Amaphupho ami ngiwabeke phansi kwezinyawo zakho.
Nyathela kancane, ngoba unyathela amaphupho ami.
- UWilliam Butler Yeats
U-Haroon unamaphupho aphindaphindayo. Uyise wabulawa esengumfana futhi u-Haroon ukhumbula indlala eququdayo ebusika obude njalo ngonyaka wobuntwana bakhe. Ebusuku, uphupha ukuthi othile umehlisa endaweni ephakeme kakhulu. Uwela emoyeni, ashayeke emhlabathini oqinile, bese efa. Emini, uphupha ekhululekile entukuthelweni nasekudidekeni okumsukelayo nokuba umthwebuli wezithombe, umhambi.
UFaiz—owashonelwa abazali bakhe esemncane futhi umfowabo wadutshulwa wabulawa phambi kwakhe—naye unamaphupho amabi. Njalo ebusuku e-Afghan Peace Volunteer House (APV) House e-Kabul, njengoba elala encike odongeni amamitha ambalwa ukusuka, ukububula nokukhala kwakhe kuyangivusa. Emini, uphupha ngokuba yintatheli, ukushada nokukhulisa umndeni, izwe elingenamingcele nezimpi.
E-Afghanistan, ngezinga lokufa kwezingane elicishe libe ngamaphesenti angama-20, izingane eziningi azinalo ngisho nethuba lokwakha amaphupho, kodwa zizodwa ukuba zifeze amaphupho. Impilo inzima ikakhulukazi ezinganeni ezinemindeni ebalekela amakhaya azo, zingashiyi kuphela umhlaba wazo nendlela yokuziphilisa, kodwa nezinkundla zokuxhumana. Ezweni lonke, abantu abangama-400 baxoshwa nsuku zonke ngenxa yodlame nobumpofu, futhi abaningi babo bakhetha ukuza eKabul, bephethe amaphupho abo ashabalala nabo. IKabul, idolobha elakhelwe ukweseka abantu abangama-300,000, manje seliyikhaya labantu abangaphezu kwezigidi ezi-5.
Ebusika obudlule inqwaba yezingane ezincane kakhulu zaqalwa zafa emakamu “ababaleki” angcolile emaphethelweni edolobha. Balinganiselwa ku-35,000 abantu abahlala kula makamu, abaningi babo ababalekele eKabul besuka ezindaweni ezinempi enzima esifundazweni saseHelmand naseKandahar. Lapho sivakashela la makamu, sithola izakhamuzi zigqoke izingubo ezidabukile nezinyawo ezingenalutho. Bahlala bengenawo ugesi noma amapayipi ezindlini abazakhele ngodaka futhi ukushona kwezingane zabo ngonyaka odlule bekungavinjelwa njengempi eyabaleka imindeni yabo.
Njalo kusihlwa e-APV House, iqembu elincane labafundi basesikoleni esiphakeme base-Afghan libuthana ekamelweni labo ukuze liphuze itiye eliluhlaza futhi lifunde, lincike phezu kwezincwadi zalo etafuleni elilodwa kule ndlu enefenisha encane. Lapho ubusuku bubafica, balala phezu kwezingubo zokulala ezincane phansi kukakhonkolo, umoya womgwaqo ongezansi ushaya egazini labo, imisindo yawo ingena emaphusheni abo.
Njalo ekuseni uma zivuka lezi zinsizwa zisonga izingubo zokulala nemicamelo yesikhashana ngeshidi elikhulu zingene nazo kwelinye ikamelo. Bashanela phansi ngemishanelo yotshani enezibambo ezimfushane ethengwe esitolo. Ngemva kwamahora amabili, isifundo sabo sokulala kanye nesasebusuku siguqulwa sibe ikilasi lapho abesifazane base-Afghan abangafika amashumi amabili bahlangana khona izinsuku eziyisithupha ngeviki ukuze bafunde ukuthunga.
Laba besifazane, bonke abahlala eduze kwendawo yasePul-e-Surk entshonalanga yeKabul, bangabobuzwe obuxubile—iHazara, iTajik, iPashtun. Lokho kukodwa kuyamangalisa, ezweni lapho ukungathembani phakathi kwezizwe kuyisithiyo esikhulu ezinhlotsheni zokubambisana ezidingekayo ukuze kwakhiwe ukuthula okuhlala njalo. Sebenezinyanga ezimbalwa behlangana.
Ikilasi liphinde linikeze inethiwekhi ekhulayo yokusekelwa komphakathi kwabesifazane abanezibopho nemisebenzi yansuku zonke evame ukubahlukanisa. Ngenxa yenkambiso yamasiko nokukhathazeka ngokuvikeleka, abaningi balaba besifazane bachitha usuku lwabo lonke emakhaya abo, indawo lapho behlushwa khona ukuhlukunyezwa ngokomzimba nangokomzwelo kwabesilisa kanye nokucindezeleka ngokomzimba nangokwengqondo komsebenzi ongapheli. UFaribah uthi: “Ngangihlale ngifuna umsebenzi futhi ngihole umkhaya wami, kodwa angikaze ngivunyelwe ukuba ngiphume endlini. Ukuza kuleli kilasi lokuthunga ngiyaqala ngqa.” Abanye benanela amazwi akhe. “Ngiyaqala ngqá ukuthi ngiphume endlini ngiyofunda okuthile,” kusho uShararah. “Angikaze ngivunyelwe ukuba ngiphume ngaphambili.” Uqhube wathi umyeni wakhe akasebenzi ngakho kunezinkinga ekhaya. Esitatimendeni esiletha ukukhononda kokuvuma, uFaribah uyasitshela, “Singabantu. Sinemizwa nemizwa futhi sonke sifuna ukukhululeka, ukuba nesithunzi, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi owesilisa noma owesifazane, kodwa lapha e-Afghanistan ngeke sikhululeke. Akubangelwa amasiko omphakathi kuphela, kodwa nangenxa yempi.”
