1968. Awuzange ube khona unyaka lapho amazwe ezemidlalo nepolitiki ashayisana khona ngaphandle kobubele noma ukuphumula. Kwakuwunyaka u-Muhammad Ali, ephucwe isicoco sakhe se-heavyweight ngenxa yokumelana nokuklanywa, wakhuluma emakolishi angama-200 futhi wabuza umbuzo, 'Ingabe bangasithatha isihloko sami ngaphandle kokuba ngishaywe?' Kwakuwunyaka lapho iBoston Celtics kaBill Russell iphinde yaba ngompetha, kodwa umqeqeshi womdlali wabona umuzi wakhe ucekelwa phansi abantu abakhulu. Lokhu kwaholela uRussell ukuba abize idolobha laseBoston 'ngemakethe egcwele ukucwasa ngokwebala,' futhi athi 'NgiyiCeltic, hhayi i-BOSTON Celtic.' Kwakuwunyaka lapho iDetroit Tigers yawina khona uchungechunge lweWorld Series, idlala edolobheni elalithwele umshikashika wokuvukela umbuso nezibhelu, abahlaseli ophahleni, ukuhlasela kwezilwane zasendle ezitshalweni zezimoto, kanye noMartha namaVandellas “Ukudansa endaweni. Imigwaqo”
ukukhala kuwo wonke amaphrojekthi.
Futhi okudume kakhulu, kwaba unyaka lapho u-Tommie Smith noJohn Carlos bathatha khona isitendi sendondo yamamitha angu-200 kuma-Olympics eDolobheni laseMexico ukuze baphakamise izibhakela zabo ezigqoke amagilavu amnyama bebonisa ukuziqhenya, amandla, nezombusazwe. USmith noCarlos babeyingxenye ye-Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) futhi bama ngenxa yalokho okwakwenzeka ngaphandle kwenkundla: ukubulawa kukaDkt. Martin Luther King; ukukhula kweBlack Panthers, uMeyi ugadla eFrance, futhi muva nje emicabangweni yawo, ukuhlatshwa kwamakhulu ezweni ebekudlulwa kulo ngegolide.
Ngo-October 2, 1968, ngaphambi nje kokuqala kwemidlalo, amaphoyisa aseMexico Ezokuphepha abulala abafundi nezisebenzi ezingaba ngu-400 eLa Plaza de las Tres Culturas eTlatelolco, eMexico City. Namuhla sikhumbula leyo echo yodlame yango-1968. Sikhumbula ababebekwe phansi njengezinja ngecala lokuhlangana ngokuthula. Singakhumbula ekugcineni, ngaphandle kwezinyembezi, ngenxa yezindaba zangoMsombuluko zokuthi isilinganiso esithile sokuvalwa kungenzeka ekugcineni siyeza emindenini esilwela iminyaka engu-37 yokufuna iqiniso, ubulungisa, kanye nekhilogremu yenyama. Abashushisi baseMexico bamemezele ukuthi bagcine bewuvumile umkhankaso osudonse iminyaka engamashumi amane, base bevula amacala ekade elindelwe ngowayenguMengameli uLuis Echeverria ngokuyalela ukuchithwa kwegazi kweTlatelolco. U-Echeverria wayengungqongqoshe wezangaphakathi futhi eyinhloko yezokuphepha kuzwelonke ngesikhathi sokubulawa kwabantu. "Sekuyiminyaka ecishe ibe ngu-37 abantu bengajeziswa futhi benqatshelwa ubulungiswa," kusho umshushisi u-Ignacio Carrillo etshela abeReuters. "Manje ngokokuqala ngqa kungenzeka ukuthi uhlelo lwezobulungiswa lwenze umsebenzi walo."
