Ndineminyaka edlulileyo kwishumi ndibhala iingoma zesiXhosa kunye nezixuba nesingesi. Ixesha elininzi iingoma ziyandiqubula zifike ndingalindelanga kodwa ndizamkele, lutyibilike usiba. Kukwanjalo ke nangezincoko zesiNgesi; ndizibhala ngathi olu lwimi lwemboleko ndalazi ndisakhasa.
Kodwa makuthwe kuzakufuneka ndithethe isiXhosa sodwa phambi kwabantu abaninzi! Hay’ke mfundi, uvalo luqalisa ukutyityimba, amathe awufulathele umlomo, ingqondo ibeyintlango eyagqibela kudala ukunethelwa ngamagama esiXhosa antsokothileyo. Ndipenikhe, ndigqogqe zonke iikhabhathi zengqondo yam ndizama ukukhumbula amaqhalo endawafunda esikoloweni ibe ingqondo yona ixela abaphangeli baseHome Affairs isithi, “Si-offline, sisi!”
Xa sendithetha inyani, ingcinga yokubhala izincoko ngesiXhosa yona ibifika iphinde idlule kwamsinyane engqondweni, ndifane ndenze lo malinge angabhekanga phi. Ingxaki ndazixelela kwakudala ukuba isiXhosa endisithethayo asikho mgangathweni wokuba ndingade ndibhale izincoko ngaso. Ndingafane ndixhome i-post kuFacebook ngesiXhosa kodwa ndingande ndibhale into ezakupapashwa kwincwadi okanye kwi-online publication. Ngamafutshane, bendisidelile isiXhosa endisithethayo, ndincingafan’ ukuba asamkelekanga yaye kungafuneka ndibhap’tizeshwe nguNontsizi Mgqwetho noSEK Mqhayi ngenkqu ukuze ndikwazi ukuzibiza umbhali wesiXhosa.
Ukupapashwa kweencwadi zemibongo ezimbini kulo nyaka siwusongayo, Ilifa elibhalwe ngu Athambile onguMamGcina Masola no Unam Wena ka Mthunzikazi Mbungwana, ozalwa ngooMbathane, kufike ndisa mhokana mhokana nezi ntandabuzo. Ndithe ndakuzifunda ezi ncwadi ndeva nababhali bethetha ngazo, ndatsho ndakhululeka, ndazibona ukuba nam ndinganalo ikhaya apha ekubhaleni ngesiXhosa.
Utsho zisuka kwiqweqwe lencwadi uAthambile ukuba kwincwadi yakhe, “isiXhosa sibhalwe njengokuba sithethwa. Njengomntu okhulele edolophini”. Abalulekile ke la mazwi ngoba siphila kwilizwe elathathwayo apho isiNgesi kunye ne Afrikaans ziye zanyanzeliswa ebantwini nto leyo echaphazele indlela esithetha nesibhala ngayo. Endaweni yokuba azame ukukhangela isiXhosa esinzulu, esikude kuye, uAthambile ubhale ngendlela efikelelekayo neyamkelayo inyaniso yokugotywa kwamalwimi ethu. Zihle kakhulu iziphumo zesisigqibo sakhe yaye ziyabonakala kulo mqulu. Umzekelo, kumbongo Iintombi Ezilala Emini uthi umbhali:
Kukho iintombi ezingqengqa emini
Ziyolelwa kukuphunga ubuthongo
Azingxami
Ezi zintombi ezingavuki neentaka
Zivuka xa kuvuma umzimba
Ziyazimamela
Ngendlela abhala ngayo uAthambile kule ncwadi uyabonakala ukuba ufana twatse nezi ntombi zilala emini; wenza into ekholisa yena engajonganga kakhulu ukuba ithina na imigaqo-siseko yokubhala isiXhosa “esamkelekileyo”. Ngapha koko kweminye imibongo uxuba nesiNgesi engayingxengxezeli lo nto ngoba siphila kula maxesha apho songanyelwe sisiNgesi.
Okukuzamkela kukaMamGcina kuyavela nakweminye imibongo efana no Ikhaya Lam, Ibhabhathane, ixhanti lam. Kumbongo obizwa, Imvuselelo umbhali uthetha ngokwamkela ubomi obucandwe kaninzi xa ethi:
Ndiye ndayiqonda into’kuba
ndinguye endinguye
Nam ndingowaKhe
Ubumnyama bam,
ubumdaka bam,
Ubuqaba bam,
nobugqobhoka bam
namazwi am
ayintsholo kowandidalayo.
Ilizwi lam lelam
Ndinguye endinguye
Le miqolo ndiyingxininise ngee-italics, ibonalakisa ukuba umbhali akanamdla wokuvuma isintu ngaphandle kokwamkela ukuba isintu sichatshazelwe kakhulu ngumbuso wamakolonisi.
