Ukuvakasha eJerusalema kanye nezokuvakasha eRio de Janeiro kuyafana futhi kuhluke kakhulu. UDkt. Peter Tarlow ubika eseRio ngemuva kwendiza yobusuku bonke. Uvuke ngo-7:00 ebusuku ehhotela laseRio Marriott wabe esebhala.
Okwangithusa kakhulu ukuthi iCopacabana Beach yayigcwele futhi kusesemini. Enkathini yami yokulala ngase ngikhohliwe ukuthi ngangiseNingizimu Nenkabazwe futhi uDisemba 21st lapha usuku olude kakhulu onyakeni kanye nosuku lokuqala lwehlobo.
Lapho ngifika eRio de Janeiro cishe ngokuqondile ngivela eJerusalema ngabona ukuthi ngangingekho kuphela emikhawulweni emibili yomhlaba, kodwa futhi nasezindaweni ezimbili eziphikisanayo zamasiko. Uma iJerusalema liyidolobha elinesizotha esingcwele khona-ke iRio de Janeiro ihluke kakhulu. Lapha, mhlawumbe ngenxa yokushisa, okufihliwe kuba sobala. Ebangeni elingamakhilomitha amaningi emabhishi, iCariocas, (igama eliqanjwe abantu baseRio) igqoka izingubo ezincane kakhulu ngangokunokwenzeka, ngisho nalapho ukuzincisha injabulo kungase kudinge ukuqonda komuntu siqu okwengeziwe. Ngokunjalo uma iJerusalema ligubha okujulile, iRio iwumkhosi wokunganaki nokukha phezulu. Abantu bendawo bathi isiko laseRio linezinsika ezintathu: i-futebol (ibhola likanobhutshuzwayo), ibhishi, kanye ne-carnival. Lapha umsebenzi awuwona umsebenzi kodwa uwukugxambukela ekuphishekeleni inkanuko nokunganaki kwempilo.
Naphezu kokungafani, ngezinye izikhathi okuphambene kuvame ukuhlangana. IJerusalema liwumuzi onezinkolelo ezijulile, ezijulile kangangokuthi ngezinye izikhathi lezi zinkolelo zizibonakalisa ngobudlova. I-Rio iyidolobha lalapha futhi manje, kangangokuthi isimo sengqondo se-joie de vivre siphinde sibe nobudlova. Kwelinye idolobha, ubudlova bubangelwa ukunakekela ngokweqile, kanti kwelinye bubangelwa buncane kakhulu. Okuxakayo ukuthi izimpawu zomhlaba zombili ezidume kakhulu zihlobene nokholo. Uma iJerusalema libuswa iDome of The Rock, uDonga LwaseNtshonalanga, neChurch of the Holy Sepulcher, iRio ibuswa yiCorcovado, uphawu lwayo lokugcina lobuKatolika.
Ngendlela efanayo i-Israel iseMpumalanga Ephakathi kodwa ngokwesiko empeleni ayiyona eyeMpumalanga Ephakathi yamanje. Ngaphandle kweqiniso lokuthi impilo yamaJuda yandulela impucuko yama-Arab ngeminyaka eyinkulungwane, u-Israyeli ulele ngokwesiko emaphethelweni eMpumalanga Ephakathi. Kuyisiqhingi esikhuluma isiHebheru olwandle lwesi-Arabhu. Ngendlela efanayo iBrazil iseLatin America kodwa hhayi eLatin America. Lapha ulimi isiPutukezi futhi Brazilian isiko kanye cuisine kukhona imihlaba ngaphandle komakhelwane bayo abakhuluma iSpanishi. Njengoba nje i-Israel ilele onqenqemeni lweMpumalanga Ephakathi kanjalo neBrazil nayo injalo futhi ngomqondo wangempela ukuthi iqiniso liyiqiniso nange-United States.
Akungabazeki ukuthi kokubili iBrazil neRio badlula esikhathini soshintsho kwezombusazwe. Ohulumeni bakudala besocialist abancike kwesobunxele bashaneliwe. I-Socialism, eyayizifihle njengenkululeko, yayibhekwa njengethemba labampofu, kodwa manje isibhekwa njengoshevu wabacindezelekile. Abantu lapha bakhuluma nge-socialism njengendlela abantu abacebile abamhlophe abangama-pseudo-intelectuais abakholisa ngayo abampofu ukuthi bahlale bempofu futhi abantu abasha abangenalwazi bayengelwa ekuphileni kobumpofu nokudumazeka.
Nakuba kusesekuseni kakhulu ukuthi singalokotha sibikezele ukuthi lezi zinguquko zezombangazwe zizoguqula yini ubumpofu bube yithuba lezomnotho, noma kube isifiso sezepolitiki esibhuntshile, kunethemba elikhulu. Ngalowo mqondo kunokufana okukhulu phakathi kwala madolobha amabili ahlukene kakhulu. Iculo lesizwe lakwa-Israel lithi Ha'Tikva okusho Ithemba futhi lapha e-Rio de Janeiro igama elivame ukuzwakala ngesi-Esperança: Ithemba!
Mhlawumbe ithemba elihlanganisa lezi zingxabano ezimbili ze-polar ngokwesiko futhi livumele umphefumulo womuntu ukuthi udale ukukhanya okuvela ebumnyameni. Ukubingelela okuhle okuvela ezweni lapho ilanga likhanya ngokukhazimulayo ngethemba nezinjabulo ezilula.
LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:
- In my semi-stupor I had forgotten that I was in the Southern Hemisphere and December 21st here is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer.
- In a like manner Israel is in the Middle East but culturally it is not really of the current Middle East.
- Arriving in Rio de Janeiro almost directly from Jerusalem I realized that I was not only at two geographic ends of the world, but also at two culturally polar opposites.
