Ngenkathi u-Bahaa Mayah ebaleka e-Iraq yangakubo ngasekupheleni kwawo-1970 njengesisebenzi esisha eMnyangweni Wezohwebo Zangaphandle, kufanele ukuthi wayazi ukuthi kungakhathaliseki ukuthi waphelelaphi, umsebenzi wakhe wokuphila wawuzombuyisela ezweni azalelwa kulo.
Ngemva kokusebenza isikhashana esifundeni sasePersian Gulf, wagcina ethandana noMontreal, lapho yena nomndeni wakhe bazinza khona empilweni yebhizinisi elizimele nokubonisana, nalapho aba yisakhamuzi saseCanada.
Kwathi eminyakeni engaphezu kwamashumi amabili kamuva, ngemva kokuwa kondlovukayiphikiswa uSaddam Hussein, u-dapper, uMayah owayesikwe kahle wabuyela e-Iraq ukuyosiza izwe kuguquko olunzima. Ngendlela exakile, kwadingeka afake isicelo se-visa yase-Iraqi nepasipoti yakhe yaseCanada e-Amman, Jordan.
"Ukuthanda izwe akukona okushoyo, kodwa yilokho okwenzayo esizweni sakho," kusho uMayah eMontreal ohambweni lwakamuva.
Namuhla, uMayah - ojezisa uhulumeni waseCanada ngokungazibandakanyi kwakhe emzamweni wokwakha kabusha e-Iraq - ungumeluleki wongqongqoshe onomoya woMnyango Wezokuvakasha Nezinto Zasendulo e-Iraq. Usemkhankasweni womhlaba wonke wokuqwashisa ngokuphangwa okuqhubekayo kanye nokuphangwa kwamagugu amasiko ase-Iraq.
Ukumisa impango
U-Mayah onozwelo uthi amanethiwekhi ahleliwe obugebengu namasosha, kanye namaqembu ezepolitiki ase-Iraq alwela ukuba nethonya, abambe iqhaza ekuphangeni okuhleliwe kwezindawo zemivubukulo yase-Iraq.
Ngo-April 2003 kuphela, izingcezu ezingu-15,000 zaphangwa e-Iraqi National Museum. Ngenkathi ingxenye yezinto ezibhaliwe itholakele, uMayah ulinganisela ukuthi cishe izinto eziyi-100,000 zivele zanyamalala ngenxa yokuphangwa kwezindawo zemivubukulo ngokwazo.
Lezi zinto zihlanganisa imibhalo yasendulo, izithombe, ubucwebe nezithombe eziqoshiwe, uMayah uthe, futhi ngokuvamile ziphelela ezindlini zendali zaseNtshonalanga noma ezandleni zabahwebi nabaqoqi abangekho emthethweni.
Ukuze kumiswe ukuntshontshwa kwalezi ngcebo, unxenxa ukuthi kuvalwe ukuthengiswa kwezinto zakudala ezivela e-Iraq kanye nesinqumo soMkhandlu Wezokuphepha we-UN ngalolu daba. Ugcizelela ukuthi imali etholakala ngokudayiswa kwezinto eziphangiwe ixhasa ubuphekula.
“Sithanda ukuphuca lezo zinto zasendulo inani lazo lezentengiselwano,” esho. “Ngale ndlela sizowaqeda amandla lawo ma-mafia noma amanethiwekhi abashushumbisi e-Iraq, esifundeni nakwamanye amazwe.”
Inkinga: Ubani ophethe ini?
Nakuba ebalula inqubekelaphambili, ngendlela yomthetho wakamuva wase-US owenqabela ukudayiswa kwezinto zobuciko zase-Iraq ezakhishwa ngemva kuka-August 1991, uMayah usakhungathekile ngokuthi amanye amazwe awazange akwenze lokho. Futhi ukusebenza kwamaphoyisa noma yimuphi umthetho kuseyinselelo njengoba amagugu amasiko ashushumbiswayo awavamile ukuba nomkhondo wephepha, okwenza kube nzima ukunquma ubunikazi.
Ukuze kuliwe nale nkinga, uMayah uhlongoze ukuthi kudalwe ikomiti lamazwe ngamazwe lezazi zemivubukulo nochwepheshe abadumile ukuze kutholwe imvelaphi kanye nobunikazi bezinto zobuciko ezizothengiswa.
Icebile emlandweni ngoba kwakuyikhaya lezimpucuko eziningana zasendulo, i-Iraq igcwele izindawo zemivubukulo phakathi kwendawo yayo engu-440,000 yamakhilomitha-skwele. Kodwa le nzuzo ingaba yingozi: ngo-2003, ngokwesibonelo, umonakalo omkhulu wadalwa endaweni yasendulo yaseBhabhiloni lapho isetshenziswa njengesizinda samasosha ngamabutho ase-US nawasePoland.
"Umonakalo omkhulu wenzeke eBhabhiloni, okuyiqiniso elifakazelwa kakhulu futhi libhalwe yi-UNESCO nezinye izinhlangano zomhlaba wonke," kusho uMayah. “Umonakalo usudalekile, kodwa manje sekumele siwulungise ukuze ubuyele esimweni sakudala.”
Futhi, ecaphuna I-Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property esimweni sokungqubuzana kwezikhali, uthi kuwumthwalo wamandla aphethe ukuvikela i-Iraq ekumbiweni okungekho emthethweni, ukushushumbiswa noma ukuhwebelana kwezwe lesizwe.
Kusukela ngo-2005, uMayah ubehola iphrojekthi yokwakha i-Grand Iraqi Museum, isikhungo "esizomela impucuko, ukubambisana hhayi ukulwa." Lo msebenzi, athemba ukuthi uzowuthola ukwesekwa yiCanada, ugunyazwe uMkhandlu WamaSulumane Wezokuvakasha kanye namazwe amaningi ase-Europe.
Udlame luphenduka okomuntu siqu
Ngisho neminyaka engamashumi amabili ekude ne-Iraq, uMayah wahlala ebambe iqhaza kwezombusazwe. Iminyaka eminingi ngaphambi kokuhlasela kwe-US ngo-2003, wayeyingxenye yenhlangano yokugqugquzela intando yeningi e-Iraq. Uzibonele i-roller-coaster yenjabulo yokuqala ekuweni kukahulumeni kaHussein ezinxushunxushwini zansuku zonke eBaghdad namuhla.
Akekho noMayah nomndeni wakhe abasinde odlameni nasekuchithekeni kwegazi ezweni labo. Odadewabo ababili babulawa ekuhlaselweni ngabashokobezi, naye waphoqeleka ukuba abaleke ezweni isikhashana ngemuva kokusatshiswa ngokumkhomba ngesibhamu ekhanda, ehhovisi lakhe.
“Ngithe ngisafuna ukubona intando yeningi nomthetho nokuhleleka ngabona izigebengu zigasela ehhovisi lami zangifaka isibhamu ekhanda,” usho kanje. "Bazama ukulawula yonke into empilweni yase-Iraq, futhi lokhu kuyinkinga eqhubekayo."
Kepha uMayah wabuya, yize izinsuku zakhe zichithelwe ngasese ekuvikelekeni kweGreen Zone yaseBaghdad. Nokho, usaqhubeka nokungadikibali emsebenzini wakhe.
"I-Iraq iyizwe laseMesopotamia, okungelabantu bonke hhayi ama-Iraqi kuphela .... Asiwamukeli umonakalo wokubambisa kubunikazi bethu, umlando wethu. Lona akuwona umlando we-Iraq kuphela kodwa owomuntu. Lona umlando wakho.”
U-Andrew Princz ungumbhali wezokuvakasha ozinze eMontreal futhi ubhalela i-www.ontheglobe.com.
