Inselelo yangempela ukuxhumanisa isayensi nezobuchwepheshe nempilo ephilwayo, ukuze umphakathi ukwazi ukukhuthaza ukucabanga okusha kubantu bawo ngokusebenzisa amazwi azozwakala ngale kokunikeza ubufakazi, okuyinto ezodala imicabango emisha nemihlaba emisha.
Njabulo Ndebele (1998)
Ngangilokhu ngithanda ukubona iqhaza elibanjwa yimicabango ekwakheni iqiniso - amandla okucabanga nawezwi ekubumbeni imihlaba. Indaba yezesayensi umuntu aziqambele yona iyisibonelo salokhu. Amashumi eminyaka adlule abalobi bezindaba zesayensi abaziqambele zona badala imihlaba lapho abantu bebekwazi ukuxhumana bukhoma, abadlali bebekwazi ukuxhumana emihlabeni ehlukahlukene ngevidiyo-cingo video phone) nezinye izindlela zokusakaza jengobuchwepheshe bewayalense. Lezo zikhathi sezifikile. Isibonelo, abalobi abasadingi ukuthi bajulukiswe yimishini yokubhala, noma bathembele eposini elizothata izinsuku noma amasonto ukuhambisa imibhalo, okumele ukuba ihlolwe, ibuyiselwe ukuze ilungiswe njalo njalo... Sibonga lesi sikhathi sobuchwepheshe bedijithali, imibhalo ethunyelwa kalula. Lokhu kunikeza ababhali isikhathi sokusebenzisa isikhathi sabo bebhala. Impela lobu buchwepheshe businikeza amathuluzi okuguqula isimo sethu esisizungezile.
Engikuphawulayo ngamathuluzi obuchwepheshe esiwasebenzisa namuhla - ukusuka ezimotweni ukuya kumakhompyutha - ukuthi okumbalwa kabi kwalokhu okwenziwe e-Afrika, ngakho-ke kubiza kangangokuthi akufinyeleleki kuma-Afrika amaningi. Uma ngicabanga ngaleli gebe lobuchwepheshe, ngibona kuyinto engabazekayo ukuthi abekho ososayensi e-Afrika abangakha ubuchwepheshe obufanele, obungenza ngcono impilo yama-Afrika neyabanye ukulwisa ubuphofu nezifo. Kungani ama-Afrika ebukeka ekwesaba ukudala izinto kabusha? Ziphi izincwadi, izinhlelo zomabonakude, ezimayelana nososayensi abagqamile base-Afrika, aphi amaqhawe namaqhawekazi aphonse itshe esivivaneni ekuphuculeni isintu.
Emculweni kukhona okubhalwe phansi kwagcinwa. Ama-Afrika akwazile ukusebenzisa umculo omuhle ukwelapha umhlaba. ENingizimu Afrika oMakeba, oGwangwa, oRathebe, oMasekela, oMolelekwa, oBosman, oKhumalo abaningi, kanye no-Muffin bangubufakazi bokuthi emculweni sikwazile ukuqamba nokuphumelela. Siyakhumbula ukuthi - umculo, umdlalo weshashalazi nezokudansa kwaba nesandla ekuwiseni umbuso wobandlululo. Nokuthi iningi lemisebenzi yethu yezobuciko iyaqhubeka ukuzabalaza ukuzwakalisa ilaka layo, ukurekhoda nokukhuthaza. Abadlali nabalobi bangomuso balandela izibonele ezinhle. OSimphiwe Dana, uLetlake-Nkosi namaloudrastress bayazi ukuthi kumele baqhube umsebenzi walabo asebehambe ngaphambili.
Uma sibuyela kwezesayensi. Kuba nzima ukuthi ngikhumbule izibonelo ezigqamile zalapha ekhaya. Ingqondo yami iphinde ibuyele kwezobuciko, ikakhulukazi ubuciko obulotshiwe. UNadine Gordimer, u-J.M. Coetzee noWole Soyinka baphumelela ekutholeni izindondo ezihamba phambili. Nomlobi ogqamile ubaba u-Es'kia Mphahlele naye wakhethwa. Baningi abalandele emisebenzini ka-Achebe. UHead, uMda, uMattera, uTladi, uMhlophe, uMagona, u-Ousmane, uBa, uBiko, u-El Saadawi, uSepamla, uSerote, uWa Thiongo, uNdebele, uWicomb, uDangarembga, uMarechera, uDuiker, u-Andersson, uMpe, uMagogodi, uMashile, uMolope kanye namanye amaningi amavulandlela asibonisile ukuthi ukuba owesifazane onsundu akusona isifo esenza ukuthi umuntu angakwazi ukubhala nokucabanga. Imibono nefilosofi yabo elotshwe kahle ngalokho okungamaqiniso nangalokho abaziqambele khona bekususela ekhanda, kusitshela ngemizabalazo yethu yokuzikhulula emaketangini amaninginingi. Abanye babhala futhi basaqhubeka ukubhala ngaphansi kwezimo ezilukhuni, ngaphansi kwezimo zemibuso ezimisele ukuqeda inkululeko. Bayasigqugquzela ukuthi singadeli ekukwazini ukuthola ukuthula nothando. Basikhuthaza ukuthi sibhale phansi amagama ukuze sikhumbule ngabantu, ngemihlaba namagugu lapho singebona abantu abakhonza ngamadola. Njengoba igebe phakathi kwalabo abadla imbuya ngothi nalabo abadla izambane likapondwe selisikaza ukusigwinya sonke nje, babhala ukuthi ukweba kwabahluphekile ukondla abacebile kuyinto embi.
