Umthombo: Counterpunch
Ekuseni ngo-Agasti 28th, ngo-1955, amadoda amabili amhlophe atheleka emzini kaMoses Wright eMississippi lapho kwakulele khona u-Emmett Till oneminyaka engu-14 ubudala. U-Till wayehle evela e-Chicago ezovakashela abazala bakhe futhi wasolwa ngokudlala ngothando nowesifazane omhlophe, uCarolyn Bryant, ngesikhathi esesitolo sasendaweni nabangane bakhe ezinsukwini ezine ngaphambili.
Cishe ngo-4:00 ekuseni, umyeni kaCarolyn, uRoy Bryant, nomfowabo ngamzali munye, uJ. UMilam, wadonsa uTill embhedeni wakhe wamfaka elolini labo. Emahoreni alandelayo, uBryant noMilam bashaya, bamlimaza futhi badubula u-Emmett Till. Ukuze balahle isidumbu sakhe, bamfaka ngocingo oluhlabayo entanyeni, bawunamathisela efeni lensimbi likakotini, base bephonsa isidumbu sakhe eMfuleni iTallahatchie. Kuthe uma kutholakala izinsuku kamuva, wayengasabonakali, umzala wakhe wakwazi ukumkhomba kuphela ngendandatho ayeyifake komunye weminwe yakhe.
Iziphathimandla zazifuna ukumngcwaba ngokushesha, kodwa unina ka-Emmett Till, uMamie, waphikelela ngokuthi isidumbu sakhe sibuyiselwe eChicago. Lapho, emngcwabeni wakhe, washiya ibhokisi lakhe livuliwe ukuze bonke babonwe. Izithombe ezicashile zomfana oqunjelwe futhi okhubazekile zivele emaphephandabeni nakomagazini ezweni lonke zigqamisa ubulwane bobulwane. Njengoba bengasakwazi ukukuziba ababengakwazi ukukubona, abantu ezweni lonke baphoqeleka ukuthi babhekane nalezi zigameko zokubulala ezinonya, ezibangelwa ubuhlanga.
Njengenjwayelo yalezo zikhathi, ababulali bakaTill bakhululwa yijaji elimhlophe qwa. Izithombe ezinyantisayo zika-Emmett Till ebhokisini lakhe nokho zisize ukwethulwa kwenhlangano elwela amalungelo abantu. Lesi kungaba ngesinye sezikhathi zokuqala lapho izithombe zokucwasa ngokwebala eziboniswayo zikhuthaza abantu esenzweni.
Eminyakeni eyisishiyagalombili kamuva, ngo-April 16th, 1963 uMartin Luther King, Jr. wabhala incwadi yakhe edumile manje ethi “Incwadi Evela Ejele LaseBirmingham” lapho aphendula khona abefundisi abakanye naye ababebize izenzo zakhe eziqondile zokungabonisi ubudlova ngokuthi “azihlakaniphile futhi azifikanga ngesikhathi”. “Lapho usubonile izixuku ezinonya zibulala onyoko noyihlo ngokuthanda kwakho futhi ziminzisa odadewenu nabafowenu ngokuthanda kwakho; lapho usubonile amaphoyisa agcwele inzondo athukisa, akhahlele futhi abulale abafowenu nodadewenu abamnyama; …lapho ulwa phakade nomuzwa owohlokayo ‘wokungabi namuntu’ - lapho-ke uzoqonda ukuthi kungani sikuthola kunzima ukulinda. Kufika isikhathi lapho indebe yokukhuthazela idlula, futhi abantu bengasazimisele ukuphonswa kwalasha wokuphelelwa ithemba.”
