Ngaba Amagubu AseAfrika Ayathetha Ngokwenene?
Ngumbhaleli kaVukani! eNigeria
EBUDENI bohambo lwakhe olwalusehlisa uMlambo iCongo ngowe-1876-77, umhloli wamazwe uHenry Stanley waba nethutyana lokuqwalasela umfaneleko wokubethwa kwamagubu apho. Kuye nakwabo wayehamba nabo, ukubethwa kwaloo magubu kwakunokubizwa nje ngegama elinye: imfazwe. Isandi esingumsina-ndozele abasivayo sabenza bacinga ukuba babeza kuhlaselwa ngabaphumi-mkhosi abanengcwangu abaxhobe ngemikhonto.
Kwaba kamva, ngamaxesha oxolo xa uStanley wafumanisa oko kwakuthethwa ngamagubu kunokuba ahlab’ ikhwelo lemfazwe. Echaza olunye uhlanga olwaluhlala ngakumlambo iCongo, uStanley wabhala: “[Alukabi] nazo izixhobo zombane kodwa ke lunenkqubo yonxibelelwano esebenzayo. Amagubu alo amakhulu abethwa ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo athetha ulwimi olucace njengentetho kwabo bawazi kakuhle amagubu.” UStanley wafumanisa ukuba ababethi-magubu babengenzi nje into efana nesandi sexilongo okanye uphondo; amagubu ayenokudlulisela izigidimi ezikhethekileyo.
Izigidimi ezinjalo zazidluliselwa zisuka kwenye idolophana zisiya kwenye. Amanye amagubu ayevakala ekumgama weekhilomitha ezi-8 ukuya kwezili-11, ingakumbi ukuba ayebethwa ebusuku ngumntu okwisihlenga esidadayo okanye encotsheni yenduli. Ababethi-magubu abamgama babephulaphula, beve, baze badlulisele isigidimi kwabanye. Umkhenkethi oliNgesi uA. B. Lloyd wabhala wathi ngowe-1899: “Ndaxelelwa ukuba ukusuka kwenye idolophana ukuya kwenye, umgama ongaphezu kweemayile ezili-100 [iikhilomitha ezili-160], kunokuthunyelwa isigidimi kwisithuba esingaphantsi kweeyure ezimbini, ibe ndikholelwa kakuhle ukuba oko kunokwenziwa ngexesha nje elifutshane.”
Kude kube yinkulungwane yama-20, amagubu aye aqhubeka enendima ebalulekileyo ekudluliseleni inkcazelo. Incwadi ethi Musical Instruments of Africa, eyapapashwa ngowe-1965, yathi: “Amagubu athethayo asetyenziswa njengeemfonomfono neengcingo. Kuthunyelwa ngawo zonke iindidi zezigidimi—ukwazisa ngokuzala, ngokufa nangemitshato; imidlalo, imidaniso, imigidi yongeniso; izigidimi zakwarhulumente nemfazwe. Maxa wambi la magubu adla ngokudlulisela intlebendwane okanye iziqhulo.”
Kodwa kunxityelelwana njani ngala magubu? EYurophu nakwezinye iindawo, izigidimi zazithunyelwa ngezixhobo zombane ezikwiingcingo zothungelwano. Unobumba ngamnye wayebizwa ngendlela yakhe ukuze amagama nezivakalisi zichazwe ngonobumba omnye ngexesha. Noko ke, abantu bakuMbindi Afrika babengenalo ulwimi olubhalwayo, ngoko amagubu ayengachazi amagama. Ababethi-magubu baseAfrika babesebenzisa inkqubo eyahlukileyo.
