elihunyushwe nguLisa Goldstone
uMolara Ogundipe-Leslie (1993) wake wabuza lo mbuzo, "Ingabe abantu besifazane base-Afrika abakhulumi noma sehluleka ukubheka amazwi abo lapho singabathola khona, kumasayithi nasezinhlotsheni ezikhulunywa lawa mazwi?" Ngiqala ngalo mbuzo ngoba ngulowo ebese kunesikhathi ngicabanga ngawo. Umbuzo oqhubeka usebenza ezweni elisabuswa ukwehluka kwemibono efuna ukusichaza ngamagama aphelele. Izwe elingenandaba ngokungacabangi ngemingcele eminingi edalwa yilomehluko kanye nabantu abahlala eqinisweni lalemingcele. Kulezi zikhala ezinomkhawulo ukuthi “Prayer Room" likaLorin Sookool likhona futhi lisuka lapho likhuluma khona.
Njengengxenye yeSee Chicago Dance's Screendance Club, "Prayer Room" lahlolwa ku-inthanethi ngo Ephreli 28, kwalandela ingoxo nababukeli noSookool.
Le vidiyo ibheka indawo nesityela somphakathi othile wezalukazi ezihlala eWentworth, eThekwini—indawo enombala osogwini, empumalanga yeNingizimu Afrika—futhi ikhulisa kakhulu amazwi abo.
Amakhaladi. Kuya ngokuthi ungubani nokuthi uvelaphi, kungaba yizwi elilulazayo. Ukuhlukaniswa ngokobuhlanga kanye nendlela yokukhomba umuntu eNingizimu Afrika, azuzwe njengefa ku-apartheid, leli gama lichaza umphakathi wabantu abafakwa emaphethelweni ngokungabi mhlophe ngokwanele nokungabi ngabamnyama ngokwanele. Kungokunye ukukhawulelwa, ngokususelwa eqinisweni lokuthi imvelaphi yabo iqhamuka ezinhlangeni ezixubile. Ngenkathi ebuzwa ukuthi akhulume nobunikazi bamaKhaladi eNingizimu Afrika nokuthi ubenza kanjani emsebenzini wakhe, uLorin akagcini nje ngokukhombisa ubunzima bezepolitiki ezibanga ukuhlukaniswa kwakhe njengefa, kodwa futhi nomzabalazo wokuletha ukubonakala ngokungabi nabulungisa okubhekenwe nakho ngaleli qembu lobuhlanga. Ngenkathi kusahlonishwa ubuntu obuyi mvelaphi yabo. Futhi kubonakala ngendlela umphakathi wamakhaladi ongajwayele ukumelwa ngayo emphakathini wokudansa waseNingizimu Afrika. Futhi njengoba uCatherine M. Cole (2020) evuma, "Izincwadi zezinkampani zibamba iqhaza ekukhiqizeni ulwazi nasekuhleleni amandla. Zithinta indawo nesikhathi."
“Prayer Room” liqala ngokushwiba konzwane onamathela ngaphansi kwebhentshi lesonto elibheke phansi. Ucingo lukhala nemikhonzo eyabiwe, ngamazwi ajabule ukuzwa omunye nomunye, afudumeze indawo. Izingxoxo ezenzeka phakathi kukaLorin nalaba besifazane abathathu kulezi zingcingo zeWhatsApp ziyisiqalo somsebenzi wokudansa futhi zisetshenziswa njengomculo wangemuva. Lezi zingxoxo, eziqoqa amandla nomfutho, ziyizendlalelo futhi zihlanganisiwe ukukhombisa ubunzima obutholakale ngesikhathi sokuvalwa kanzima kwe-COVID-19 eNingizimu Afrika. Lezi zingxoxo zivela ekushodeni kokwesekwa nguhulumeni, ekuhlelweni komphakathi nasokholweni. Konke kubanjwe ngesizotha nangokukhanya okunethezekayo, noma ngabe awukhululekile ngendaba. