

[Inkcazelo]

© Danita Delimont/Alamy