Luyini Uhlanga?
UHLANGA! Likukhumbuzani lelogama? Kwabanye lisho ukubandlululwa nokucindezelwa. Kwabanye, lisho inzondo, izibhelu ngisho nokubulala.
Kusukela ezibhelwini zezinhlanga e-United States kuya obandlululweni eNingizimu Afrika, kusukela ezimpini phakathi kwezinhlanga eMpumalanga Yurophu kuya ezingxabanweni ezindaweni ezinjengeSri Lanka nePakistan—uhlanga luye lwaba isisekelo sokuhlupheka nokubhujiswa kwabantu okukhulu.
Kodwa kungani kunjalo? Ngisho nasemazweni lapho abantu bebonakala bebekezelela cishe noma yikuphi okunye, kungani uhlanga luyimpikiswano enkulu kangaka? Yini eyenza uhlanga lube inhlansi ebangela usizi nokungabi nabulungisa okukhulu kangaka? Kalula nje, kungani abantu bezinhlanga ezihlukahlukene bengezwani?
Ukuze siphendule lemibuzo, kudingeka sazi okungaphezu kwalokho uhlanga oluyikho nezindlela izinhlanga ezihluke ngayo. Kumelwe futhi siqonde indima efezwa umlando ebuhlotsheni bamanje bezinhlanga. Nokho, okokuqala ake sibheke lokho esingase sikutshelwe yisayensi ngalendaba.
Inkinga Ekuhlukaniseni Abantu
Abantu abahlala ezingxenyeni ezihlukahlukene zomhlaba banezici zomzimba ezingafani. Lokhu kuhlanganisa ibala lesikhumba, ukwakheka kwezici zobuso, ukubukeka kwezinwele, nokunye. Umehluko onjalo ongokomzimba uhlukanisa isizwe kwesinye.
Ngakho, ngokuvamile abantu bakhuluma ngabantu abamhlophe nabansundu, beletha ukunakekela ebaleni lesikhumba. Kodwa futhi abantu bakhuluma ngamaHispanic, abantu base-Asia, abaseScandinavia, amaJuda, namaRussia. Lezimpawu zamuva zibhekisela kakhulu emehlukweni ongokomumo wendawo, ubuzwe, noma isiko kunasezicini ezingokomzimba. Ngakho kubantu abaningi, uhlanga alunqunywa kuphela ngezici zomzimba kodwa futhi ngamasiko, ulimi, impucuko, inkolo, nobuzwe.
Nokho, ngokuthakazelisayo, abanye abalobi ababhala ngalendaba banqikaza ngokuphelele ukusebenzisa igama elithi “uhlanga”; balifaka ezimpawini zengcaphuno isikhathi ngasinye lapho livela. Abanye baligwema ngokuphelele leligama futhi esikhundleni salo basebenzisa amazwi anjengokuthi “amaqembu ezizwe,” “amaqembu,” “imiphakathi,” nokuthi “izinhlobonhlobo.” Kungani? Kungenxa yokuthi igama elithi “uhlanga,” ngencazelo yalo evamile, ligcwele izincazelo ezihlukahlukene kangangokuthi ukusetshenziswa kwalo, ngaphandle kwengcaciso efanele, ngokuvamile kufiphaza iphuzu elixoxwayo.
Kososayensi bezinto eziphilayo nezazi zendabuko yabantu, ngokuvamile uhlanga luchazwa kalula nje ngokuthi “ingxenyana yohlobo oluthile ezuza njengefa izici zomzimba eziyihlukanisa kweminye imiphakathi enhlobonhlobo.” Nokho, umbuzo uwukuthi, Yiziphi izici ezingase zisetshenziswe ukuze kuchazwe amaqembu ahlukile phakathi kwezinhlobo zabantu?
Izici ezinjengebala lesikhumba, umbala nokubukeka kwezinwele, ukwakheka kwamehlo nekhala, ubukhulu bobuchopho, nohlobo lwegazi kuye kwasikiselwa, kodwa akukho nokukodwa phakathi kwalokhu okuye kwabonakala kwanelisa ngokuphelele njengesici sokwehlukanisa izinhlobo zesintu. Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi alikho iqembu labantu elikhona ngokwemvelo elinamalungu onke afana nsé ezicini ezinjalo.
