SIYAHLAZIYA:
NAMUHLA sibheka indaba enkulu ngolwazi nomlando wezwekazi i-afrika nokuthi kwahamba kwahamba lwashonaphi lolo lwazi.
Njalo nje nxa kuthintwa indaba yokuthi ulwazi lokubhala nenzululwazi yesayensi kwakukhona e-afrika ngaphambi kokufika kondlebezikhanyilanga basemazweni asentshonalanga, kuye kuqubuke imibuzo namanje esadinga izimpendulo ngokuthi pho kwaphelelaphi ngalolo lwazi?
Yini eyabangela ukuba sizithole sesiphansi kwengcindezi yokugqilazwa nokuqonelwa yilezi zizwe njengoba kwenzeka kuze kube namuhla?
Indaba ngale mibhalo yasetimbuktu ike yaba sematheni ngesikhathi kuphethe umengameli Thabo Mbeki, nalapho iningizimu Afrika yabamba iqhaza ngenyuvesi Yasekapa ekulondolozweni kwale mibhalo okwabikwa ukuthi yayisesimeni esibi sokuwohloka lulahleke lonke ulwazi eluqukethe.
Ake singene shi nawe mfundi kuyo le ndaba sibuke nenselele isizukulwane sentsha yakithi esibhekene nayo:
Iningi labantu bomdabu likhohlisiwe ukuze likholwe wukuthi i-afrika ayinazakhiwo zakudala ngaphandle kwalezo ezisegibhithe. Lokhu kakusilona iqiniso. Ake sibheke indaba yasetimbuktu, kwelasemali khona lapha e-afrika.
Inyuvesi yalapho nomtapo wezincwadi wakhona kudala kunalokho okutholakala emazweni asentshonalanga. Inyuvesi lena yabe inezikhungo ezintathu okuyimasajid of Djinguerber, yimasajid of Sidi Yahya, nemasajid of Sankore. Ngekhulunyaka le-12, inyuvesi lena yabe inesibalo sabafundi abayizi-25 000, bevela kwelaseAfrika.
Ngekhulunyaka le-14 idolobha itimbuktu, ewest Afrika, lalilikhulu ngokuphindwe kahlanu kunedolobha ilondon, licebe ukuwedlula wonke amanye amadolobha emhlabeni! Kulelo khulunyaka le-14 izindawo ezintathu ezazicebile emhlabeni jikelele kwakuyiChina, yi-iran/irak kanye nombuso wasemali, ewest Afrika.
Umuntu owayecebe ukubedlula bonke emhlabeni kwakungumansa Musa owabe engumbusi we-mali Empire owawenabele ezindaweni lapho namuhla kuseitaly, Senegal, Gambia neguinea. Ngesikhathi ekhothama ngowe-1331, umansa Musa umcebo wakhe wabe ungu$400 billion (wama dollar asemelika).
Ngalesi sikhathi umbuso waseMali wabe ukhiqiza ingxenye kasawoti negolide lomhlaba wonke. Nguye owakha umtapo wezincwadi wasetimbuktu futhi amaheheba (manuscripts) emibhalo yasetimbuktu ethinta zonke izihloko zolwazi olwalukhona emhlabeni ayebhalwe ngesikhathi sokubusa kwakhe.
Ofakazi ngobukhulu bombuso wasemali babevela kuzo zonke izindawo emhlabeni. Isifundiswa sase-italy sezobuciko nokudweba amapulani usergio Domian wake waphawula kanje ngombuso weMali yangaleso sikhathi:
“Izisekelo zempucuko yasemadolobheni zabekwa kanjena. Ngesikhathi amandla ayo esefinyelele esiqongweni, imali yabe inamadolobha angama-400, kanti maphakathi neniger Delta kwakunesibalo esikhulu sabantu”.
Idolobha itimbuktu kwelasemali ngekhulunyaka le-14 labe linabantu ababalelwa ezi-115 000, okwakuphindwe kahlanu kunesi- balo sabantu baselondon yangaleso sikhathi. Uhlelo lwezokucwaninga inational Geographic lusanda kuchaza idolobha itimbuktu njengeparis yangalezo zikhathi, ngenxa yokudepha ngokomqondo kwesikompilo lakhona. Ngokusho kukaprofessor Henry Louis Gates, izitshudeni zasenyuvesi eziyizi-25 000 zazifunda lapha.
“Imindeni eminingi yasewest Afrika yabe inemitapo yezincwadi ezazikhona eminyakeni ebalwa ngamakhulu eyedlule. Amadolobha ichinguetti ne-oudane kwelase-mauritania ayenezincwadi eziyizi-3 450 ezibhalwe ngesandla zangaleso sikhathi.
“Zibalelwa ezi-6 000 okunge-nzeka ukuba zisekhona kwelinye idolobha i-walata. Ezinye ezesikhathi sekhulunyaka lesi-8 A.D. Kunezincwadi eziyi-11 000 abantu abazigcinele zona ngokwabo ( private collections).
“Futhi-ke khona etimbuktu zibalelwa ezi-700 000 izincwadi zangaleso sikhathi ezisekhona. Zibhalwe ngezilimi imande, Suqi, Fulani, Timbuctu nesudani. Okuqukethwe yilezi zincwadi phakathi kwakho yi-mathematics, Medicine, Law, Poetry ne-astronomy. Lona wumsebenzi esingawubiza nge- Encyclopaedia yekhulunyaka le-14 ngaphambi kokuba lowo mqondo ubafikele abasemazweni ase-europe ngekhulunyaka le-18, okuyiminyaka engama-400 kamuva.