Iqembu labathungi seliphenduke indawo ephephile lapho amaphupho angaqanjwa khona, agcinwe emphakathini, akhuliswe ngokubambisana. Laba ngomama abaphupha ngokondla imindeni yabo, ukuphuma unomphela ngaphansi kwesisindo esicindezelayo sobumpofu. Nsuku zonke, lapho abesifazane befika ekilasini, leli phupho lingena nabo ekamelweni. Iphimbo layo linkeneneza ekuhlekeni kwabo futhi likhuluma ngemisindo esheshayo, enensimbi yemishini yokuthunga. Ngemva kwesikhathi eside behambile, iyaqhubeka.
Futhi manje izwi layo likhulile. Njengoba ubusika busondela, uFaribah, uShararah, uGolbahar, uTurpikay, uShakirah, kanye nalo lonke iqembu baye banquma ukuhlanganisa amaphupho abo siqu kanye nalawo omphakathi wakubo ngokwenza izinto ezinkulu zokududuza ezifudumele—ama-duvets ase-Afghan—emikhaya ehlala emakamu ababaleki aseKabul. . Ezinkanjini ngonyaka odlule, izingane zashona zilele namalungu omndeni, ziphume ngaphansi kwezingubo zokulala ezincane. A New York Times sacaphuna uyise wenye yezingane ezashona: “Abadala bayakwazi ukufudumala, kodwa abancane abakwazi.” Ngakho abesifazane bazokwenza amaduvethi azomboza izingane futhi azivikele ubusuku bonke.
Abesifazane bazosebenzisana eduze namavolontiya ase-Afghan Peace kulo msebenzi. Kuleli sonto eledlule, baye baba nemihlangano eminingana. Basondela ekuhleleni iphrojekthi ngobuhlakani nangokuzethemba, besebenzisa ukuqonda kwabo abantu nokuthi izinto zisebenza kanjani eKabul. Izinkulumo zabo ziqinile futhi zicacile. Ukuze uthole ukufudumala, ama-duvets azokwenziwa nge-double layer yoboya. Babeka inkokhelo yama-Afghani angu-100 (cishe u-$2) iduvet ngayinye ezokhokhwa ngokuqondile kumthungi oyithungayo. Kumaduvethi amabili alindelwe ngosuku, owesifazane angathola u-$2 kuya ku-$80 ngenyanga futhi enze umnikelo obalulekile enhlalakahleni yomndeni wakhe.
Emhlanganweni wanamuhla, baqine ngokulinganayo kubunikazi babo bephrojekthi kanye nokugcizelela kwabo ukuzibandakanya ekuphathweni kwayo. “Sifuna ukuhlanganyela kuzo zonke izinqumo,” ikakhulukazi lezo ezihlobene nokuthi ubani ohilelekile. Kulandela ingxoxo enomoya. “E-Afghanistan,” basho ngokucacile, “sonke siye safunda ukukopela nokuqamba amanga.” Ukhilimu wemali yosizo egeleza kuleli uqoshwa phezulu yizikhulu ezikhohlakele. Akekho odinga ukukukhomba lokhu noma akuchazele laba besifazane. Kufanele baqalaze futhi babone ukuthi kuncane kangakanani okufeziwe naphezu kwezindleko ezinkulu kule minyaka engu-11 edlule. Ngesikhathi usizo lufinyelela kubantu okufanele lubasize, kusuke kuncane okusalayo kangangokuthi bazizwa benesizathu sokuthatha abangakwenza. Iphrojekthi ye-duvet, abesifazane bathi, ayikwazi ukuphumelela ngaphandle kokwethembeka. Lokhu kudinga imithetho ecacile, ukwengamela, kanye nokuziphendulela.
Umhlangano wanamuhla uyaphela. Abesifazane bayahamba, bevalelisa isikhathi eside. Amaphupho abo alele ezinyaweni zethu. Usuku lonke, sinyathela kancane.
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UDavid Smith-Ferri, oseyiNkondla Yezimbongi njengamanje yase-Ukiah, CA futhi owine uMklomelo Wezinkondlo ka-Janice Farrell, ufunde izinkondlo zakhe emicimbini ezweni lonke. Izinkondlo nezindatshana zakhe zishicilelwe ku Z Magazine, Yebo! Umagazini, The Other Side Magazine, kanye nohlelo oluphrintiwe lwe I-CounterPunch, kanye nezincwadi eziningi eziku-inthanethi.