Izigidi Ziba Izigqila

NGESIKHATHI kuzalwa u-Olaudah Equiano, imikhumbi yaseYurophu yayisithuthele izigqila zabantu abaNsundu ngaphesheya kwe-Atlantic Ocean iminyaka engamakhulu amabili nengxenye. Kodwa ubugqila babakhona esikhathini eside ngaphambi kwalokho. Ukugqilazwa kwabantu, ngokuvamile okubangelwa impi, kwakwenziwa emhlabeni wonke kusukela ezikhathini zasendulo.

Futhi e-Afrika, ubugqila bachuma kudala ngaphambi kokuba kufike imikhumbi yaseYurophu. I-New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi: “Kuwo wonke umlando bekulokhu kunezigqila kubantu abansundu base-Afrika. . . . Ubugqila babukhona kuyo yonke indawo ngisho nangaphambi kokuvela kwenkolo yamaSulumane, futhi izigqila ezinsundu ezazithunyelwa kwamanye amazwe zisuka e-Afrika zazithengiswa kabanzi kuwo wonke umphakathi wamaSulumane.”

Okwakwenza ukuhweba ngezigqila ngaphesheya kwe-Atlantic kube okuhlukile kwakuyizinga okwakwenziwa ngalo nesikhathi okwasithatha. Ngokulinganisela okunembile, inani lezigqila ezanqamula i-Atlantic Ocean kusukela ekhulwini le-16 kuya ekhulwini le-19 laliphakathi kwezigidi eziyishumi neziyishumi nambili.

Umzila Owunxantathu

Ngokushesha ngemva kohambo lukaChristopher Columbus ngo-1492, abenzi bamakoloni baseYurophu basungula izimayini nezimoba emazweni aseMelika. Ngaphezu kokugqilaza abantu bendawo, abaMhlophe baqala ukulanda izigqila e-Afrika.a Ukuthunyelwa kwezigqila ngaphesheya kwe-Atlantic kwaqala kancane kancane phakathi nawo-1500, kodwa ngosuku luka-Equiano, phakathi nawo-1700, kwase kusakazekile—abathunjwa abangaba ngu-60 000 unyaka ngamunye.

Ngokuvamile imikhumbi yaseYurophu yayilandela umzila owunxantathu. Yayiqale iye ngaseningizimu isuka eYurophu iye e-Afrika. Ngokulandelayo yayihamba emzileni ophakathi (umzila oxhumanisayo kulonxantathu) iye emazweni aseMelika. Ekugcineni yayiphindela eYurophu.

Ekupheleni kohambo ngalunye kulonxantathu, okaputeni babehweba. Imikhumbi yayisuka emathekwini aseYurophu igcwele phama izimpahla—izingubo, insimbi, izibhamu, notshwala. Lapho ifika ogwini olungasentshonalanga ye-Afrika, okaputeni babeshintshanisa lezizimpahla ngezigqila ezilethwa abathengisi base-Afrika. Lezizigqila zaziminyaniswa emikhunjini, eyayisuka lapho ibhekise amabombo emazweni aseMelika. Emazweni aseMelika, okaputeni babethengisa izigqila bese belayisha impahla ezaziyikhiqiza—ushukela, utshwala, utiligi, ugwayi, ilayisi, futhi kusukela ngawo-1780, babelayisha nokotini. Khona-ke imikhumbi yayiphindela eYurophu, ingxenye yokugcina yaloluhambo.

Kubahwebi baseYurophu nabase-Afrika, kanye nakubenzi bamakoloni baseNyakatho naseNingizimu Melika, ukuhweba ngalokho ababekubiza ngokuthi impahla ephilayo kwakuyibhizinisi, indlela yokwenza imali. Kulabo ababegqilazwa—amadoda nabafazi, obaba nomama, amadodana namadodakazi—lokhukuhweba kwakusho isihluku nesenzakalo esihlasimulisa umzimba.

Zazivelaphi izigqila? Ezinye zazithunjwa, njengoba kwakunjalo ngo-Olaudah Equiano, kodwa eziningi zazithunjwa ezimpini ezaziphakathi kwezifundazwe zase-Afrika. Zazilethwa abantu abaNsundu. Isazi-mlando uPhilip Curtin, oyisazi sezokuhweba ngezigqila, siyabhala: “Ngokushesha abaMhlophe baqaphela ukuthi i-Afrika yayiyingozi kakhulu empilweni yabo siqu ukuba bangaphanga izigqila ngokuqondile. Ukugqilaza kwaba umsebenzi wabantu abaNsundu kuphela . . . Iningi labantu elalenziwa izigqila ekuqaleni ngokuyinhloko kwakungabathunjwa.”

Umzila Ophakathi

Uhambo oluya emazweni aseMelika lwalungokuhlangenwe nakho okusabisayo. Lapho beyiswa ogwini beboshiwe njengamaqembu, abantu abaNsundu babeba buthakathaka, ngezinye izikhathi izinyanga eziningi, ezinqabeni zamatshe noma ezindaweni ezincanyana ezakhiwe ngokhuni. Lapho umkhumbi wezigqila ufika ulibangise emazweni aseMelika, ngokuvamile abathunjwa babesuke sebebuthakathaka ngokwempilo ngenxa yokuxhashazwa. Kodwa okubi kakhulu kwakusuke kuseza.

Ngemva kokufulukuhlelwa emkhunjini, ahlutshulwe, futhi ahlolwe udokotela womkhumbi noma ukaputeni, amadoda ayeboshwa bese efakwa ngaphansi emkhunjini. Izikhulu zasemkhunjini zazilayisha ngaphansi emkhunjini izigqila eziningi ngangokunokwenzeka ukuze zandise inzuzo yazo. Abesifazane nezingane babenikezwa inkululeko eyengeziwe yokuhamba, nakuba lokhu futhi kwakubabeka engozini yokuxhashazwa ngokobulili izisebenzi zasemkhunjini.