Yeka ukuthi amazwi eNkosi afika ngesikhathi azwakala kanjani namuhla. Njengoba ababhikishi bephithizela emigwaqweni yaseMinneapolis nakwamanye amadolobha amakhulu kulo lonke elase-United States, beshaqekile ngokubulawa kwephoyisa esidlangalaleni kukaGeorge Floyd; ngokubulawa komqaphi kuka-Ahmaud Arbery; ngokudutshulwa kukaBreonna Taylor embhedeni wakhe; futhi ngokunye ukubulawa okuningi okufanayo nokukhathaza kakhulu, akunzima ukuqonda ukuthi kungani ezimweni eziningi le miboniso yehlela ebudloveni. I-Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, ngakho konke okufezile, yehlulekile ukususa umphakathi wethu ohlakeni lokucwasa ngokwebala. Minyaka yonke sibhekene nokubulawa kwabesilisa nabesifazane abansundu abangahlomile futhi, okubi nakakhulu, nokungajeziswa kwabaphehli balokho kubulala. Nakuba ngikholelwa ukuthi ubudlova ngeke bususe umphakathi wethu ebubini bokucwasa ngokwebala, ubandlululo, nokungabi nabulungisa, nokho angimangazi ukuthi, ngesonto eledlule, abaningi bababhikishi baye baphendukela ekucekeleni phansi ukuze baveze intukuthelo yabo.
“Isiphithiphithi siwulimi olungezwakali,” kusho iNkosi ngokukhumbula. Amazwi akhe ayiqiniso namuhla kunanini ngaphambili. Njengababusi, amakhansela edolobha nabesifazane, ababhali bezindaba, izikhulu zamaphoyisa, abaholi bezenkolo, nabanye benxusa ukuba kuzole futhi banxuse inhlonipho nesidingo sobunye bezakhamuzi zamadolobha ethu, bahlanganisa namaphoyisa endawo, iminyango yomlilo, kanye nonogada kazwelonke ukuze bazame ukubuyisela ukuthula. Kukhona okunephutha ngokwemvelo kulezi zicelo zezwe zokuthi uhlale ekhaya futhi uhloniphe izingcingo zokuthula. Njengoba uKing eqhubeka, “Kumelwe ngivume ukuthi kule minyaka embalwa edlule ngiphoxeke kakhulu ngabamhlophe abaphakathi. Sengicishe ngifinyelele esiphethweni esidabukisayo sokuthi isikhubekiso esikhulu seNegro emgaqweni wakhe obheke enkululekweni akusona… Ku Klux Klanner, kodwa omhlophe omaphakathi, ozinikele kakhulu ‘ekuhleleni’ kunobulungisa; okhetha ukuthula okungekuhle okuwukungabi bikho kwengcindezi esikhundleni sokuthula okuwukuba khona kobulungisa…”
Leyo minyaka ekhathele kakhulu yobandlululo nokuhlukunyezwa okuphikelelayo mancane amathuba okuthi ingaqedwa ukuncenga inhlonipho nokuhlonipha amalungelo nempahla yabanye. Sekuyisikhathi sokuthi abaholi bethu basekhaya nabakazwelonke balungise izikhalo zabo. Kunokuba banxuse abantu ukuthi balalele umthetho futhi bagweme ukusebenzisa amandla, abaholi bethu badinga ukuvuma ukungabi nabulungisa kwezenhlalo nezomnotho, ingcindezelo, nokungalingani kwabantu baseMelika abaningi ababhekana nakho ngemva kosuku olunzima. Ababhikishi abafuni ukubuyela kusimo esikhona. Abafuni ukuthi kuthiwe bathule. Bafuna okungaphezu kokuthi ababulali babantu abangenacala bathweswe icala ngezenzo zabo. UGeorge Floyd akayona imbangela yezinxushunxushu; uwuphawu lwakho. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ubuso buka-Emmett Till obuvuvukele, obukhubazekile noma isithombe somuntu ocishe wafa futhi ohefuzayo uGeorge Floyd idolo likaDerek Chauvin limchoboza intamo, le nkinga idlula ukungafaneleki. Abantu abaceli nje ukuphefumula; bacela ukuphefumula mahhala.
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Nikela