Ulwimi Lwegubu
Oyena ndoqo wokuqonda unxibelelwano ngegubu uxhomekeke ekwazini iilwimi zaseAfrika. Iilwimi ezininzi zakuMbindi naseNtshona Afrika ngokusisiseko zibizwa ngeemvakalo-zwi ezimbini—unobumba ngamnye wegama elibizwayo ubizwa ngeemvakalo-zwi ezimbini ezisisiseko, ephakamileyo okanye ephantsi. Ukutshintsha kwemvakalo-zwi kuyalitshintsha igama. Ngokomzekelo, khawucinge ngegama elithi lisaka, elikulwimi lwesiKele eZaire. Xa aba nobumba bathathu bebizwa ngemvakalo-zwi ephantsi, eli gama lithetha “udaka okanye umgxobhozo”; xa ababini bebizwa ngemvakalo-zwi ephantsi omnye ebizwa ngephakamileyo lithetha “idinga”; xa omnye ebizwa ngemvakalo-zwi ephantsi ababini bebizwa ngephakamileyo lithetha “ityhefu.”
Amagubu asikiweyo aseAfrika asetyenziselwa ukudlulisela izigidimi akwanezandi ezibini, esiphakamileyo nesiphantsi. Ngokufanayo, namagubu anezikhumba zezilwanyana adlulisela isigidimi, asetyenziswa ngamabini, elinye igubu libe nesandi esiphakamileyo nelinye libe nesandi esiphantsi. Ngenxa yoko, umbethi-magubu onobuchule uthetha ngokulinganisa indlela yokubiza amagama esetyenziswa kulwimi oluthethwayo. Incwadi ethi Talking Drums of Africa ithi: “Olu lwimi lubizwa ngokuba lulwimi lwamagubu ngokusisiseko luyafana nolwimi oluthethwayo lolo hlanga.”
Kambe ke, ngokuqhelekileyo ulwimi oluneemvakalo-zwi ezimbini lunamagama amaninzi aneemvakalo-zwi noonobumba abafana twatse. Ngokomzekelo, kulwimi lwesiKele, zimalunga ne-130 izibizo ezibizwa ngemvakalo-zwi efanayo (ephakame ngokufanayo) njengosango (utata). Zingaphezu kwama-200 ezinemvakalo-zwi efanayo (ephantsi nephakamileyo) njengonyango (umama). Ukuphepha ukubhidanisa izinto, ababethi-magubu banikela umongo wamagama anjalo, bewaquka kwibinzana elifutshane elaziwa kakuhle beliguquguqula ngokwaneleyo ukuze umntu ophulaphuleyo akuqonde oko kuthethwayo.
Ukuthetha Ngamagubu Asikiweyo
Olunye uhlobo lwamagubu athethayo ngawenziwe ngomthi asikiweyo. (Bona umfanekiso okwiphepha 25.) La magubu enziwa ngokukrolonqa umngxuma emthini. Akukho sikhumba ngaphezulu kwelinye icala. Nangona igubu elisemfanekisweni lisikwe kabini, uninzi lwawo lusikwe kanye. Ukubetha ngasekupheleni kwenye yezi ndawo zivulekileyo kubangela isandi esiphakamileyo; ukubetha kwenye kubangela isandi esiphantsi. Ngokuqhelekileyo amagubu asikiweyo aba malunga nemitha ubude, nangona enokuba mafutshane kangangesiqingatha semitha okanye abe made kangangeemitha ezimbini. Ububanzi bawo bunokususela kwiisentimitha ezingama-20 ukusa kwimitha.
