Izingcabo Zasebusweni—‘Umazisi’ WaseNigeria Oshabalalayo

Ngumlobeli we-Phaphama! eNigeria

NGOLUNYE usuku ekuseni ngasekupheleni kwawo-1960, uDanjuma oneminyaka eyisithupha ubudala waya kuyise wacela ukuba agcatshwe ebusweni ngendlela izakhamuzi zase-Igala ezazigcaba ngayo ngokuziqhenya. UDanjuma wayenomuzwa wokuthi wayengasenakukubekezelela ukugconwa yizingane afunda nazo esikoleni ngenxa yokuthi wayengagcatshiwe ebusweni. Nakuba ngokuvamile izinsana zase-Igala zazigcatshwa zisencane zingakakwesabi ukusikwa, abafana babebheka lezi zingcabo njengophawu lwesibindi. Babebheka labo abangenazo njengamagwala asaba ummese.

Kuze kube yileso sikhathi, uyise kaDanjuma wayengazange ayigcabe indodana yakhe. Kodwa ekuseni ngalolo suku, ecindezelwa ukuzimisela kwendodana yakhe ukubonisa ukuthi inesibindi, wathatha ummese wagcaba indodana yakhe kathathu esihlathini ngasinye, ngenhla nje komlomo.

Uyise kaDanjuma wayazi ukuthi lezi zingcabo zazingahlobene neze nesibindi. Kunalokho, lapho la manxeba ephola ayeyoba izingcabo ezimphawulayo. Ayeyoba ‘umazisi’ ohlala njalo ongenakusuka noma ushintshwe. Ayeyokwenza ukuba amadoda omuzi asheshe ayibone indodana yakhe, okwakuyoyenza ifanelekele amalungelo ezakhamuzi zase-Igala. Kodwa futhi lezi zingcabo zaziyoyihlukanisa kwamanye amaqembu ezinhlanga zaseNigeria ezingaphezu kuka-250.

Ukugcaba, nakuba kungenziwa e-Afrika kuphela, sekunesikhathi eside kwenziwa kuleli lizwekazi. Ekhulwini lesihlanu B.C.E., isazi-mlando esingumGreki uHerodotus sabhala ngabantu baseCaria ababehlala eGibithe: “[Babegcaba] isiphongo, ngaleyo ndlela bezibonakalisa ukuthi babengabantu bokufika hhayi baseGibithe.” Amakhanda ethusi enziwa e-Ife, eNigeria, eminyakeni engamakhulu ayisikhombisa edlule, anemigqa ebusweni abaningi abacabanga ukuthi iwuphawu lohlanga. Izingcabo zasebusweni ziyabonakala nasemifanekisweni eqoshiwe yombuso wasendulo waseBenin eNigeria.

Akuzona zonke izingcabo zasebusweni eziwuphawu lokuhlukanisa izinhlanga. Ezinye zazihlobene nemikhuba yemimoya neyenkolo, futhi namanje kusenjalo. Ezinye ziwuphawu lwesikhundla esithile emiphakathini egcina amasiko. Kanti ezinye ezokuhloba.

Njengoba zenziwa abantu abanekhono emphakathini, izingcabo zasebusweni ziyahlukahluka kakhulu. Ezinye kusuke kuwukusika okuncane nje, kanti ezinye zingamanxeba ajulile avulwa ngeminwe. Ngezinye izikhathi kufakwa udayi kula manxeba. Uhlanga ngalunye lunendlela yalo ekhethekile yokulugcaba. Ngokwesibonelo, izingcabo ezehlayo, umugqa owodwa esihlathini ngasinye, ziwuphawu lwamadoda nabesifazane abangama-Ondo. Ezintathu esihlathini ngasinye ziwuphawu lwama-Oyo. Kulabo abazaziyo lezi zingcabo, ukubuthi shazí nje ubuso bomuntu kwanele ukwazi ukuthi lowo muntu udabuka kuluphi uhlanga, indawo, noma ngisho nomkhaya.

Imibono Ehlukahlukene

Njengoba nje izingcabo nezizathu zokwenziwa kwazo kuhlukahluka kakhulu, kunjalo nangemibono ephathelene nakho. Abaningi bayaziqhenya ngokuthi bagcatshiwe. Umhleli we-Daily Times yaseNigeria wathi: “Abanye babheka lezi zingcabo njengophawu lokushisekela izwe lakubo. Zibenza bazizwe bengamadodana oqobo okhokho babo.”

Lona umbono kaJimoh, indoda yaseNigeria, owathi: “Angikaze ngizizwe nginamahloni ngezingcabo zami zama-Oyo ngoba zibonisa ukuthi ngempela ngiyinzalo yamaYoruba asesigodini sama-Alafin.” Uyaqhubeka echaza indlela lezi zingcabo ezasindisa ngayo ukuphila kwakhe ngo-1967 phakathi neMpi Yombango YaseNigeria: “Indlu engangihlala kuyo . . . yahlaselwa futhi kwabulawa bonke [abanye] abantu. Ababulali abazange bangithinte ngenxa yezingcabo ezisebusweni bami.”

Abanye abazithandi ngempela lezi zingcabo. Ekhuluma ngezisebusweni bakhe, uTajudeen uthi: “Ngiyazizonda, futhi ngiyaluqalekisa usuku engagcatshwa ngalo.” Kanti kunentombazane ethile encoma unina ngokuthi akazange avume ukuba igcatshwe ngale ndlela lapho isewumntwana. Ithi: “Ngangiyozibulala ukube ngagcatshwa.”