Umoya ngaphansi emkhunjini wawunuka kabi. U-Equiano uchaza akubona: “Ukuminyana nokushisa kwesimo sezulu, kanye nenani lababesemkhunjini, ababeminyene kangangokuba yayingekho indlela yokuphenduka, kwasenza sacishe sabulawa ukucinana. Lokhu kwakubangela ukujuluka kakhulu, kangangokuba ngokushesha umoya waba ongakufanelekele ukuphefumulwa ngenxa yamaphunga amabi ahlukahlukene, futhi kwabangela ukugula kwezigqila, okwafa eziningi kuzo . . . Ukuklabalasa kwabesifazane nokububula kwababefa kwenza yonke lendawo yaba esabekayo cishe ngendlela eyisimangaliso.” Abathunjwa kwakudingeka babekezelele izimo ezinjalo kulo lonke uhambo, olwaluthatha cishe izinyanga ezimbili, ngezinye izikhathi ngaphezulu.

Kulezizimo ezingenampilo ngokushaqisayo, izifo zazanda. Ubhadane lwesifo sohudo nengxibongo lwaluvamile. Ukufa kwakudlondlobele. Imibhalo egciniwe ithi kuze kube ngawo-1750, kwakufa oyedwa kubantu abaNsundu abahlanu ababesemkhunjini. Abafile babephonswa olwandle.

Ukufika Emazweni AseMelika

Lapho imikhumbi yezigqila isondela emazweni aseMelika, izisebenzi zasemkhunjini zazilungiselela ukuthengisa abantu abaNsundu. Zazibaqaqa amaketanga, zibasuthise ngokudla, bese zibagcoba amafutha esundu ukuze babukeke bephilile futhi kufihleke izilonda namanxeba.

Ngokuvamile okaputeni babethengisa izigqila zabo ngendali, kodwa ngezinye izikhathi babehlela “ukuthenga ngokuphangelana,” okwakudingeka ukuba abathengi bakhokhe kusengaphambili inani elithile elimisiwe. U-Equiano uyabhala: “Lapho kunikezwa uphawu, (njengokushaya isigubhu) abathengi babengena ngokubhuduzela egcekeni lapho kwakunezigqila khona, bese bekhetha leloqembu labantu abalithandayo. Umsindo nokuklabalasa okwenziwa ngakho lokhu nentshiseko eyayibonakala kubathengi kwakumane kwandise ukwesaba kwabantu abaNsundu.”

U-Equiano uyanezela: “Ngalendlela, ngaphandle kokungabaza, kuhlukaniswa izihlobo nabangane, iningi lazo elingeke liphinde libonane.” Emikhayeni eyayikwazile ukuhlala ndawonye ngandlela-thile phakathi nosizi lwezinyanga ezidlule, lokhu kwakuyigalelo elibi kakhulu.

Umsebenzi Nokubhaxabulwa Ngesiswebhu

Abantu abaNsundu abayizigqila babesebenza emasimini ukuze bakhiqize ikhofi, ilayisi, ugwayi, ukotini, futhi ikakhulukazi ushukela. Abanye babesebenza ezimayini. Abanye babesebenza njengababazi, abakhandi bensimbi, abenzi bamawashi, abakhi bezibhamu, namatilosi. Futhi abanye babeyizisebenzi zasendlini—izinceku, abahlengikazi, abathungi, nabapheki. Izigqila zazicenta, zakha imigwaqo nezakhiwo, futhi zimba imisele.

Nokho, naphezu komsebenzi ezawenza, izigqila zazibhekwa njengempahla, futhi ngokomthetho umnikazi wayenamalungelo aphelele empahleni yakhe. Nokho, ubugqila abuzange buqhubeke ngenxa yokuncishwa amalungelo nenkululeko. Baqhubeka ngenxa yokubhaxabulwa ngesiswebhu. Igunya labaninizo nabaphathi bazo lalixhomeke emandleni abo okuzwisa ubuhlungu. Futhi babezibhaxabula ngempela.

Ukuze banqande ukuvukela futhi bakwazi ukulawula izigqila zabo, abaninizo babekhipha izijeziso ezingokomzimba ezilulazayo ngisho nangamacala amancane. U-Equiano uyabhala: “Kwakuvamile [eWest Indies] ukuba izigqila zibhalwe ngensimbi eshisayo izinhlamvu zokuqala zegama lomninizo, futhi kwakulengiswa izingwegwe zensimbi ezisindayo ezintanyeni zazo. Eqinisweni ezimweni ezingcono zazisindwa amaketanga, futhi ngokuvamile kwakunezelwa amathuluzi okuhlukumeza. Izifonyo zensimbi, amathuluzi okucindezela izithupha, njll. . . . ngezinye izikhathi zazisetshenziswa lapho kwenziwe amaphutha amancane. Ngake ngabona umuntu onsundu othile eshaywa kwaze kwaba yilapho kuphuka amanye amathambo akhe ngenxa yokuyeka ibhodwe libile kakhulu.”

Ngezinye izikhathi izigqila zazikhetha ukuvukela. Nokho, ukuvukela okuningi kwakungaphumeleli futhi zazijeziswa ngonya olukhulu.

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Abafile babephonswa olwandle

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Culver Pictures

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Kwakulayishwa izigqila eziningi ngangokunokwenzeka ngaphansi emkhunjini

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Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / The New York Public Library / Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations