‘Eli Siko Libi Lokutshaya Icuba’
‘LIYACEKISEKA emehlweni, lithiyekile ezimpumlweni, liyenzakalisa ebuchotsheni, liyingozi emiphungeni.’
Le nkcazelo yayingamazwi okuqukumbela awabhalwa malunga neminyaka engamakhulu amane eyadlulayo, kwisibhengezo esasichasene nokutshaya esasinomxholo othi A Counterblaste to Tobacco, esapapashwa nguKumkani waseNgilani uJames I, owalungiselela inguqulelo yeBhayibhile yowe-1611 eyaziwa ngokuba yiKing James Version.
Yintoni eyashukumisela koku, yaye yintoni esinokuyifunda kuko?
Ukusetyenziselwa Kwezonyango Nezinye Izinto
Xa uChristopher Columbus wabuyela eYurophu emva kokutyelela kwakhe eMerika ngowe-1492, wabuya nembewu ethile yesityalo esasixatyiswe gqitha ngamaIndiya aseMerika ngenxa yokuba sisetyenziswa ekunyangeni. Kamva, uNicholas Monardes wasibiza esi sityalo njengetabaco (okanye ipicielt, ngokwendlela asibiza ngayo amaIndiya). Abantu baseSpeyin ababesoyisa babekubonile ukuba luncedo kwayo ekunyamekeleni amanxeba ababenawo, ‘beziphilisa ngengenelo enkulu.’—Joyful News Out of the New Found World, inguqulelo yesiNgesi nguJohn Frampton, ngowe-1557.
Noko ke, iintlola zanikela ingqalelo ngokukhethekileyo kwenye indlela yokusebenzisa esi sityalo. UMonardes uyacacisa:
‘Enye yezinto ezimangalisayo ngesi sityalo, eyenze sathandwa gqitha, yindlela aBefundisi abangamaIndiya ababesisebenzisa ngayo. Xa phakathi kwamaIndiya kwakukho nawuphi na umcimbi obaluleke gqitha, ekwakufuneka kuwo iinkosi zidibane nabefundisi bazo, uMfundisi wawo omkhulu wayethabatha amagqabi athile eTabaco aze awaphose emlilweni, aze asebenzise ingcongolo abizele umsi ngomlomo nangeempumlo, yaye akuba ewusezele, wayesiwa phantsi, njengomntu ofileyo, aze ahlale enjalo, kangangethuba elithile kuxhomekeka kubungakanani bomsi awayewusezele. Sakuba esi sityalo siwenzile umsebenzi waso, wayehlaziyeka aze avuke, andule azicombulule iingxaki zazo, ngokwemibono nemihlola ayibonileyo. Ngokufanayo onke amaIndiya, xa echitha nje ixesha lawo, ayayitshaya iTabaco.’
Ngowe-1584 iVirginia yaba phantsi koMhlekazi uWalter Raleigh. Njengoko eli thanga lalikhula, isiko lamaIndiya lokutshaya icuba laba lelithandwayo nangabahambi ababa ngabemi balapho. ENgilani, ‘yayinguRaleigh owayenembopheleleko eyintloko ekungeniseni lo mkhwa nasekuququzeleleni olu qheliselo lonqulo,’ uvakalisa oko umbhali-mbali uA. L. Rowse.
“Amazwi Aphikisayo”
Noko ke, ukumkani wakhe, uJames wayechasene naloo mkhwa wawusandul’ ukufunyanwa. Wababhalela abantu bakhe ebalumkisa ngeengozi zokutshaya icuba.
‘Ukuze ukubone kakuhle ukusetyenziswa kakubi ngeendlela ezininzi kweli siko libi lokutshaya iTobacco, kufanelekile ukuba kuqala uqwalasele imvelaphi, uze ngokukwanjalo uqwalasele izizathu zokungena kwalo okokuqala kweli lizwe.’ Aqalisa njalo amazwi eCounterblaste edumileyo. Emva kokuhlolisisa kwakhona oko ukumkani wakubiza ngokuba kulisiko ‘elinukayo nelibi’ ukusebenzisa umsi wecuba ekunyangeni amanxeba, uJames udwelisa izizathu ezine abantu ababezisebenzisa ukuthethelela lo mkhwa wabo:
1. Ukuba ubuchopho babantu buyabanda kwaye bumanzi, yaye ngaloo ndlela, zonke izinto ezomileyo nezishushu (ezinjengomsi wecuba) zifanele zibalungele.