Ukubhekana Nokugconwa

UDanjuma, okukhulunywe ngaye esethulweni, wayegconwa ngoba wayengenazo izingcabo. Ngokuvamile isimo siphambene nalokho. Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-45 edlule, uG. T. Basden wabhala encwadini yakhe ethi Niger Ibos: “Ukugcaba nokudweba umzimba sekuyaphuma emfashinini. Izinsizwa eziningi . . . zingakujabulela ukubona [izingcabo zazo] zisuswa. Lokho okubhekwa njengesizathu sokuzigqaja lapho umuntu ephakathi kwabakubo, kuyamphoxa, lapho egconwa futhi edelelwa kwezinye izingxenye zezwe.”

Lawo magama ayiqiniso ngempela namuhla. U-Ajai, owathola iziqu zesayensi yokusebenza kwengqondo e-University of Lagos, muva nje ucwaningé ngezingcabo eNigeria. Waphawula: “Kulezi zinsuku, okungenani emadolobheni anjengaseLagos, bambalwa abantu abagcatshiwe ebusweni, futhi bashayisana nabantu ababagconayo. Ngokwesibonelo, kuvamile ukuzwa abantu bebiza omunye ngokuthi ukhenela, ebe engelona ilungu lebutho lezempi, kodwa ngenxa yokuthi imidwa esezihlathini zakhe ilingana nemicu yezimendlela ezisezingutsheni zikakhenela Wempi. Abanye babizwa ngokuthi amahlosi, ngenxa yezihlathi ezinemidwa noma abanye babizwa ngokuthi omakhalanjalo. . . . Ake ucabange nje ukuthi lokhu kuba namuphi umphumela ekuzethembeni komuntu.”

Mhlawumbe ubunzima obukhulu busesikoleni. USamuel wayewukuphela komuntu owayenezingcabo ebusweni ekilasini lakhe. Uyalandisa: “Esikoleni ngangenziwa inhlekisa njalo. Izingane zazingibiza ngokuthi ‘ngiwumzila kajantshi’ nangokuthi ‘umfana onomzila kajantshi.’ Zazingigcona njalo zenza uphawu ngeminwe emithathu. Kwakungenza ngizenyeze.”

Wabhekana kanjani nalesi simo? USamuel uyaqhubeka: “Ngolunye usuku ngagconwa kakhulu kangangokuba ngaya kuthisha wethu wesayensi ngambuza ukuthi lezi zingcabo zazingasuswa yini. Wangitshela ukuthi zazingasuswa nge-plastic surgery kodwa wathi kwakungafanele ngikhathazeke ngoba abantu abaningi eNigeria banazo. Wathi ontanga yami babengihleka ngoba bengavuthiwe kodwa lapho sebekhulile, bayoyeka ukungigcona. Wathi futhi lezi zingcabo azisho ukuthi ngingumuntu onjani ngempela noma ukuthi ngizoba umuntu onjani.

“Lokho kwangenza ngazizwa ngingcono, futhi umuzwa omubi enganginawo ngalezi zingcabo waphela. Abantu abasakhulumi ngezingcabo zami. Ngisho noma bekhuluma ngazo, ngivele ngimamatheke. Ubuhlobo bami nabanye abuphazamisekile. Abantu bangihlonipha ngenxa yalokho engiyikho, hhayi ngenxa yokuthi nginezingcabo.”

Isiko Elifayo

Ngenxa yokuthi ngokuvamile izingane zigcatshwa zisencane abantu abaningi baseNigeria abagcatshwe ngokwesiko lohlanga babengenakuzikhethela kule ndaba. Nokho, lapho beba abazali, kumelwe banqume ukuthi bazobagcaba yini abantwana babo noma cha.

Abanye abantu banquma ukwenza kanjalo. Ngokwe-Times International yaseLagos, kunezizathu eziningana ezibangela lokhu. Lo magazini uthi: “Abanye basakubheka njengento eyenza umuntu abe muhle. Abanye bakholelwa ukuthi izingcabo zobuhlanga zingaba usizo ekuvezeni ukuthi onazo udabukaphi ukuze aboniswe umusa. Futhi zisetshenziselwa ukunquma ukuthi umntwana ungowesizwe esithile ngempela yini.”

Nokho, namuhla abazali abaningi abanandaba nalezi zizathu. Ngisho naphakathi kwalabo abaziqhenyayo ngezingcabo zabo, bambalwa kakhulu abavuma ukuba izingane zabo zigcatshwe. Lokhu kuyiqiniso ikakhulukazi emadolobheni. Ubuhlungu nengozi yokungenwa yizifo kanye nokugconwa nokucwaswa ingane engase ibhekane nakho kamuva ekuphileni kuyizici ezenza abazali bakwenqabe ukugcaba ebusweni.

Kusobala ukuthi ukuthandwa nokwamukeleka kokugcaba ebusweni kuncipha ngokushesha. Kubonakala sengathi eNigeria yangomuso, ‘umazisi’ kuyoba yinto abantu abayigcina emakhukhwini abo, hhayi ebusweni.

[Isithombe ekhasini 23]

Izingcabo zasebusweni zihlukanisa amaqembu ezinhlanga

[Isithombe ekhasini 24]

Ukugcaba ebusweni kuyisiko elishabalalayo