Isigqoko Sangempela SasePanama—Senziwe E-Ecuador?
NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! E-ECUADOR
INGABE ikhasimende laphanjwa? Kumuntu obukele, kwakungase kubonakale kunjalo. Phela, lo mfo wakhokha u-R2 300 ethenga isigqoko sangempela sasePanama. Kodwa umdayisi wasikhipha ebhokisini elalinesitembu esigqamile esithi “Senziwe E-Ecuador”! Kwakuwumgunyathi? Lutho neze. Eqinisweni, isigqoko sangempela sasePanama ngempela senziwa e-Ecuador. Kodwa kwenzeka kanjani ukuba sibizwe ngokungafanele ngale ndlela? Futhi kungani isigqoko esinjalo singabiza izinkulungwane zamaRandi?
Maphakathi nawo-1800, abantu ababefuna igolide balibangisa eCalifornia benqamula eNsungubezini yasePanama. Lapho, bathenga izigqoko ezazivela e-Ecuador. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, lezi zigqoko zaqala ukwaziwa ngendawo ezazidayiswa kuyo, hhayi lapho zazidabuka khona. Isigqoko sasePanama saba yintandokazi. Ngokwesibonelo, ngo-1849 i-Ecuador yadayisa ezingaphezu kuka-220 000 emazweni angaphandle! Khona-ke, ngo-1855, umFulentshi owayehlala ePanama wayisa lezi zigqoko embukisweni womhlaba eParis. Abantu baseFrance abathanda imfashini bahlatshwa umxhwele utshani ezenziwa ngabo, abanye baze babuchaza ngokuthi “utshani obuyindwangu.” Ngokushesha babengasacabangi ukugqoka izigqoko zolunye uhlobo!
Isigqoko sasePanama sathandwa kakhulu ekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-20 lapho amaphephandaba omhlaba eveza isithombe sikaMongameli wase-United States uTheodore Roosevelt egqoke i-fino kanokusho. Abantu baqala ukusifuna ngabomvu lesi sigqoko. Izinkampani ezivelele emhlabeni wonke zaqala ukuzidayisa. ETurkey, imithetho yesimanje yavimbela i-fez engokwesiko ngo-1925 futhi yashaya umthetho wokuba kugqokwe izigqoko zasePanama. Ngo-1944, isigqoko sasePanama sase siyimpahla eyinhloko edayiswa yi-Ecuador emazweni angaphandle.
Engxenyeni yesibili yekhulu lama-20, ukuthandwa kwezigqoko kwancipha. Nokho, izigqoko zasePanama ezazilukwe ngobuciko base-Ecuador zazilokhu ziyintandokazi. Yebo, abenzi bezigqoko abangochwepheshe emhlabeni wonke babencintisana ngokuzenza ngobunyoninco. Osaziwayo kusukela esikhathini esidlule kuze kube namuhla baye bakhangwa ubuhle besigqoko sasePanama. Siye sagqokwa uWinston Churchill, uNikita Khrushchev, uHumphrey Bogart noMichael Jordan—uma sibala nje abambalwa.
Yiqiniso, kunendathane yezigqoko-mbumbulu zasePanama ezishibhile. Nokho, eziningi zazo ziyaklayeka; ezinye azinazo izimbobo zomoya. Ngokuphambene, isigqoko sangempela sasePanama silula futhi singenisa umoya, kanti futhi siyinguganaboya. Ngasinye silukwe ngesandla, okusenza sibe yingqayizivele. Inani lisukela emaRandini nje ambalwa ngezigqoko ezimaholoholo kuya ngaphezu kuka-R7 000 ngeziyivelakancane, ama-superfino aseMontecristi. Izinga linqunywa ubushelelezi nokwalukwa kahle kanye nombala ovumelanayo. Kodwa njalo ubokhumbula: Isigqoko sangempela sasePanama senziwa e-Ecuador kuphela.
[Ibhokisi/Izithombe ekhasini 26, 27]
Ukwenza Isigqoko SasePanama
Senziwa kanjani isigqoko sasePanama? Kunesihlahla esinjengesundu esinemicu ethambile kodwa eqatha, okuthiwa i-toquilla. Izimfunda ezingasogwini lwe-Ecuador zinezimo ezinhle lapho lesi sitshalo singahluma futhi sikhule khona. Abeluki bezigqoko base-Ecuador baphakathi kwabeluki abangongoti emhlabeni wonke, futhi benza umsebenzi odinga isineke ngempela! Kungabathatha izinyanga eziyisithupha noma ngaphezulu ukwenza i-superfino kanokusho yaseMontecristi. Umucu ngamunye osetshenziswa kulesi sigqoko mfushane kakhulu. Kodwa, esigqokweni sangempela sasePanama, akulula ukubona lapho imicu ihlangana khona. Ngaphezu kwalokho, le micu ilukwa ihlangane kangangokuba ngisho namanzi awangeni!
Idolobha laseMontecristi laziwa ngezigqoko zalo ezinhle ezilukwa ngesandla. Izingcweti zaseMontecristi ziluka entathakusa noma kusihlwa ukuze ukushisa kungayenzi imicu iqine ngenxa yokoma. Baqala isicoco ngokwenza indilinga phezu kwenye ngomucu ophothwe ngokuyinkimbinkimbi kuze kube yilapho sesisikhulu ngendlela abayifunayo. Khona-ke, lesi sicoco sibekwa okhunini oluyindilinga ukuze izandla zikameluki zikwazi ukwehla kalula njengoba esenza izinhlangothi. Ngemva kwamasonto amaningi weluka aye eceleni ukuze enze umphetho wesigqoko. Ukusincwela kahle, ukusiwasha nokusisusa ukungcola kanye nezinqubo ezihlukahlukene zokuqedela umsebenzi kukhipha isigqoko sodumo sasePanama.
[Izithombe]
Imicu yotshani ehlutshiwe iyabiliswa bese yomiswa ngaphambi kokuyeluka
[Isithombe ekhasini 27]
UWinston Churchill ungomunye wosaziwayo abaningi abebegqoka isigqoko sasePanama
[Umthombo]
U.S. National Archives photo