Ukubulawa kwe-Tlatelolco kuhlangene kakhulu nama-Olympics azayo. Iziteleka zabafundi bezinyakazise iMexico unyaka wonke. Lesi kwakuyisikhathi somzabalazo omkhulu ukusuka eYucatan kuya eTijuana. Kodwa abafundi nabasekeli babo, naphezu kokungqubuzana kwangaphambilini namaphoyisa kahulumeni, abakwazanga ukubona kusengaphambili isifiso esishisekayo saseMexico 'sokwenza izwe labo livikeleke' emidlalweni ezayo yama-Olympic.
Ukuhlanza ama-Olympics e-Echeverria, hhayi izenzo zamaphoyisa ethukile, izikhulu eziyizixhwanguxhwangu, noma abadubuli abajabule ngokungakhethi, yibo ababangele ukufa. Imibhalo esanda kuchithwa idweba isithombe sokubulawa kwabantu ngendlela ebandayo futhi ehlelekile njengemiyalelo ka-Echeverria, kanye negazi emithanjeni yakhe. Njengoba uKate Doyle, umqondisi we-Mexico Documentation Project echaza, ‘Lapho ukudubula kuma, amakhulu abantu ayelele efile noma elimele, njengoba Amasosha namaphoyisa ebamba ababhikishi abasindile futhi ebahudula. Nakuba izinyanga zeziteleka zabafundi zikazwelonke ziye zabangela ukusabela okuqinile, akekho owayelungele ukuchithwa kwegazi okwaba yikho uTlatelolco. Okwakushaqisa kakhulu ukucasha okwangena ngokushesha lapho kushunqa intuthu. Abazibonele ngawabo ukubulawa kwabo bakhomba amabutho kaMengameli ‘ezokuphepha’ angena ebhilidini ephethe izikhali exhaswe yizimoto ezihlomile. Kodwa uhulumeni wahoxa, ethi ontamolukhuni kanye nabaphehli bamakhomanisi yibo abaqale lolu dlame. Ubani owayebhekele i-Tlatelolco? Abantu baseMexico bebelokhu befuna impendulo kusukela ngaleso sikhathi.'
Izinkulungwane zabantu zimashe ezitaladini minyaka yonke zifuna ubulungiswa endaweni ethathwa njengeTiananmen Square yaseMexico. Futhi nakuba kwamukelekile ngempela ukubona u-Echeverria edova e-cuffs, lokhu kuboshwa akufanele kubonakale kuphela njengesiqephu sesikhathi esedlule kodwa njengesixwayiso ngekusasa. Ama-Olympics ase-Beijing ngo-2008 kanye nama-Olympics ase-British ango-2012 womabili aphethe amathuba okubhidliza angenza i-Tlatelolco ibonakale imnene uma iqhathaniswa. Okungenani eShayina, lapho ukuhlelwa kwamalungelo abantu kanye nezinyunyana zabasebenzi kuyimpi yansuku zonke ezikhathini ezijwayelekile, ama-Olympics azoshaya leyo mishikashika ngamandla esiphepho (isingathekiso engingasisebenzisi kancane.) Sidinga namuhla ukuhlela iphrojekthi entsha yama-Olympic Yamalungelo Abantu ukuze abantu base-China abafuna ukumelana ne-monolith yebhizinisi kanye nengcindezelo yombuso elandela ama-Olympic njenge-detritus engaka, babe nesikhala sezombusazwe sokwenza kanjalo. Kungaba ubulungiswa beqiniso, obuphilayo, uma abafel’ ukholo bango-1968 bengavuswa ukuze bahluphe isizukulwane esisha se-Echeverrias esivele sihlela ukusebenza kwezokuphepha eBeijing.
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UDave Zirin unguMhleli Wezindaba we-Prince George's Post e-Prince George's County Maryland, lapho abhala khona ikholomu i-Edge of Sports. Umsebenzi wakhe ungafundwa ku www.edgeofsports.com. Ukuze ikholomu yakhe ithunyelelwe wena masonto onke, vele uthumele i-imeyili [i-imeyili ivikelwe].
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