UNhlaba unomlando ojulile ngobu-Afrika
Inyanga uNhlaba inosuku esilukhomba ngokuthi usuku lwethu lokugubha okwethu lwase-Afrika, kulokhu oluzokuba lugujwa ngoLwesine zingama-24. Ngalolu suku kuba nemigidi esemqoka ephakamisa amangwevu ezingwazi zaKwaZulu-Natal emikhakheni okubalwa kuyo ezemfundo, amaciko kanye nenjula yezingcichatha buchopho ngemvelaphi nosikompilo lwama-Afrika.
Bheka nje isikhungo iJohannesburg Institute for Advanced Study eseNyuvesi yaseGoli ivule ngomgubho wokuhlonipha ababhali abafana noH.I.E. Dhlomo kanye noMazisi Kunene. Lomgubho uphakamise ukubaluleka bokuthi akumele neze sibakhohlwe oDinangwe noMntimande emlandweni waseNingizimu Afrika. Lonyaka ngowama-120 kwazalwa uH.I.E. Dhlomo owaduma njengentatheli, usomzabalazo, imbongi kanye nengcithabuchopho ehlaziya ezamasiko namaciko, ikakhulu e-Afrika.
Le nsizwa edume kakhulu ngenkondlo, iValley of a Thousand Hills, yaba yingxenye enkulu ekubhalweni kwencwadi eyashcilelwa ngowe-1930 i-The African Yearly Register: Being an Illustrated National Biographical Dictionary (Who’s Who) of Black Folks eyahlelwa futhi yashicilelwa nguT.D. Mweli Skota. Le ncwadi yayiqukethe imilando emifishane yabantu abamnyama ababevelele ngaleyonkathi eNingizimu Afrika.
Kusenjalo, uNhlaba inyanga yokuzalwa kwembongi yaseMahlongwa uSolwazi uMazisi Kunene owaduma ngezinkondlo ezingama ephiki, okukhona kuzo uNodumehlezi kaMenzi neNhlokomo Yeminyaka. Phela uMntimande wazalelwa eThekwini ngowe-1930 okusho ukuthi ngabe uhlanganise iminyaka engama-93 ukuba ubesawadla anhlamvana.
Okunye okugqamayo ngemilando yalezi zingqalabutho, wukuzinikela kwabo kwezemfundo, ezomzabalazo nasekulondolozeni amagugu omlando wabamnyama, ikakhulu kuleli. Bobabili babamba iqhaza elikhulu kwinhlangano kaKhongolose, uDhlomo wayengabanye abasungula uphiko lwentsha i-ANC Youth League League, kanti uKunene waba ngumholi wokuqala kaKhongolose eYurophu naseMelika ngowe-1962, emveni kokudingiswa, ukuvalwa umlomo nokuboshwa kwabaholi abaphezulu ku-ANC, iPan Africanist Congress nabanye kulandela umbhedukazwe nokuphalala kwegazi eSharpeville ngowe-1960.
Izingwazi ezinjengoH.I.E. Dhlomo, uBW Vilakazi, uSelope Thema noWalter Nhlapho kwakungabanye ababehamba phambili kwezobuntatheli nokuhlaziywa kwezepolitiki nezamasiko namagugu kuleli ngeminyaka yowe-1930 kuya ekupheleni kowe-1940. Lezi ngcicha buchopho yizo amavulandlela okwafikela kuwo ababhali abaduma ngama-1950 kwiphephabhuku iDrum, iGolden City Post, Ilanga laseNatali kanye neBantu World, ukubalula ambalwa. Abanye balababhali abancela koDhlomo, ngingabala uEs’kia Mphahlele, uLewis Nkosi, uCan Themba, uHenry Nxumalo kanye noNat Nakasa. UNkosi noNakasa baba nenhlanhla yokuba ngamathwasa kuye ngqo uDinangwe ngenkathi besephephandabeni iLanga.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uMazisi Kunene kabanga yintatheli yena, kepha wagxila kwezemfundo ephakeme wafunda kwezinye zezikole ezazidumile eNatali ngaleminyaka, eMphumulo naseMariannhill lapho agcina esephothule khona izifundo zobuthisha nebanga uJC. Njengakuye uDhlomo, nakuye uMntimande isisekelo semfundo esezingeni eliphakeme kwakungamamishinari, kuye, aseLuthela naseMaromeni. Ngowe-1959 uMazisi Kunene waphothula iziqu zeMA eNyuvesi yaseNatali, kanti kuwo lowonyaka uzoya ekudingisweni ngenhloso yokwenza iziqu zobudokotela eSOAS eLondon, lapho ajutshwa khona ngumholi wa-ANC, ubaba u-Oliver Tambo, ukuthi avule futhi ahole uphiko lokuqala lalo mbutho eYurophu naseMelika.