Ngendlela akhethe usebenzisa ngayo isiXhosa nesiNgesi uAthambile kulo mqulu, liyavakala ifuthe likaNoni Jabavu, ongumbhali athe wazidina ephanda ulwazi ngaye kwizifundo zakhe zesidanga sePhD. Naye uNoni, njengokuba esivezela uAthambile wazamkela ngelithi usisiqhamo samazwe amabini nto leyo eyamenza anyakathelise isiXhosa kwimibhalo yakhe yesiNgesi ngenkani.
Akayedwanga ke uAthambile kubabhali nabaphandi bolwazi abaphilayo abacinga ngolu hlobo, abanye babo bayavela kwimibulelo ekulo mqulu abafana no Siphokazi Magadla, Xolisa Guzula no Julie Nxadi kunye nabanye.
Ekuphendleni kwam olu luhlu lwabantu ndiye ndanomdla kumazwi kaJulie acatshulwe kwi-blog yeBubblegumclub apho athi:
“I write in English and my characters speak isiXhosa, so their dialogue is in isiXhosa and that comes with no apologies and shame, just like my English narration comes with no apologies or shame because I am a product of THIS South Africa and I would rather hold that conflict than hide it, Bessie Head and Duiker taught me that”.
Omnye umbhali ocula iculo elinye no Athambile ikwangu gxa wakhe lo apapashe kunye naye, uMthunzikazi. Ku Unam Wena sidibana no “thikolose [o]thwekhe kwasa”, ne “bhotile yewayini” no “Tata obethelele uthando epulpitini” ne “khethinisi” kunye “namanqina asefrijini”. La magama akawasebenzisi umbhali kuba eliyilo ngoba uzibonakalisile kule ncwadi ukuba ubugcisa bokubhala imibongo unabo. Ntonje, wenze isigqibo sokusebenzisa amagama afikelelekayo ebantwini.
Kwiingxoxo ngeengxoxo ezenzeke ngexesha aba babhali bephehlelela iincwadi zabo, uthe akubuzwa ngalo mba uMthunzikazi waphendula ngelithi akafuni ukubhala ngesiXhosa esisenkcochoyini esingafikelekiyo kuye nakubafundi bemibongo yakhe ngoba uthanda ukuba imibhalo yakhe imthi “khotsho okwebhanti”.
Xa ethetha ngolu hlobo ke umbhali akabhekisi nje kwindlela alusebenzise ngayo ulwimi kodwa nakwimixholo ayikhethileyo kule ncwadi esondeleleyo entliziyweni yakhe. Umzekelo, iliqela imibongo ethetha ngokuthandana kwabantu abanesini esifanayo nto leyo enqabileyo kakhulu kwiincwadi zesiXhosa. Kumbongo othi, Ndicholwe Ndifile umbhali ubandakanya inkohlakalo ebonakaliswa kubantu abanesini esifanayo abathandanayo:
Ukundinyhala umthondo
ukundihlohla iimpuku ekukwini
kuza kundinyanga ndiyagula.
Eli lizwe lichela ukufa
Kungenzeka ndicholwe ndifile.
Ndinamanyala
Ndikukubola
Ndililindle
Ndigutyulwe
Akoneli nje umbhali ukuveza inkohlakalo, uyabhala nangobuncwane bolu thando:
Ndincamathelisa imilebe yam kweyakho
Ndinambitha incasa yoyolo lwayizolo
Yemilebe yam engezantsi
Kwimilebe yakho engentla
Imibongo efana nale ndicaphule kuyo, iyanceda ekuphuhliseni ukubhalwa kwesiXhosa ukwenzela ukuba kungaxangxathi ndawonye njengokuba esilumkisa uNomalanga Mkhize kwisincoko sakhe esithi: Away with Good Bantus: De-linking African language literature from culture, ‘tribe’ and propriety. Kwesi sincoko uNomalanga uveza into yokuba imibhalo yesintu ivame ukugxila kakhulu kwimiba yokuzingca ngenkcubeko nangokuziphatha ngendlela “elungileyo” nto leyo ebangela ukuba uncwadi lwesiXhosa lungakhuli. Ude uNomalanga acele umngeni ngelithi: “African language literary production and scholarship needs to boldly use vernacular idiom to theorise the transgressive, and I dare say, the erotic.”
Ngale ngqokelela yakhe yemibongo ethetha ngokwabelena ngemilebe phakathi kwamanina amabini, uMthunzikazi uphaka kanye oku kutya kudala sikulambele njengabafundi beencwadi zesiXhosa.
Yiyo lo nto ke, ezi ncwadi zibalulekile ngoba zityebisa indlela elisetyenziswa ngalo ulwimi kunye nemiba enokuthi ipapashwe. Indlela ezamkelwe ngayo ngabafundi kwiindawo ngeendawo, oko zafika, ibonakalisa into yokuba aba babhali bathetha nkqo nesizukulwana esiphila kule mihla, basipha ikhaya xa sisonke.
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