“Uma isifundiswa sasewest Afrika sineqoqo lezincwadi ezingama-600 ngekhulunyaka le-16, kwakuthathwa ngokuthi sineqoqo lezincwadi elincane. Uprofessor Ahmed Baba wase-timbuktu bamqopha ethi wayeneqoqo lezincwadi elincane kunawabo bonke abangani bakhe - wayenezincwadi eziyi-1600 kuphela".
Maqondana nalawo maheheba emibhalo yakudala, umichael Palin, ohlelweni lwethelevishini oluwuchungechunge, i-sahara, uthi lowo oyi-imam yase Timbuktu (okusho umfundisi wenkolo yobusulumane) “uneqoqo lemibhalo yesayensi eveza ngokucacile imihlaba ( planets) izungeza ilanga.
Leyo mibhalo eyangesikhathi esidlule esibalwa ngamakhulu eminyaka. Lokhu kuwubufakazi obugculisayo bokuthi izifundiswa zasetimbuktu zabe zazi okuningi zibedlula ozakwabo base-europe.
Ngekhulunyaka le-15 izazi zemathematics zasetimbuktu zase zazi ngokuphenduka kwemihlaba ( planets), zazi yonke imininingwane ngokusithela kwenyanga, nokusitheka kwelanga ( eclipses), bazi izinto okusithathe cishe iminyaka eyi-150 kuya kwengama-200 ukuba sizazi e-europe lapho ugalileo nocopernicus baqhamuka nalezi zibalo futhi babhekana nobukhulu ubunzima ngalokho.
Inhlokodolobha yasemali okuyi Niani yabe inesakhiwo sangekhulu nyaka le-14 esasibizwa ngehall of Audience. Phezulu sabe sinengxenye esaqhugwane ( dome) elabe lihlotshiswe ngemibala eyisiArabhu.
Amafasitele esitezi esiphezulu ayehlotshiswe ngepulangwe, apha- hlwa ( framed) ngesiliva. Lawo engxenye ephansi yesakhiwo ayehlotshiswe ngepulangwe, aphahlwa ( framed) ngegolide.
“Amatilosi asemali afika emelika ngowe-1311 kusasele iminyaka eyi-181 ngaphambi kokuba kufike ucolumbus! Isifundiswa saseEgypt u-ibn Fadl Al-umari wakushicilela lokhu ngowe-1342. Esahlukweni se-10 sencwadi yakhe, uchaza ngezinkambo zasolwandle ezenziwa ngomyalo wombusi owandulela umansa Musa, okuyinkosi eyangena esihlalweni sasemali ngowe-1312.
Le nkosi eyabe iyitilosi u-alUmari akayigagulanga ngegama kodwa ababhali besimanje babona ukuthi kwabe kungumansa Abubakari II.
Lokhu kucashunwe encwadini karobin Walker esihloko sithi WHEN RULED. Idolobha itimbuktu, elibuye libhalwe kuthiwe Tinbuktu, Timbuctoo noma Timbutoo, kusahlala khona abantu namanje ezweni imali elise West Afrika, lakhiwe ebangeni elingama-20km enyakatho yomfula iniger emaphethelweni aseningizimu yogwadule lukamadlantule, isahara.
Inganekwane ethi i-afrika ayinawo umlando obhaliwe noma izakhiwo zakudala ngaphandle kwalezo ezise-egypt, yilumbo nje elihubhuzwa ngabamhlophe ukuze ibhebhetheke iye phambili leyo ntimbothi yokuthi bona bangcono.
Sekwadlula amakhulu ngamakhulu eminyaka abamhlophe bewumele ngazo zombili izinyawo umshikashika wokuhlanekezela umlando wase-afrika okhipha inyumbazana abomdabu ukuze umkhankaso wabamhlophe wokuthi bangcono uqhubeke uye phambili.
Lokhu kubonakala kahle ngelase-egypt. Yize elase-egypt lingaphakathi kwezwekazi i-afrika, futhi ama- pyramids nomfanekiso igreat Sphinx kwakhiwa ama-afrika eminyakeni ebalelwa ezinkulungwaneni ngaphambi kokuba kufike ama-arabhu ngekhulunyaka lesi-7.
Yize amangcwaba egcwele ubufakazi ongabubala ungaqedi bokuthi izakhamizi zase-egypt zasendulo kwakungabantu abamnyama (kumbandakaya nezinsalela zemizimba engcwatshiwe ezinolibofuzo lwama-afrika), nokho abamhlophe ngoba besemandleni okuphatha basenqaba ukuvuma ukuthi izakhamizi zase-egypt yasendulo kwabe kungabantu abamnyama.
Akungoba bengakwazi lokhu ngoba kakungatshazwa ukuthi bakwazi njengoba bezazi. Iqeqebana lekhethelo labamhlophe lifunda emanyuvesi asezingeni eliphezulu emhlabeni, ngakho-ke nakanjani, bebodwa bayafundiswa ukuthi i-egypt yasendulo nezikhumbuzo ezisemqoka, zase zakhiwe eminyakeni eyizinkulungwane ngaphambi kokufika kwama-arabhu ngekhulunyaka lesi-7.
Futhi bayazi ukuthi indaba ethi izakhiwo zase-egypt yasendulo zakhiwa yizigqila zamajuda, nakho yimfibinga. Phela ama- pyramid nomfanekiso i-great Sphinx kudala ngezinkulungwane zeminyaka ngaphambi kolibo lukashemi wesikhathi sebhayibheli (ukhokho wamajuda).
Ngakho-ke lezi zakhiwo zindala kunomlando wamajuda. Iqiniso lithi: Ama pyramid ne-sphinx kwakhiwe kusasele iminyaka eyizinkulungwane izifikanamthwalo zitheleke kuleli zwekazi i-afrika.
izoqhutshwa ngelizayo *INCAZELO NGU: Zola Dotwana [Ucashunwe encwadini ka Franklin Jones esihloko sithi Black Matrix]