Kusema Ziboliboli—Luso Lakale la mu Afirika

Yolembedwa ndi Mtolankhani wa Galamukani! ku Nigeria

OSEMA ziboliboli akhala akugwira ntchito yawo kwanthaŵi yaitali mumzinda wa Benin City, umene uli komwe tsopano ndi kummwera kwa Nigeria. Zaka mazana anayi zapitazo, mzinda wa Benin City unali likulu la ufumu wamphamvu ndipo woyendetsedwa bwino womwe unali m’nkhalango. Odzacheza a ku Ulaya anadabwa ndi misewu ya mzindawo yaikulu ndi yoongoka, nyumba zake zondandalikidwa bwino, ndi anthu ake olemekezeka ndi omvera lamulo. Kwa zaka mazana ambiri mzinda wa Benin City unatchuka monga umodzi wa mizinda yofunika koposa kumadzulo kwa Afirika pantchito zachuma ndi chikhalidwe cha anthu.

Ufumu wa Benin unkalamulidwa ndi mafumu otchedwa oba omwe ankaloŵana m’malo. A oba ankalimbikitsa zaluso mwachangu. Nyumba yawo yaulemerero ya mfumu mumzinda wa Benin City inkakongoletsedwa ndi mitu yosema, zokongoletsa khoma zamkuwa, ndi minyanga ya njobvu yosemedwa mwaluso kwambiri yachifumu. Ngakhale kuti zosema zamitengo zinawonongeka ndi kupita kwa nthaŵi ndiponso chiswe, nzoonekeratu kuti amisiri a zosemasema ankagwira ntchito mu ufumuwo. Martins Akanbiemu, yemwe kale anali wosamalira National Museum ku Lagos, analemba kuti: “Kumaoneka kuti amisiri azosemasema . . . akuoneka kuti ndiwo akale kwambiri mwa antchito a Oba.”

Mu 1897, asilikali a Britain anafunkha mzinda wa Benin City ndipo anatenga chuma chake cha zaluso chomwe makono ndi cha mtengo wapatali kwambiri kupita nacho ku Ulaya—ziboliboli zoposa 2000. Lerolino zaluso za za ku Benin wakale zochuluka koposa zimaonetsedwa, osati ku Nigeria, koma m’mamyuziyamu a ku London ndi Berlin.

Kusema Ziboliboli Lerolino

Lerolino Benin City ndi wapiringupiringu monga mizinda ina yonse ku Nigeria. Komabe, ulemerero wake wakale udakaonekabe mwa apo ndi apo. Nyumba yachifumu inamangidwanso, ndipo oba amene alipo amakhala kumeneko. Mukhoza kuona zizindikiro za ngalande yakuya yomwe inazungulira mzinda wakalewo; ndipo ngati mungamvetsere bwino, mukhoza kumva kugogoda mwapansipansi kwa tchizulu pamtengo.

 Munthu wotchedwa Johnson wakhala akusema ziboliboli mu Benin City kwa zaka 20. Zaka mazana zapitazo, mitu yosemedwa yamitengo ndiponso yamkuwa inali chikumbukiro cha amene anafa; zinkakongoletsa maguwa a nsembe olambirirapo makolo. Koma mitu imene Johnson amasema siifanana ndi ija imene ankagwiritsira ntchito pa zachipembedzo. Yake njokongoletsera malo basi.

Johnson amagwiritsira ntchito phingo, mtengo wolimba, koma wosavuta kusema woyenera posema ziboliboli. Makamaka amagwiritsira ntchito thima lake, kapena kuti chapakati pa mtengowo. Thima lamtengo waphingo wa ku Nigeria kaŵirikaŵiri limakhala lakuda, ngakhale kuti mitengo ina imakhala ndi thima la mizeremizere kapena lotuwa lonkira kukuda. Amaphatikizapo chakunja kwamtengo akamasema; zimenezi zimawonjezera maonekedwe ofiira osangalatsa, amene amakongola akaphatikana ndi akuda aja. Mitundu yonseyo wakuda ndi wofiira akaipukuta imang’anipira mokongola.

Phingo ndi wambiri ku Nigeria. Mtengo waphingo akaugwetsa, kaŵirikaŵiri amauleka kuthengo komweko kwa miyezi ingapo kuti uume. Ngakhale atabwera nawo kushopu yake, Johnson amausiyabe kuti uume kwa miyezi ingapo asanayambe kuugwiritsira ntchito. Izi nzofunika, chifukwa mtengo wosauma ukhoza kupindika ndi kung’aluka.

Akakonzeka kuyamba kusema, Johnson amagwiritsira ntchito sowo yaing’ono kudulira chidutswa cha masentimita 38 kutalika kwake. Ndiye atayembekeza kwa mlungu wina umodzi kuti aone ngati mtengowo sung’aluka, Johnson amalemba mtengowo ndi choko kusonyeza mutu umene akufuna kusemawo, ndiye amayamba ntchito.

