Ibali nguANDILE MATSHOBA
“Ndingalwa ndibebomvu ngesiXhosa sam!” La ngamazwi kaAkhona ‘Bhodl’ingqaka’ Mafani xa ebephosa esivivaneni ngokubaluleka kokubhalwa, ukufundwa nokulondolozwa kolwimi lwesiXhosa kumnyhadala i-Amazwi Puku Story Festival kwisixeko iMakhanda kweli leMpuma Koloni.
Lo mnyhadala nobusaziwa ngokuba yi-Puku Story Festival uthe wahlangulwa ekutshabalaleni yi-National English Literary Museum (Nelm). Lo msitho ububanjwa ityeli lesixhenxe kulonyaka ukususela oko wasungulwa ngowama-2013 liqumrhu i-Puku Foundation nezinze eGoli kwandonga ziyaduma, ububanjwe ukusuka ngomhla wama-21 ukuya kowama-23 kule yoMdumba. Umhla wama-21 kweyoMdumba ngumhla obaluleke kakhulu kwihlabathi jikelele, nowaziwa ngokuba ngumhla wokusebenzisa ulwimi oluncance ebeleni, i-International Mother Language Day. Kwananjalo, umbutho Wezizwe Ezimanyeneyo uye wabhengeza ukuba unyaka lo sikuwo wama-2019 ngunyaka weelwimi zemveli kwihlabathi jikelele, i-International year of Indigenous Languages ngokwamakhumsha.
Lo kaMafani ekunye nenye imbongi ephume izandla eMpuma-Koloni ngamacwecwe ayo emibongo, uSiphelo “Nqontsonqa” Dyongman baxelele loo nginginya ukuba ulwimi luyinkcubeko ekufuneka elowo azidle ngayo kuba ithi incede ubani ukuba azazi imvelaphi yakhe. UZongezile Matshoba woleke ngelithi, “Abantu bamana bebuzana ukuba siyaphi nesiXhosa? Engcwabeni kuba xa ubhubhile kuye kuthiwe ubhubhile umXhosa, kungakhathaliseki nokuba ubukhumsha usikhupha ngeempulo isilungu.”
Inkxaso yalomsitho iphume kwiinkalo ngeenkalo. Iphepha-ndaba loluntu nelilona lidala elizweni i-Grocott’s Mail liye lapapasha inkqubo yalomnyhadala. Abantwana bajikelezisiwe, bambi basiwa kumathala eencwadi, nakwiziko lokusasazela uluntu, i-Radio Grahamstown. Abanye basiwe kwisikolo sobuntatheli kwiDyunivesithi i-Rhodes. Wona umzi wabashicileli i-Via Afrika uthe wakhuthaza ababhali beelwimi zesintu ukuba bangayeki ukubhala ngeelwimi zabo. U-Heinrich Dirk nosuka kweliqumrhu uthethe ngephulo i-WritePublishRead nalapho kuye kupapashwa khona ababhali kumakhasi onxibebelelwano, mahala.
Yena umhleli wephepha-ndaba I’solezwe, u-Unathi Kondile uthe wenza amagqabantshintshi ngamahla-ndinyuka okupapasha iphephandaba lesiXhosa. Uphefumle ngeminyaka emihlanu lasekwayo I’solezwe kwakunye nemingeni abagagene nayo. OkaKondile ukwakrobise nakwiphulo I’solezwe elikulo nalapho bajonge ukukhupha iincwadi ezithile nezisekelwe kumabali adlubhedu nabathe bawashicelela kwiphephandaba elo. Umnyhadala onje awugqibeleli ncam kungothulwanga uncwadi. Umsitho uvulele ithuba kuSithembele Xhegwana kunye nokaMatshoba lokuthula uncwadi lwabo olutsha. OkaXhegwana wothule uncwadi lwentombi yakhe eminyaka ili-11, uNgcali Xhegwana, nebizwa ngokuba yi-‘Woodland’.
“Le yincwadi enamabali abantwana nanikisa umdla kakhulu,” utshilo okaXhegwana. OkaMatshoba yena uthule incwadi yakhe yamabalana amafutshane nayolisayo ethi ‘Izinto Zehlabathi’, ncwadi leyo ayipapashe esebenzisa elaa phulo i-WritePublishRead labakwa-Via Afrika.
Ababhexeshi benkqubo uMadoda Ndlakuse kunye noCebo Solombela nabo bebengaziyekelanga, besenza abadume ngazo. Bakwancediswe ngabanye oonomabali, uZiyanda Mkalipi noBabalwa Kona. Babalise amabali neentsomi zesiXhosa kwindimbane yabantwana bezikolo, benza imidlalwana, beculisa neengoma zesintu. Oka Ndlakuse uthe xa ethetha, “Amabali ngamabali anceda ukukhulisa ingqondo kunye nodlamko ebantwaneni, kwaye ukucula kuyabadibanisa abantu.” Utsho ecula ingoma ethi ‘Alaka doonsta’ bangenelela abantwana.
“Le ngoma ndayiva iculwa kwindawo ezimbini ezohlukeneyo ndayithanda, umnqa ke kukuba andiyazi nokuba ithetha ukuthini kwaye nolwimi olu iculwa ngalo andilazi, kodwa ndithi ndakuyihlabela bandilandele abantu kwaye bayithande,” utshilo okaNdlakuse. Ibengathi zithe tshe ezo ntsuku zintathu zaloo mnyhadala, kubonakala ukuba umzi ontsundu usanxaniwe. Iqela eliphume izandla i-Via Kasi Movers lidyushe eqongeni libalisa ibali lendoda efileyo, lisebenzisa umdaniso. Neqela likaXolisa Ngubelanga lomdlalo weqonga i-Jo Kinda People lonwabise ababukeli ngomdlalo walo othi, ‘Broken Lens’ nalapho bebezama ukubonakalisa amahla-ndenyuka omzi ontsundu ngeliso lomtshini wokuthabatha iifoto.
UGqirha Hleze Kunju nodume ngokubhala ithesisi yakhe yezifundo zobugqirha ngesiXhosa uye wavula iqonga enika amathuba okokuba abantu bazibonakalise izakhono zabo zokubalisa amabali, ukucula, ukuxhentsa, nokubonga. Kazi ukuba uyakube uphi wena okanye usenza galelo lini ekuphuhliseni nasekulondolozeni isiXhosa kuba unyaka ozayo we-Amazwi Puku Story Festival uyeza.
