Inyaniso
i-Mapungubwe ikumntla wekona yeNtshona yase Mzantsi Afrika, ekudibaneni kwe Limpopo kunye nemilambo yase-Shashe. Ikumda we Botswana kunye ne Zimbabwe, ichasene ne Tuli Block.
Kumawaka eminyaka mandulo, ibingu ndoqo wendawo enkulu ephuhlisweni lwempucuko kwaye irhwebe kakhulu nabarhwebi basempuma yonxweme lwase Afrika. Iindawo ezinga phezu 200 zidityaniswa nofundo lwezinto zakudala kwaye kuhlalwe kwzixeko ezintathu ngamaxesha ahlukileyo: e-Zhizo, e K2 nentaba i-Mapungubwe.
Isixeko sentaba i-Mapungubwe ibisiso esikhulu kwaye esityebileyo. Ikumkani ibihlal yodwa phezu kwentaba, abantu bona behlala emazantsi. Emva kokuwa kophuhliso lwempucuko kwiminyaka eyi-700, iintlanga eziseleyo zanqaba funa ukuya ecaleni kwentaba, zazikholelwa ukuba yindawo engcwele apho kwakuhlala izinyanya.
Lentaba yafunyanwa ngabantu abamhlophe kunyaka ka 1932, apho indoda eyimfama u-Mowena, yacengwa ukuba ikhombise utishala u-Van Graan lentaba yodumo. u-Van Graan kunye neetshomi zakhe bafumene inani lamangcwaba phezulu entabeni, amangwaba agcwele imifuziselo yezinto ezimangalisayo.
Kutheni Kukhona iiMfihlo Kunye neeNkolelo?
Iyamangalisa? Ewe. Kodwa kutheni singazi ngelisiko neentaba zalo ezifihlakeyo? Nangona i-Mapungubwe iyeyona ndawo yophuhliso lwempucuko yokuqala pha kwindawo ye-Sahara eAfrika, ibigcwele imfihlo kunye neenkolelo pha kwiminyaka eyi 700.
Futhi zininzi izizathu zalonto: Okokuqala, ngokwesiqhelo kwindawo zophuhliso e-Mzantsi Melika nase Middle East, uqhakamshelwano belungekho phakathi kwe-Mapungubwe yamandulo kunye nabalingani bayo banamhlanje, ngaphezu nje kwamanyala kunye neentsomi ezingaqondwa kakuhle. Abantu base Mapungubwe abashiyanga nerekhodi elibhaliweyo, futhi imbali ebaliswa ngomlomo ayide ifike pha eminyakeni elikhulu lalembali.
Ekugqibeleni, ngexesha lobandlululo eMzantsi Afrika, urhulumente ebengafuni ukudumisa nanye into yabantu bomthonyama kuba ebengafuni ukubakhohlisa, kwaye nenkqubo yemfundo ibingafuni ukufundisa ngembali yase Afrika. Ilizwe laBathwa kunye nombutho wa-Bantu abaqala bahlala eMapungubwe, balahlelwa kude, abahoywa kwincwadi zesikolo, lonto futhi iphembelele umbono othi akho nto yayisenzeka eMzantsi Afrika phambi kokuba abantu base-Europe bafike ngeminyaka ye 1500s.
Phambi Kwemfundo Yonyaka ka-1994
Abanye bethu abathe banelishwa lokufunda ngexesha lobandlululo kum-Mzantsi Afrika, abakwazi ukususa umbono othi abantu basemakhaya barhabaxa, ngabantu bohlanga lwabo, abahlala kwindlwana kwaye baxhumaxhuma pha ehlathini nemikhonto yabo.
Esinye isidenge ebesize ngobuhlanga siye sathi kum ‘Abantu base Afrika abanamasiko’ lonto indicaphukisile phambili, kodwa ndiye ndakhumbula ukuba naye ufundiswe ziimbali ebezimfamekileyo.
Emveni kweminyaka emininzi, kuye kwenziwa imibukiso yolontu pha kwi Univesithi yase-Pitoli, futhi lemibukiso iye yapapashwa kumaphephandaba. Kodwa, ezinye iingxelo ziye zathetha kakhulu nge ‘phazili’ yase-Mapungubwe kwaye kubuzwa ukuba ngubani na owenze lombukiso omhle wo mkhombe wegolide-zange futhi baphuphe ngethuba lokuba lomntu angafumaneka kwalapha ekhaya.
Kodwa, i-Mapungubwe yehliswe kwizinga layo, yaba yindawo egcwele uthuthu lwemfundo ngethemba lokuba izakulibaleka. Futhi iphantse yalibaleka.
Emva Konyaka ka-1994
Ukusuka kunyaka ka-1994, ingcamango yepolitiki itshintshile kwaye i-Mapungubwe yabuyiselwa njenge simboli yokuhlaziywa lwama-Afrika (African Renaissance); umzekelo omkhulu wodumo lwamasiko wethu esifuna ukuwalandela namhlanje. Ngokonyaka ka 1997, izifundo zembali yethu ziye zahlaziywa, ziquka umboniso opheleleyo wembali yaphambili yama-Afrika, kwaye i-Mapungubwe ibuyiselwe kwindawo yayo yokuba yeyona ndawo ka zwelonke apha ekuchazeni ubuthina.
Ngenxa yalonto, uninzi lwendawo zase Mapungubwe lwakhiwe kwimida ekhuselekileyo kwi-Paki entsha yelizwe (National Park). Kumele sichaze ngolona dumo oluphakamileyo olwakhe lwanikwa abantu base Mzantsi Afrika ngurhulumente ngenxa ‘Yokugqwesa kunye nempumelelo ekhethekileyo’ olubizwa ‘i-Oda yase-Mapungubwe’.
Elilibali lase-Mapungubwe. Liyamangalisa kwaye lingathi liyintsomi, egcwele yimfihlo emangalisayo ebonakala njenge golide, ingqokelela zobumba kunye nentsalela yabantu. Likwalibali elinomtsalane elibalisa ngobutyebi kunye nezinto eziphawulekayo ezabhaqwa mandulo, kwaye ifumaneka kwincwadi ebhalwe ngu H. Rider Haggard. Kodwa, nabani ofunde phambi konyaka ka-1997, elibali leNkcubeko yomhlaba wase Mapungubwe (Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape) libalukekile ekuvaleni isikhala esimalunga nembali yethu.
Translated by Aviwe Damane