UJali uyabazi ubuhlungu bokuhluphekela imfundo
IMPILO yakhe ibe nokuyaluza esakhula. Lokhu kwadalwa wukusheshe kudlule emhlabeni uyise owayenguthisha. Kwabe sekudingeka ukuthi uMnu uNkosinathi Aubrey Jali owazalelwa kwaNtunjambili, eKranskop, KwaZulu-Natal ngowe-1965 abuye nomndeni bazozinza eHammarsdale, esigcemeni sase-One South, ngonyaka we-1971.
Esesemabangeni aphansi emfundo uJali wakhombisa ikhono lokudweba. Yilona elamsondelanisa nabantu abavelele kulo mkhakha abafana noMnu uSifiso Mkame abaxhumana naye sebedudulwe wudlame lwaseMpumalanga ngeminyaka ye-1980. Ngenhlanhla unina wayesekwazile ukwakha umuzi eClermont. Babuya sebezozinza ngokugcwele kule ndawo ngonyaka we-1987.
Impilo kamama ebuthakathaka yaphoqa uJali ukuthi ayofuna umsebenzi. UMatikuletsheni wawuzama kwagcina kungalunganga nokho waqhubeka esebenza njengemerchandiser kwaCheckers okuyithuba alithola ngoMnu uMavuka Mtshali kanye nensizwa thizeni angakwazanga ukubonana nayo ubuso nobuso noma alazi igama layo. Uma eyibeka uJali indaba uthi: “Leya ndoda engacina ngingayazanga yangisiza ngokuntshontsha isibhumbulu senkukhu evuthiwe kanti izobanjwa ngabasesitolo. Kwaba wukuqashwa kwami ngokugcwele,” kusho uJali ngensini.
Ngowe-1990 kwabuya uMnu uVusisizwe Mchunu owayekade esekudingisweni eGermany. Wasungula uMzansi Art Centre ngowe-1994 ngaphakathi eClermont. Kwavuseleleka ugqozi lokudweba kuJali waba yingxenye ephelele yekilasi lesikhungo esisha. Wayebuya emsebenzini kwaPick and Pay lapho agcina esekhona, ayoqala izifundo zokudweba ezaziqala ngehora lesine ntambama. Laphaya wahlangana nothisha wezobuciko, uMnu uKen Godfrey owayeqeqesha abadwebi eMzansi Art Centre.
“Sasebenzisana kahle kakhulu noKen. Wayewazi ngokuphelele umkhakha wezokudweba eneziqu ezihlanganisa i-Industrial Design (owezokuhlobisa endlini), iGraphic Design (okungumkhakha wokudweba engikuwo) neFine Arts. Wangikhuthaza ukuthi ngingenele umncintiswano wokudweba owawubizwa nge‘KFC Calendar Award’ owawuhlanganisa abasezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme okwakuyiNatal Technikon, i-University of Durban Westville neM.L.Sultan nabasezikoleni ezizinze emphakathini njengoMzansi Art Centre. Umdwebo osihloko sithi, ‘Work in progress’ wahlabana ngomklomelo wokuqala. Ngaqwaqwada izingqwele ezaziphuma ezikhungweni zemfundo ephakeme mina ngizisebenzela ukupakisha esitolo”, kusho uJali kubonakala ukuthi lokhu kumcabangisa kude.
Kwenzeka konke lokhu umama wayesexineke kakhulu. Yikho kwaba nzima kuJali uma izinsizwa ezingamaciko okunguMnu uThami Jali ongumdwebi noMnu uBheki Luthuli ongumdlali wetrumpet zimncengela ukuthi abuyele esikoleni ngonyaka we-1995. “Ngaleso sikhathi kwasekuyimina obheke ikhaya ngenxa yokugula kukamama. Angazanga ngempela ukuthi kufanele ngithathe siphi isinyathelo,” kulandisa uJali ngesineke.
Wagcina ngokuyamukela inselelo ayinikezwa yokuphindela esikoleni iM.L. Sultan. Kwadingeka enze iminyaka emine. Wazithola nezibusiso zikamama wakhe ngenxa yomklomelo ayesanda kuwuzuza. Wazithengela ibhayisikili ayesuka ngalo eClermont aye eM.L. Sultan esiyaziwa ngeDurban University of Technology esekungeneni kweTheku. Wenza unyaka wokuqala wezifundo ezaziwa ngePositive Response in Design Education (PRIDE) okwakuzothi ngokwenza kahle kuzo aqale ezeGraphic Design. Wazuza i ‘Top Sudent Award’ lapho aklonyeliswa ngevawusha yokuthenga izimpahla zokudweba.
Kunabantu uJali angeke abakhohlwe emshikashikeni wokuhluphekela imfundo. UMnu uMthandeni Ziqubu wamxhumanisa nemeneja yakwaKZN Publishers (manje esiyiNasou Via Africa) uMark Vermeer owamqasha ukuthi adwebe ingaphandle le ncwadi enesihloko esithi, ‘Umcakulo’ nezinye eziningi ababezishicilela. Imali yalapho yelekelela kakhulu ekubhekaneni nezindleko zekhaya nomama owayesegula kakhulu. KunoMnumzane uSphephelo Zungu owayemlalisa ngaphakathi esikoleni amuphe nokudla uma kungabuyeleki ekhaya ngebhayisikili. Kunanentokazi yomlungu engasekho emhlabeni uNks uTerry-Anne Stevenson owamvulela amathuba okudweba izindonga okwagcina kumenze wathola umsebenzi eDurban City Hall njengeMuseum Technician. Lona iwona msebenzi awenzayo kumanje.
Umsebenzi uJali aziqhenya ngawo owokulethwa kukaRitta Marley ongumfelokazi wesihlabani uBob Marley nendodakazi yakhe eThekwini. Ngalo msebenzi uJali uthi: ‘Angikaze ngiwabone amaRasta ejabule ngaleya ndlela. Ayegcwele yonke imigwaqo yeTheku ejatshuliswa izingqwembe ezazidwetshwe yimi kulungiselelwa umcimbi wawo.’ Ngowe-2013 uJali uhambele idolobha iLos Angeles beyoqinisa amaxhama okusebenzisana kukaMasipala i-Ethekwini nowaseLos Angeles.
Okungumsebenzi wakhe wosuku ngosuku, uJali ozinze eDurban Art Gallery eseDurban City Hall uthi: “Ngikhangisa imibukiso eza eThekwini, ngiphinde ngendlale imisebenzi yamaciko kuGallery ngokusebenzisana nomsingathi (curator) neciko okuzobukiswa umsebenzi walo.
IBAYEDE imbuza ngokungase kube kumphathe kabi endleleni yakhe yokukhula uthe: ‘Ngiyabazi ubuhlungu bokuhluphekela imfundo. Udlame nezimo zempilo kwangiyaluzisa. Okubuhlungu wukuthi umama wakwazi ukungilinda ukuthi ngiphothule unyaka wokugcina kodwa wangabe esakwazi ukungibona ngethweswa iziqu. Washona ziyi- 12 kuDecember we-1998 okwabe kungowokugcina ezifundweni zami zeGraphic Design. Ngibonga ababambe iqhaza ukuze impilo yami ibe ngeyikho namuhla, ikakhulukazi uNks uTerry-Anne Stevenson osize amaningi amaciko eThekwini. Basigcwalisile kimi isisho esithi, empilweni uba ‘ngumuntu ngabantu,’ kuphetha uMnu uNkosinathi Jali.