ELobukholwa Kanye Nokuhweba Ngezigqila
PHAKATHI nekhulu le-19 leminyaka, abavangeli bamaKatolika namaProthestani babehlangene ekumelaneni kwabo nokuhweba ngezigqila. Nokho, bashintsha kulesimo sabo. Emakhulwini eminyaka edlule, babekuvumela futhi beba nengxenye ekuhwebeni ngezigqila naphezu kokuhlupheka okwesabekayo lokhu okwakubangela.
Abavangeli baqala ukufika ogwini lwaseAfrika olusempumalanga kanye nolusentshonalanga lapho sekutholakale indlela yokuhweba ehamba olwandle ngaseCape of Good Hope ngekhulu le-15 leminyaka. Nokho, ngemva kwamakhulu amathathu eminyaka umsebenzi wabavangeli eAfrika wawusucishe ufike esiphelweni sawo. Kwase kunabantu baseAfrika abambalwa abaguqukile. Esinye isizathu salokhu kwehluleka sasiwukuhileleka kweLobukholwa ekuhwebeni ngezigqila. UC. P. Groves uyachaza kuyiPlanting of Christianity in Africa:
“Umsebenzi wenkuthalo wokuhweba ngezigqila wawuhambisana nomsebenzi wobuKristu futhi wawungacatshangelwa njengongalungile. Ngempela, wona kanye lomsebenzi wabavangeli wawunezigqila zawo; umuzi wezindela wamaJesuit eLoanda [manje eyiLuanda, inhloko-dolobha yaseAngola] wawunikezwe ezingu-12 000. Lapho ukuhweba ngezigqila kuqala phakathi kweAngola neBrazil, umbhishobhi waseLoanda, ehlezi esihlalweni setshe endaweni eseduze nalapho kugitshelwa khona imikhumbi, wanikeza isibusiso sakhe sobubhishobhi emikhunjini eyayisizohamba, ezithembisa injabulo enkulu yesikhathi esizayo lapho izilingo eziyizivunguvungu zokuphila sezidlulile.”
Abavangeli abangamaJesuit abazwakalisanga “kumelana nokwenziwa kwamaNegro izigqila,” kuqinisekisa uC. R. Boxer njengoba ecashunwe encwadini ethi Africa From Early Times to 1800. ELuanda, ngaphambi kokuba izigqila zingene emikhunjini eyayiya kumakoloni aseSpain nasePortugal, kunezela uBoxer, “zaziyiswa esontweni eliseduze . . . futhi zibhapathizwe umpristi wesifunda beyikhulu eqenjini ngalinye ngesikhathi.” Khona-ke, ngemva kokufafazwa ‘ngamanzi angcwele,’ izigqila zatshelwa: “Lalelani nina seningabantwana bakaNkulunkulu kakade; niya ezweni labaseSpain lapho niyofunda khona izinto zoKholo. Ningabe nisacabanga ngendawo enivela kuyo . . . Hambani ngoxolo.”
Yiqiniso, abavangeli beLobukholwa babengebodwa ekuvumeleni ukuhweba ngezigqila. “Kuze kube sengxenyeni yokugcina yekhulu leshumi nesishiyagalombili leminyaka,” kuchaza uGeoffrey Moorhouse encwadini yakhe ethi The Missionaries, “kwakuyisimo sezwe lonke.” UMoorhouse ubhekisela esibonelweni somvangeli ongumProthestani wekhulu le-18 leminyaka, uThomas Thompson, owabhala ipheshana elalinesihloko esithi The African Trade for Negro Slaves Shown to Be Consistent With the Principles of Humanity and With the Laws of Revealed Religion.
Nokho, ngokuba kwalo nengxenye eLobukholwa linecala ngokuhlupheka okwesabekayo okwalethwa phezu kwezigidi zezigqila zaseAfrika. “Ngaphandle kwezigqila ezafa ngaphambi kokusuka kwazo ngomkhumbi eAfrika,” kusho iEncyclopædia Britannica, “ezingu-121/2% zalahleka phakathi nohambo lwazo lokuya eWest Indies; eJamaica ezingu-41/2% zafa zisesezindaweni zokungenisa imikhumbi noma ngaphambi kokuba zithengiswe futhi ezengeziwe eziyingxenye yesithathu zabulawa ‘yimpatho eyayitholwa izigqila ezisafika.’”
Ngokushesha uJehova uNkulunkulu uyokwenza ukuba eLobukholwa kanye nezinye izinhlobo zenkolo yamanga kulandise ngenxa yazo zonke izenzo ezesabekayo zecala legazi okuye kwazithethelela futhi kwazibusisa nokuzibusisa.—IsAmbulo 18:8, 24.
[Umdwebo ekhasini 8]
(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)
Umfanekiso obonisa indlela izigqila ezazicinaniswa ngayo emkhumbini wezigqila
[Umthombo]
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / The New York Public Library / Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations