Iphosta esodongeni yayinesithombe esivusa amadlingozi esimnyama nesimhlophe sendoda eshayela isitimela. “IZimbabwe”, yathi, “ipharadesi lase-Afrika”. Nginikeza umthengisi wethikithi ibhili yaseMelika engu-$20, ngambuza ukuthi iphosta yayineminyaka emingaki. “Ngo-1986,” ephendula, “ihhovisi lezokuvakasha lisinike lona.”
Ngangingena eVictoria Falls, echazwa ngokuziqhenya umqondisi wendawo njengenye yezimangaliso eziyisikhombisa zemvelo emhlabeni. Bekungekona ukudumazeka. Ngimi phezulu eweni, ngabona ikhethini lamanzi liphenduka inunu ekhihliza amagwebu, amandla amangalisayo endalo esikalini sonkulunkulu nemidondoshiya.
Lezi zifufula zehla ngaphezu kwamamitha ayikhulu e-Zambezi Gorge, zenza inkungu ethukuthele ezungezayo futhi inyukele phezulu kangangokuthi ingabonakala ukusuka kumamayela angu-30. Intuthu edumayo, njengoba yaziwa kanjalo endaweni, isika ukukhanya kwelanga kube yi-arc ekahle yothingo.
OwaseZimbabwe waphendukela kimi wathi: “Ufike ezweni elinogesi njalo, elingakwazi ukupha abantu balo amanzi. Nokho bheka. Kuningi esinakho.”
Lapho ngiphuma, ngabona umhlambi wezindlovu eziyisikhombisa wenza ukunqwabelanisa emanzini kubukeke kunhle futhi kubabazekayo, kungenakuvinjelwa umhlambi wezinyoni ezimhlophe ezizungezile. Amadoda agqoke amabhishi aphuzi abukela ekude ngokukhathazeka, ezibuza ukuthi lezi zilwane eziyisikhumbuzo zizongena yini kujantshi wesitimela. Abatshayeli bezitimela eZimbabwe badume ngokuxolisa ngokubambezeleka ngenxa yendlovu ezilayini.
Njengoba ukulima kuseyimboni yezokuvakasha, ezokuvakasha ziyipulangwe lezomnotho elibanjwe nguhulumeni wobumbano njengomuntu ogwilizayo. Ngakho-ke, iZimbabwe manje izama ukwenza isimo esijwayelekile. I-Harare isanda kusingatha umcimbi we-jazz, uMamma Mia! ivulwe kwenye yezinkundla zemidlalo yeshashalazi - nakuba bembalwa abakwazi ukuthenga ithikithi lika-$20 - futhi amaphephandaba anezihloko zezindaba ezinjengokuthi: "Iphini likaNdunankulu alishadile futhi alicingi!"
Izwe linethemba lokuthokozela inkazimulo yeNdebe Yomhlaba yebhola likanobhutshuzwayo, eqala unyaka kusukela manje emazweni angomakhelwane baseNingizimu Afrika. Indebe yeNdebe yoMhlaba ibheke lapha ngoNovemba, lapho kufanele ngabe iFifa ithandazela ukuthi uMengameli Robert Mugabe angayiphakamisi ngaphambi kwamakhamera omhlaba. UMugabe useze wamema iqembu lesizwe laseBrazil ukuthi lizinze lapha. Mhlawumbe wabona ukuthi izimakethe zezitolo zaseHarare ngeke zihlangabezane nezidingo zabadlali abacebile nabalingani babo.
Kodwa ibhodi lezokuvakasha laseZimbabwe – elisasebenzisa leso siqubulo, “ipharadesi lase-Afrika” – lingenye yezinto ezidayiswa kanzima emhlabeni. Ngonyaka odlule uye wabekezelela "i-PR embi" eminingi: ukushaywa nokubulawa okugqugquzelwa yizombangazwe, ukuqubuka kwekholera embi kakhulu kazwelonke kusukela ngeminyaka yama-30s kanye nenhlekelele yezomnotho eqhubela abantu ebuphofini nasendlala.
Nxa kuzakuba lemvuselelo, izaqala eVictoria Falls, indawo eheha izihlabani zelizwe. Njengoba iCanada inombono ongcono weNiagara Falls kuneMelika, kanjalo neZimbabwe ibambe iqhaza elikhulu kulo mbukiso ngokulahlekelwa kweZambia. Ngempelasonto edlule, inqwaba yabavakashi - amaMelika, ama-Europe, amaJapan kanye nomhumushi wabo - banqume ukuthi, naphezu kwalokho abakuzwile ngeZimbabwe, bekuyifanele ingozi.