Ekulweni naleli gebe lobuphofu elandayo, okaNdebele unikeza inselelo yokuthi abalobi kumele bazimbandakanye nomhlaba wezesayensi nobuchwepheshe, futhi bacabange nangezindlela lawa mathulusi angaguqula ngayo umhlaba. Sidinga eziningi izithombe zasesinema, izincwadi amaphephabhuku, imisebenzi yasethiyetha, yomsakazo kanye nezinhlelo ze-inthanethi ezisikhumbuza ngedumela nokubaluleka kwaesayensi yasemandulo eMapungubwe, eThulamela naseGibhithe. Lokhu okuyizinto ezizosikhumbuza ukuthi sasilokhu sinalo ulwazi oluphucukile lokugoba insimbi ibe yinto enobuhle obubabazekayo. Sekungamakhulu eminyaka sihweba ngezinto ezenziwe ngezinto ezimbiwa phansi ezibizayo. Lolu lwazi lwaluthukuswe imibuso yamakholoniyali neyobandlululo eyayingafuni ukuthi sihlale sikhumbula ukuthi sasilokhu sinolwazi, futhi sisengacobelelana ulwazi lwethu lwezesayensi nelwezobuciko nomhlaba. (IYunivesithi yase Pitoli yalufihla udaba lokuvundululwa kweMapungubwe, ngoba le ndawo lwaluphikisana nomlando wobandlululo owawufakaza intshumayelo yokuthi kwakungekho muntu owayehlala eNingizimu Afrika ngaphambi konyaka wamakhulu ayishumi nesikhombisa.)
Ngenhlanhla, isimangaliso, ngisho amaphiramidi aseGibhithe, asinda ezimpini nakodalimede futhi okunamhlanje awubufakazi bemethamethiki nobobunjiniyela basemandulo.
Ekuvunduleni izindaba ngobuchwepheshe nobusayensi be-Afrika yasendulo singaqonda kangcono ukuthi kweza kanjani ukuthi sigcine sesikweleta, futhi sisaqhubeka nokukweleta izigidigidi kumazwe aseNyakatho. Ukuqondisisa kwethu kumele kusisize kumizamo yethu yokwedlula kulesi simo sanamuhla sokungalingani.
Impumelelo ye-Afrika kwezesayensi ayigcini emandulo. Ngisanda kuzwa ukuthi iKreepy Krauly, lobuya bucwazicwazi obasungulwa, obugcina iziziba zomhlaba jikelele zibenyezela, basungulwa ngo-1974 eNingizimu Afrika unjiniyela osebenzisa amandla amanzi (hydraulics engineer), uFerdinand Chauvier. Kanti futhi sino-Afronaut Mark Shuttleworth ogabavula ashone ezinkanyezini enza imizamo yokuvala igebe lolwazi elikhona kwezedijithali, ukusetshenziswa kwemithombo evulekile yohlelo olufakwa kukhompyutha (software) eyenziwe ekhaya, olungezukumba eqolo ukuba luthengwe ngamadola nangopondo. Ngineqiniso lokuthi basebaningi kabi ososayensi nezazi zemethemethiki, abesilisa nabesifazane, abanezindaba ezingakhuthaza, uma zingagcinwa ezindaweni ezinedumela ngokugcina okufunwa ukukhunjulwa njengezindlela ezahlukahlukene zobuciko. Izindaba zososayensi abafana noSolwazi uMalegapuru Makgoba, usokhemisi wemisebenzi yokwenza impahla (indusrial chemist) osewadlula emhlabeni, uManakana Hosea Mabogoana, isazi samafiziki senukliya (nuclear physicists) USolwazi u-Alfred Msezana noSolwazi uReginald Boleu, isazi semethemetiki u-Dkt. Mammokgethi Sikati nabanye abaningi, kusamele idluliselwe izizukulwana. Le nqolobane yolwazi izofunza ingqondo yamaciko nososayensi bakusasa abazoqhuba ukwakha, ukusungula nokuguqula imihlaba.
Amazwi okubonga
Leli phepha lizuze lahlomula ngenxa yokuxoxisana okwabakhona no-N. Mabaso no-F.D. Mazibuko.
Izincwadi ezisetshenzisiwe
Ndebele, N. 1998 "Memory, metaphor and the triumph of narrative"
- Negotiating the past: the making of memory in South Africa
Eds. Nutall and Coetzee. Cape Town: Oxford University Press
http://killeenroos.com/link/africa.htm
http://saxakali.com/COLOR_ASP/historymaf.htm
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Nokuthula Mazibuko is a 30-year-old writer based in
Jo'burg. She started working in television and radio in 1997
as a scriptwriter and researcher. She has written for the
award-winning health show Soul City and the global children's
show Sesame Street. Nokuthula wrote and directed her
first documentary for e-tv called Lady Was a Mshoza
in 1999, about women in the Sepantsula sub-culture. In 2000
she wrote and co-produced a second documentary, The Gift
of Song (screened at the international film festival ZIFF).
She has worked as news producer for the BBC and the youth
radio station YFM. She is currently working as scriptwriter/editor
for various radio and TV shows (she has written two scripts
for Molo Fish II) and her novella for youth, In
the Fast Lane, about girls coping with HIV/AIDS, was published
in March 2003 by New Africa Books. She is a PhD student in
the African Literature Department at Wits University and the
winner of the 2003 Bessie Head writing fellowship.
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