Ingabe Bekuyinkathi KaSathane?

“NGENXA yobubi bayo obedlulele, lena bekuyinkathi kaSathane. Ayikho enye inkathi lapho abantu beye baba khona nekhono, nequnga elikhulu kangaka lokubulala izigidi zabantu ngenxa nje yohlanga, inkolo noma izinga labo lezomnotho.”

Ukugujwa kweminyaka engu-50 selokhu kwakhululwa izisulu ezingenacala ezazivalelwe emakamu okufa amaNazi kwabangela ukuba kubhalwe la mazwi angenhla ohlelweni lwe-New York Times ka-January 26, 1995. UkuQothulwa Kwesizwe—ukuqothulwa kohlanga okwaziwa kakhulu kunakho konke emlandweni—kwabulala amaJuda angaba izigidi eziyisithupha. Kwafa izakhamuzi zasePoland ezingewona amaJuda ezicishe zibe izigidi ezintathu kulokho okubizwa ngokuthi “UkuQothulwa Kwesizwe Okwalitshalwa.”

“Kulinganiselwa ukuthi ngenkathi esukela ku-1900 kuya ku-1989 impi yabulala abantu abayizigidi ezingu-86,” kusho uJonathan Glover encwa-dini yakhe ethi Humanity—A Moral History of the Twentieth Century. Uyanezela: “Ukufa ezimpini zangekhulu lamashumi amabili kwenzeke ngezinga okunzima ukuliqonda. Ukuwacozula ngokulinganayo amanani abantu abafa akunikezi inani langempela, ngoba izingxenye ezimbili kwezintathu (izigidi ezingu-58) zafa ezimpini ezimbili zezwe. Kodwa, ukube leli nani belingacozulwa ngokulinganayo kuyo yonke le nkathi, kungathiwa impi yabulala abantu abangu-2 500 ngelanga, Labo abantu abangaphezu kwekhulu ngehora, ubusuku nemini, iminyaka engu-90.”

Ngenxa yalokhu, ikhulu lama-20 liye labizwa ngokuthi enye yezinkathi zokuchitheka kwegazi okukhulu kunakho konke abantu abake bakubona. Encwadini ethi Hope Against Hope, uNadezhda Mandelstam uthi: “Sibone ukunqoba kobubi ngemva kokuba izimiso zobuntu zilulaziwe futhi zinyathelwe phansi.” Empini yobuhle nobubi, ingabe ngempela ububi bunqobile?

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 2]

COVER: Mother and daughter: J.R. Ripper/SocialPhotos

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 3]

U.S. Department of Energy photograph