Bathwebula izithombe eduze kwesithombe esikhulu sikaDavid Livingstone, owathola lezi zimpophoma, noma kunalokho, waqinisekisa ukuthi zizoqanjwa ngendlovukazi yakhe. I-plinth iqoshwe amagama athi "explorer" kanye "nomkhululi". Abantu abakha lo mfanekiso, iminyaka eyikhulu ngo-1955, bazibophezela “ukuqhubeka nezinhloso nezinhloso zobuKristu ezikhuthaza uDavid Livingstone emsebenzini wakhe lapha”.
Ihhotela engangihlala kulo laqhubeka nendikimba yokuhlonishwa kongcweti bakudala bamakoloni. Kwakungenzeka ukuthi kwakunomfanekiso kaMugabe owawudingekayo ngenhla kwedeski elingaphambili, kodwa ngaphandle kwalokho izindonga zazihlotshiswe ngezibhamu zokuzingela, izithombe zikaHenry Stanley kanye nenyama yakhe, uLivingstone, kanye nezithombe “zabase-Afrika” abanezindebe eziqinile ezinezihloko ezinjengokuthi: “Livingstone yembula Izwekazi Elimnyama.” Mhlawumbe umqondo uwukuqinisekisa izivakashi ezimhlophe ukuthi akukho okushintshile ngempela kusukela ngekhulu le-19.
Njengasezindaweni eziningi zamaholidi, iVictoria Falls ikhona endaweni eyigwebu elipholile elizibambele mathupha, kude nezingozi ezibhubhisa umhlaba, okwenza kube nzima ukucabanga noma yini embi eyenzekayo lapho. Kukhona ama-safaris, uhambo lokuya emfuleni, izindiza ezinophephela emhlane, izitolo zezobuciko kanye nezitolo zezandla kanye nezindawo zokulala ezisezingeni eliphezulu ezisebenzela i-warthog tenderloin.
Nokho asikho isidingo sokuthi uhambe ibanga elide ukuze imaski ishelele. Abasebenzi bamaholide bathola ngokukhungatheka kwabo ukuthi amaphuzu emali awasebenzi futhi amakhadi esikweletu awamukelwa. Shayela ubheke kwaBulawayo futhi uhlaselwa yibhodi elixwayisayo: “Qaphela isifo seCholera! Geza izandla zakho ngensipho noma ngomlotha ngaphansi kwamanzi agelezayo.” Kuwo wonke amadolobhana kunolayini abade babantu abami eceleni komgwaqo, bephakamisa isandla esidangele ngethemba lokushaya ilifti.
Pho, kungani umuntu eze lapha ekubeni engase adlale ngokuphepha emadolobheni omhlaba wokuqala eNingizimu Afrika? Ngabuza umshayeli wetekisi ukuthi wayeke wacabanga yini ukuthuthela ezweni elikhulu eliseningizimu, njengabanye abaningi baseZimbabwe. “Akunjalo,” kusho yena. “INingizimu Afrika iyindawo enodlame kakhulu. Omunye engimaziyo uye endaweni yokucima ukoma, washaya ubhiya wagwazwa washona. Ubulawelwe ubhiya wedola elilodwa! Akuhambi nami.”
Wengeze wathi: “AbaseZimbabwe abakwenzi lokho. Abantu baseZimbabwe bangabantu abathulile nabamnene.”
Futhi ngokokuhlangenwe nakho kwami, kwakunzima ukungavumelani. Uma kwahlulelwa umoya wokupha wabantu bakhona bodwa, iZimbabwe izoba nguzibuthe kwezokuvakasha. Kodwa-ke ngeke kwehle kulokho kuphela. U-TS Eliot wabhala: Ubumnene obukhulu, kodwa nokuhlupheka okuningi.
LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:
- On my way out, I saw a herd of seven elephants making the hoovering up of water look stately and majestic, impervious to a surrounding flock of white birds.
- Standing on the cliff top, I beheld a curtain of water turned foaming monster, an awesome force of nature on the scale of gods and giants.
- The people who erected the statue, for the centenary in 1955, pledged to “carry on the high Christian aims and ideals that inspired David Livingstone in his mission here”.
