Babengakwenza Kanjani?
ABANTU babekuthethelela kanjani ukuhweba ngezigqila? Izazi-mlando zithi kuze kube sekhulwini le-18, bambalwa ababengabaza ukufaneleka kobugqila. Incwadi ethi The Rise and Fall of Black Slavery iyaphawula: “Ngesikhathi uColumbus efika ngokungalindelekile eWest Indies, isonto noma imibhalo elaliyamukela akuzange kunikeze abafuduki besikhathi esizayo uphawu lokuthi ukugqilaza kwabo abantu kwakungase kubhekwe njengokubi, nakuba abefundisi abahlukahlukene babezwakalise ukukhononda. . . . Akukho okwabonisa ukuthi ukuqala kobugqila, njengoba kwakuhlangene nawo wonke umphakathi wabaMhlophe, kufanele kubekelwe inselele.”
Ngemva kokuqala kokuhweba ngezigqila ngaphesheya kwe-Atlantic, abefundisi abaningi basebenzisa izimpikiswano ezingokwenkolo ukuze basekele ubugqila. Incwadi ethi American Slavery ithi: “Abefundisi bamaProthestani [eMelika] bafeza indima eyinhloko ekuvikeleni ubugqila . . . Mhlawumbe impikiswano engokwenkolo eyasakazeka futhi yaphumelela kunazo zonke kwakuwumbono ovamile wokuthi ubugqila buyingxenye yecebo likaNkulunkulu lokunikeza abantu abangamaqaba kuze kube manje izibusiso zobuKristu.”
Kodwa unya nokuhlukunyezwa kwezigqila kwakudinga ukuzithethelela okwengeziwe kunokuzenzisa kokunikeza “izibusiso zobuKristu.” Ngakho abanikazi bamakoloni kanye nabalobi nezazi zefilosofi eYurophu babezitshela ukuthi abantu abansundu abafani nabamhlophe. U-Edward Long, umlimi owayezobhala incwadi ethi History of Jamaica, waphawula: “Lapho sicabanga ngesimo esingokwemvelo salababantu, nokwehluka kwabo kuso sonke isintu, akufanele yini siphethe ngokuthi bangabohlobo oluhlukile?” Imiphumela yokucabanga okunjalo yazwakaliswa umbusi waseMartinique: “Sengifinyelele eqophelweni lokukholelwa ngokuqinile ukuthi umuntu kumelwe aphathe abantu abaNsundu ngendlela aphatha ngayo izilwane.”
Ekugcineni ubugovu bezomnotho nokuthuthukiswa kwenhlalakahle kwaba nengxenye ekuqedeni ukuhweba ngezigqila ngaphesheya kwe-Atlantic. Zibekwa nje abantu abaNsundu bamelana nokugqilazwa, futhi ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-18, ukuvukela kwakwandile. Abanikazi bezigqila ababenovalo bathola ukuthi isimo sabo sasibucayi ngokuqhubekayo. Futhi baqala ukuzibuza ukuthi, esikhundleni sokondla izigqila, kungase kube okushibhile yini ukuthenga izisebenzi lapho kudingekile.
Ngesikhathi esifanayo, izimpikiswano zokuziphatha, ezingokwenkolo, nezenhlalakahle ezimelene nobugqila zasekelwa ngokwandayo eYurophu nasemazweni aseMelika. Izinhlangano ezisekela ukuqedwa kobugqila zadlondlobala. Naphezu kokuqedwa okungokomthetho kokuhweba ngezigqila emazweni amaningi kusukela ngonyaka ka-1807 kuya phambili, imiphumela yakho isabonakala.
Uchungechunge lwethelevishini oluthi The Africans: A Triple Heritage, lwayiveza ngokusobala imizwa yabantu abaNsundu: “Esikhathini esingaphambili kakhulu kobugqila, sasihlala . . . e-Afrika. Khona-ke kwafika abafokazi esingabazi bathatha abanye bethu. Namuhla, sisakazeke kangangokuba ilanga alishoni ezizukulwaneni zabantu abaNsundu.” Ukuba khona kwezigidi zabantu base-Afrika emazweni aseMelika, eCaribbean, naseYurophu kuwumphumela osobala wokuhweba ngezigqila.
Abantu basaphikisana ngokuthi ubani onecala ngokuhweba ngezigqila ngaphesheya kwe-Atlantic. UBasil Davidson, oyisazi somlando wabantu base-Afrika, uyabhala encwadini yakhe ethi The African Slave Trade: “I-Afrika neYurophu kwakubambisene.”
“Umbuso Wakho Mawuze”
Kunokuthile okufanele kufundwe—okuthile okukhathaza ukubusa kwabantu. Indoda ehlakaniphile yabhala: “Ngaqaphela zonke izenzo zokucindezela ezazenziwa ngaphansi kwelanga,—futhi bheka! izinyembezi zabacindezelwe, futhi abanamduduzi, futhi ohlangothini lwabacindezeli babo kunamandla.”—UmShumayeli 4:1, Rotherham.
Ngokudabukisayo, lawomazwi, abhalwa esikhathini eside ngaphambi kokuqala kokuhweba ngezigqila e-Afrika, aseyiqiniso nanamuhla. Abacindezelwe nabacindezeli basekhona, futhi kwamanye amazwe kusenezigqila nabaninizo. AmaKristu ayazi ukuthi ngokushesha, ngohulumeni woMbuso kaNkulunkulu, uJehova ‘uzokhulula ompofu ozikhalela kuye, nohluphekayo ongenamsizi.’ (IHubo 72:12) Ngenxa yalesosizathu nezinye, ayaqhubeka ethandaza kuNkulunkulu: “Umbuso wakho mawuze.”—Mathewu 6:10.