Ake ucabangele ibala lesikhumba. Abantu abaningi bacabanga ukuthi isintu singahlukaniswa kalula sibe izinhlanga ezinhlanu ngebala lesikhumba: abamhlophe, abamnyama, abansundu, abaphuzi, nababomvu. Ngokuvamile uhlanga olumhlophe lubhekwa njengolunesikhumba esimhlophe, izinwele ezinombala okhanyayo, namehlo aluhlaza. Kodwa, eqinisweni, kunezinhlobonhlobo eziningi zombala wezinwele, umbala wamehlo, nebala lesikhumba phakathi kwamalungu alokho okuthiwa uhlanga olumhlophe. Incwadi ethi The Human Species iyabika: “Akukhona nje kuphela ukuthi ayikho namuhla imiphakathi eYurophu enamalungu amaningi ohlobo olulodwa; ayikaze ibe khona imiphakathi enjalo.”
Ngempela, ukuhlukanisa izinhlobo zabantu kunzima, njengoba kuphawula incwadi ethi The Kinds of Mankind: “Okuwukuphela kwento esibonakala sikwazi ukuyisho ukuthi: nakuba kungebona bonke abantu abafana nabo bonke abanye abantu, futhi nakuba singase sikwazi ukubona izindlela eziningi abantu ababonakala behluke ngazo, ososayensi abakavumelani ngokuthi zingaki ngempela izinhlobo zesintu ezikhona. Abakanqumi nokunquma ukuthi iyiphi indinganiso yokwahlulela esingayisebenzisa ukuze sihlukanise abantu ngokwezinhlanga. Abanye abacwaningi bamane nje bafuna ukuyeka ukucwaninga futhi bathi lenkinga inzima kakhulu—bathi alikho ikhambi!”
Konke lokhu kungase kubonakale kuyindida. Nakuba ososayensi bebonakala bengenabo ubunzima ekuhlukaniseni izilwane nezitshalo ngokwezinhlobo, kungani benenkinga engaka ekuhlukaniseni isintu ngokwezinhlanga?
“Inganekwane Yomuntu Eyingozi Kakhulu”
Ngokwesazi sendabuko yabantu u-Ashley Montagu, abantu abaningi bakholelwa ukuthi “izici zomzimba nezengqondo zixhumene, ukuthi umehluko ongokomzimba uhlobene kakhulu nomehluko osobala emakhonweni angokwengqondo, nokuthi lomehluko ungalinganiswa ngokuhlolwa kwezinga lokuhlakanipha nemigomo yempucuko efinyelelwa yilemiphakathi.”
Ngakho, abaningi bakholelwa ukuthi ngenxa yokuthi izinhlanga zinezici ezihlukahlukene ezingokomzimba, ezinye izinhlanga zihlakaniphe ngokuvelele futhi ezinye zingaphansi. Nokho, uMontagu ubiza ukucabanga okunjalo ngokuthi “inganekwane yomuntu eyingozi kakhulu.” Abanye ochwepheshe bavumelana naye.
UMorton Klass noHal Hellman bayachaza encwadini ethi The Kinds of Mankind: “Abantu abafani; kuyo yonke imiphakathi kukhona izinjula-buchopho nabantu abangahlakaniphile. Kodwa, ngemva kwakho konke lokhu kucwaninga, izazi ezithembekayo azikabuboni ubufakazi ezingabamukela bomehluko wezici zofuzo phakathi kwemiphakathi ngokuphathelene nokuhlakanipha noma ikhono.”
Nokho, kungani abaningi kangaka besakholelwa ukuthi umehluko ongasho lutho ongokomzimba usho ukuthi izinhlanga azifani ngokuyisisekelo? Empeleni, uhlanga lwaba kanjani impikiswano enjalo? Sizocabangela lezindaba esihlokweni esilandelayo.