John Berger adasindikiza buku lake loyamba la Painter of Our Time zaka makumi asanu zapitazo. Kuyambira nthawi imeneyo, wakhala m'modzi mwa anthu anzeru kwambiri ku Britain, akugwira ntchito ngati wolemba mabuku, wotsutsa zaluso, wolemba nkhani, wolemba pazithunzi, wojambula komanso wojambula.
Berger adapambana Mphotho ya Booker mu 1972 ndipo Kuchokera ku A mpaka X, buku lake loyamba m'zaka zisanu ndi zinayi, lalembedwa kumene kwa Booker la chaka chino.
Pamasamba pang'ono a 224, bukuli limafotokoza nkhani ya A'ida ndi wokondedwa wake Xavier. Otsatirawa adatsekeredwa chifukwa chokhala "woyambitsa gulu la zigawenga," malinga ndi mawu oyamba a Berger. Bukuli limapangidwa ndi zilembo - nthawi zina zotumizidwa, nthawi zina osati - zolembedwa ndi A'ida kupita kwa Xavier komanso zolemba zazifupi zomwe Xavier kumbuyo kwa zilembo za A'ida.
Pogwira ntchito ngati wazamankhwala, A'ida amawona ndikulemba za gulu lake lomwe limagwirizana kwambiri, lomwe posachedwa tikumva kuti likulamulidwa ndi usilikali komanso zachuma ndi gulu losadziwika. Ma helikoputala a Apache ndi ma drones amazungulira mowopsa, akasinja amabingulira m'misewu, nthawi yofikira panyumba imayikidwa ndipo asitikali amalowa m'nyumba usiku, kupha anthu omwe amati ndi oukira mwakufuna kwawo.
Ngakhale mwachidule, zolemba za Xavier zikuwonetsa womenyera ufulu wadziko lonse wa South South womangidwa ndi wolamulira wankhanza wankhondo. Potchulapo Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez, Frantz Fanon, Eduardo Galeano ndi Subcomandante Marcos, omwe Berger adalemberana nawo, Xavier akutsutsa "imperialism, capitalism, ukapolo" ndi masks awo amakono, "globalisation, free market, natural order."
Kudzipatula kwa Xavier m'ndende komanso kumangidwa kwa A'ida padziko lonse lapansi kudayamba kukumbutsa mafilimu akumwera kwa America monga Kiss Of The Spider Woman ya Hector Babenco kapena State Of Siege ya Costa Gavras.
Komabe, mbali zina za bukuli, monga ndime yomwe ikufotokoza gulu la amayi omwe amagwira ntchito ngati zishango za anthu kuti ateteze nyumba ku nkhondo ya missile, amalozera ku zochitika za Palestina.
Kuyesera kutchula malo enieni kumene nkhaniyo kunali kosafunika. Nkhani ya A'ida ndi Xavier, ndithudi, ndi nkhani ya anthu onse olandidwa omwe akulimbana ndi mphamvu zokhazikitsidwa zachiwawa.
Kuchokera ku A mpaka X ndi ntchito yovuta, yodzaza ndi zowongolera, zolondola, zokhala ndi zambiri - monga momwe zingayembekezeredwere makalata otumizidwa kwa wotsutsa m'ndende - osatchulidwa.
Pamapeto pake, uku ndikuwerenga kokhumudwitsa komanso kosasunthika modabwitsa. Malire a mawonekedwe osazolowereka a bukuli nthawi zambiri amakhala omveka bwino - pamakhala kusowa kokwanira kofotokozera komanso ndime zokhazikika, zovuta zomwe zimalembedwa momveka bwino kuti owerenga apindule, osati malingaliro apamtima a okondedwa opatukana.
Kuonjezera apo, makalata a A'ida, omwe amayenera kukhala ozama kwambiri pa moyo, kulakalaka ndi kukana, nthawi zambiri amawoneka ngati waffle wochititsa manyazi.
M'malo molima kuyambira A mpaka X, owerenga zopeka omwe ali ndi chidwi ndi neoliberal imperialism komanso kuyankha kwa South South pa izi angachite bwino kutenga buku lolimbikitsa la Robert Newman The Fountain At The Center Of The World.
ZNetwork imalandira ndalama kudzera mu kuwolowa manja kwa owerenga ake.
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