Amagubu asikiweyo ayengasetyenziselwa nje ukuba athumele izigidimi ukusuka kwenye idolophana ukuya kwenye. Omnye umbhali waseCameroon uFrancis Bebey wachaza injongo yala magubu kwimidlalo yewrestling. Njengoko amaqela amabini aphikisanayo ayelungiselela ukuhlangana embindini wedolophana, iintshatsheli zazidanisa kwisingqi samagubu asikiweyo ngoxa la magubu ayesombelela. Igubu lelinye icala lalisithi: “Ntshatsheli, ngaba ukhe wadibana nentanga yakho? Ngubani onokulwa nawe sixelele ngubani? Ezi ntsizana . . . zicinga ukuba ungoyiswa [lifokotshelana] nje abalibiza ngokuba liyintshatsheli . . . , kodwa akakho umntu onokuze oyise wena.” Iimvumi ezikwinkampu yeqela eliphikisayo ziyakuqonda oku kunxwalwa zize ziphendule ngokukhawuleza ngendlela ebumzekeliso: “Unkawana . . . unkawana . . . ufuna ukukhwel’ emthini kodwa wonk’ umntu ucinga ukuba uza kuwa. Kodwa unkawana unamandla, akanakothuleka emthini, uya kunyuka aye kufika ekugqibeleni, unkawana lo.” Kuya kuqhubeka ke kusonwatyiswa abantu ngala magubu ebudeni balo mdlalo wewrestling.
Amagubu Athetha Ngaphezu Kwawo Onke Amanye
Amagubu abethwayo adlulela kwelinye inqanaba. Igubu olibonayo kumfanekiso ongasekunene kuthiwa yidundun; ligubu elithethayo elibalaseleyo kumaYoruba aseNigeria. Njengoko limile okweglasi enentlabathi, eli gubu lineentloko macala omabini, ezenziwe ngocwecwe lofele lwebhokhwe, olulungiswe kakuhle. Iintloko zidityaniswa ngeentambo zofele. Xa ezi ntambo zitsaliwe, intloko yegubu itsaleka ngamandla ukuze ikhuphe iinowuthi ezisibhozo okanye ezingakumbi. Ngokusebenzisa intonga egobileyo yokubetha igubu aze ongezelele isandi nesingqi segubu, umbethi-magubu onobuchule unokulinganisa ukuhla nokunyuka kwelizwi lomntu. Ngaloo ndlela, ababethi-magubu “banokuncokola” nabanye ababethi-magubu abakwaziyo ukuva nokusebenzisa ulwimi lwamagubu.
NgoMeyi 1976 ubuchule bababethi-magubu bokunxibelelana besebenzisa amagubu baboniswa ziimvumi zakomkhulu zenkosi yamaYoruba. Amatsha-ntliziyo angababukeli asebeza uthotho lwemiyalelo kumbethi-magubu oyincutshe owathi wadlulisela loo miyalelo ngamagubu kwenye imvumi emgama apho komkhulu. Iphendula le miyalelo idluliselwe ngamagubu, le mvumi yasuka kwenye indawo isiya kwenye isenza nantoni na ecelwe ukuba iyenze.
Akulula ukufunda ukuthumela umyalezo ngegubu. Umbhali uI. Laoye wathi: “Ukubetha amagubu kwamaYoruba kububuchule obuntsonkothileyo nobunzima obuthabatha iminyaka emininzi ukubufunda. Umbethi-magubu akufuneki abe nobuchule bokusebenzisa izandla nje kuphela nokukwazi ukuva isingqi, kodwa kukwafuneka ayikhumbule kakuhle imibongo nembali yalo dolophu akuyo.”
Kumashumi eminyaka akutshanje amagubu aseAfrika akasathethi ngendlela awayesenza ngayo ngaphambili, nangona esenendima ephambili emculweni. Incwadi ethi Musical Instruments of Africa ithi: “Ukufunda ukudlulisela imiyalezo ngamagubu kunzima gqitha; ngenxa yoko, obu buchule buya buphela ngokuphela eAfrika.” Ingcali ngamajelo eendaba uRobert Nicholls yalek’ umsundulo isithi: “Amagubu amakhulu angaphambili, anezandi ezazifikelela kwiimayile ezikude nawayenenjongo ephambili yokudlulisela imiyalezo, aza kuphela.” Abantu abaninzi namhlanje bakufumanisa kulula kakhulu ukusebenzisa imfonomfono.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 25]
Igubu elisikiweyo
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 25]
Igubu elithethayo lamaYoruba