2. Ukuba lo msi, ngobushushu, ngamandla nangeempawu zawo ezingokwemvelo, ufanele uphelise iingqele nokungasebenzi kakuhle kwentloko nesisu.
3. Ukuba abantu ngebabengazange balithande kangaka eli siko ukuba babengazange babe namava okuba lalibalungele.
4. Ukuba uninzi luyakhululeka ekuguleni nokuba akukho mntu wakha wenzakaliswa kukutshaya icuba.
Ngokukhanya kolwazi lwale mihla lwezenzululwazi, ngokungathandabuzekiyo uya kuvumelana kakuhle namazwi aphikisayo kaJames angavumelaniyo noku. Umsi wecuba awushushu yaye ungomanga nje kuphela kodwa, kunoko, ‘unamandla etyhefu adibene nobushushu obukuwo.’ ‘Akunto ilungileyo ukusezela loo msi ukuze unyange ingqele kunokutya inyama nokusela iziselo ezikwenza umoya ukuze ukhuseleke kwiintlungu zamahlaba asesiswini!’ Bambi abantu basenokwenza ibango lokuba baye batshaya kangangeminyaka bengafumani nayiphi na imiphumo yokugula, kodwa ngaba oko kwenza ukutshaya kube yingenelo?
Eqinisekile ngale mbono uJames uqiqa ngelokuba ‘nangona amahenyukazi amadala esenokuthi ukuphila kwawo ithuba elide kubangelwe luqheliselo lwawo lokuziphatha okubi, ayasityeshela isibakala sokuba oonongogo abaninzi bafa besebatsha’ ngenxa yezifo ezidluliselwa ngeentlobano zesini abazifumanayo. Yaye kuthekani ngamanxila amadala akholelwa ekubeni ayazongeza iintsuku zawo ‘ngesidlo sawo esingathandekiyo’ kodwa angaze aqwalasele inani lamanye afayo ‘erhaxiswa kukusela ngaphambi kokufikelela iminyaka yobuqina’?
Izono Nekratshi
Akuba eshenxise amazwi okukuthethelela ukutshaya ngokulandelayo, uJames unikela ingqalelo ‘kwizono nokungacoceki’ okwenziwa ngabo batshayayo. Uthi, isono esibalaseleyo phakathi kwezi seso sokunqanqatheka. Inganeliswa kukutsala umsi omncinane wecuba, inkoliso inqanqathekela okungakumbi. Eneneni, ukukhotyokiswa yintshongo kuye kwaba yingxaki eqhelekileyo.
Yaye kuthekani ‘ngekratshi’? UJames uthetha la mazwi abukhali kwiintshayi zecuba: ‘Ngaba asikuko ukuba nekratshi nokungacoceki okukhulu ukuba uthi etafileni, indawo efanele intlonelo, ukhuphe umsi omdaka nonukayo, uwukhupha lo msi, ungcolisa umoya, ngoxa abanye abakhoyo belucekisa olo qheliselo?’
Ngokungathi uyazazi iingozi ezininzi ezingokwempilo ezijamelene nazo iintshayi, uJames uqiqa ngelokuba: ‘Ngokuqinisekileyo umsi ulenza igumbi lokuphekela libe bhetele kakhulu kunegumbi lokutyela, ukanti ukwenza negumbi lokuphekela ngamaxesha amaninzi ngaphakathi emntwini, ubangcolisa yaye ubazisela izifo, ngohlobo lwentshongo eneoli, njengoko oku kuye kwafunyaniswa kwezinye iingedle zeTobacco eziye zaqhaqhwa emva kokufa kwazo.’
Xa equkumbela amazwi akhe, uJames uhlabela mgama esithi: ‘Koku akubandakanyeka kratshi likhulu kuphela kodwa ukudelela okukhulu izipho ezihle zikaThixo, kuba ivumba elimnandi lomoya womntu, lisisipho esihle sikaThixo elithi lonakaliswe ngabom ngulo msi unukayo!’
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 18]
UKumkani uJames I
[Inkcazelo]
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 18]
Umhlekazi uWalter Raleigh
[Inkcazelo]
Courtesy of the Trustees of The British Museum