Choyamba amagwiritsira ntchito tchizulu yopyapyala, ndiye kenaka khwengo, ndiye kenaka tchizulu yaing’ono yakuthwa. Atatha zimenezo, amapala ndi chopalira. Ndiye kenaka mpeni wina amaugwiritsira ntchito pogoba. Johnson akamagwira ntchitoyi, nzeru zonse zimakhala pa mtengowo. Kusasamala kukhoza kupangitsa chiboliboli chosamwetulira bwino kapena chokhala ndi diso loyang’ana kwina kusiyana ndi linzake.

Akatha kugoba, omthandiza ncholinga choti aphunzire ntchitoyo amapala chibolibolicho ndi sandipepa akumasinthasintha masaizi kuyamba ndi yatimiyala tikulutikulu mpaka tochepa. Potsiriza amapaka polishi wa matabwa kapena wa nsapato ndi kuchipukuta ndi bulasho ya nsapato kuti ching’anipire. Zimatenga masiku aŵiri kuti agobe mutu ngati uli pachithunzipa. Zimatenganso masiku ena atatu kuti achipale ndi sandipepa ndi kuchipaka polishi.

Ndiye akatha kusema chibolibolicho, Johnson amachisunga kwa miyezi iŵiri kuti atsimikizire kuti sipakuoneka mng’alu. Ngati mtengowo unalidi wouma asanayambe kusema, siching’aluka. Ndimo mmene zimachitikira nthaŵi zambiri. Ngati mng’alu uoneka, chibolibolicho amachibwezeranso kushopu kuti akamate, kuchipala ndi sandipepa, ndi kuchipakanso polishi.

Kuphunzira Luso la Zosemasema

Johnson amaphunzitsa anthu asanu ndi mmodzi, a zaka zapakati pa 10 ndi 18. Amaphunzira umisiri wa zosemasema moyambira kumapeto, kuyambira ntchito yotsiriza kuthera yoyamba. Mwanjira imeneyi choyamba chimene wophunzirayo amaphunzira ndicho kupaka polishi. Ndiye kenako amaphunzira kupala ndi sandipepa. Pambuyo pake, amasonyezedwa kugwiritsa ntchito chopalira. Ndiye kenaka tsiku limabwera pamene amatenga tchizulu yopyapyala kuti apange kujeba koyamba pachidutswa chamtengo.

“Si aliyense akhoza kukhala mmisiri wosema ziboliboli,” akutero Johnson. “Choyamba, uyenera kukhala ndi luso lachibadwa komanso uzitha kuika nzeru zonse pa ntchitoyo. Komanso uyenera kuphunzira kudekha pamene luso lako likupita patsogolo ndi kusapsa mtima ukalakwitsa. Uyeneranso kukhala wakhama, chifukwa pamapita zaka ngati zitatu kuti ukhale waluso pazosemasema. Koma ameneŵa sindiwo mapeto—kuphunzira sikutha. Pamene ukugwira ntchitoyo, umapititsa patsogolo luso lako nthaŵi zonse.”

[Bokosi/Chithunzi patsamba 16]

Chiswe ndi Mmisiri wa Ziboliboli

Ena amati luso la mu Afirika lapita patsogolo chifukwa cha chiswe. Mmisiri amasema chiboliboli, ndiye chiswe (mothandizidwa ndi mkhalidwe wa m’madera otentha) chimawononga, nthaŵi zina pamasiku ochepa chabe! Kwa zaka mazana chiswe chapangitsa mmisiri wa ziboliboli kutangwanika. Yakhala ntchito yosatha koma yothandiza: Chiswe kuwononga, mmisiri kuyambiranso kukonza, ndi mpata wina wowonjezera luso lake ndi kulingalira kapangidwe katsopano.

Buku lotchedwa African Kingdoms limati: “Nkhungu ndi chiswe zinali zotangwanika kuchotseratu ziboliboli zakale kuti pasakhale mpata woti amisiri atengere luso lakale. Zotsatira zake, malinga nkuti panali kufunikira luso latsopano, panalinso mwaŵi waukulu wakuti zatsopano ndi zakale zisiyane kapangidwe; panali kutengera kochepa, ndipo panali kudalira kwambiri luso la munthu payekha ndi mmene angachilinganizire.”

Ena amati ubwenzi umenewu pakati pa chiswe ndi mmisiri wa ziboliboli umathandiza kulongosola za luso lapamwamba limene lapangitsa zaluso za mu Afirika kukhala zotchuka. M’buku lake lotchedwa Nigerian Images, katswiri wamaphunziro William Fagg anati: “Tiyeni . . . tizithokoza chiswe, chimene, ngakhale ntchito zake zambiri munthu sazikonda, kwa zaka mazana ndi zikwi zambiri chakhala paubwenzi wopindulitsa kwambiri ndi mmisiri wa ziboliboli wa ku maiko otentha.”

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Mololedwa ndi Dr. Richard Bagine

[Zithunzi patsamba 15]

Kupanga chiboliboli:

1. kusankha chidutswa cha mtengo chabwino,

2. kulemba mizere pa mutu umene akufuna kusema,

3. kugwiritsira ntchito tchizulu, 4. kupala, 5. kupolisha