Yize angena wagxila kwezombusazwe uMntimande, amagalelo akhe njengembongi nesishoshovu senkululeko yengqondo namasiko, makhulu ngendlela eyisimanga. Mhla zingama-25 kwephezulu, uDkt uThokozani Mhlambi nozakwabo banendumezulu yomkhosi wokuhlonipha lembongi yase-Afrika ngokubambisana neMazisi Kunene Foundation, iKillie Campbell Africana Library, ne-University of Cape Town. Lapha kuzobe kuqhakanjiswa ezobuciko, ezemfundo kanye nohlelo olulondoloza amagugu namasiko e-Afrika, i-African Creative Artforms Digital Index.
Okunye okungithokozise kakhulu kulenyanga ukuzwa ukuthi uqweqwe kwezemfundo kulelizwe uSolwazi uSibusiso Mandlenkosi Emmanuel Bengu ubegubha iminyaka engama-89 azalwa. USolwazi uBengu owazalwa ziyi-8 kuNhlaba ngowe-1934 eKranskop, waba uthisha onamangwevu nothishanhloko wokuqala wesikole sodumo iDlangezwa High School eyasungulwa ngowe-1969. Ngiphakamisa amazwi okuhalalisela uNgcolosi nje, ngoba ngiyazi ukuphila komuntu omnyama aze adlule kuma-80, akwandele bani esikhathini esiphila kuso.
Njengomuntu oyikhonzile imfundo, okuyisikhali esikhulu sami namuhla, ubaba uBengu ungomunye wabantu engifunde lukhulu kuye ngokusikhombisa ukuthi uma uzimisele, ungafunda ugogode kwezemfundo, ube wubhaqa ezweni lakho. Kuziqu zakhe singabala iBA neBA Honours akuzuza e-UNISA kanye neziqu zobudokotela kwiPolitical Science azizuza e-University of Geneva. Yize abaningi bemazi njengoNobhala wokuqala we-Inkatha eyasungulwa ngowe-1975 nguDkt uMangosuthu Buthelezi, uNgcololosi wasebenza kakhulu neqembu labafundi iSouth African Students Organisation eyayiholwa ngabaholi abafana noSteve Bantu Biko, uStrini Moodley noBarney Pityana. Waba senyuvesi Ongoye isikhashana esincane engumqondisi wezindaba zabafundi ngowe-1977, waba neqhaza elikhulu ekusizeni abafundi ababeswele izimali zokufunda yize bekhaliphile futhi benentshisekelo ngekusasa labo. Omunye walaba bafundi nguDkt uBlade Nzimande, osenguNgqongqoshe wezeMfundo Ephakeme ongamukhohlwa nanamuhla uBengu ngokuba yikloba lomlilo elabhebhezela impumelelo yakhe kwezemfundo.
Ngenkathi uSolwazi uBengu nomndeni belibhekisa eGeneva ngowe-1978, kwakukhona ukungezwani kuyena noShenge. Ngomusa kaJehova, emveni kokubuya ekudingisweni, bathelelana amanzi ngomoya wobuntu nobukholwa. Ngenkathi ephesheya wayesebenzela inhlangano yamaLuthela, iWorld Lutheran Federation egxile ekulweni nendlala nobuphofu ikakhulu emazweni ase-Afrika nase-Asia.
Angiphethe ngokuthi nje, usemkhulu kabi umsebenzi omele osomlando ngeqhaza likaSolwazi uBengu kwezemfundo, ukulwela inkululeko, ezamabandla kanye nezemfundo eNingizimu Afrika ekhululekile. Usemkhulu futhi umsebenzi omele osomlando nabahlaziyi bemvelaphi yama-Afrika ngababhali nezingcithabucopho ezifana noH.I.E. Dhlomo noMazisi Kunene. Ngingethethe bulanda ngoba angiganisi bakwethu. Ngithi nje kubo bonke: unwele olude!
Bhedlindaba “VVO” Ka Lu Phuzi Mkhize (PhD), uMengameli: Umsamo Institute, Uhlanya: LwaseSigodlweni Emlambomunye.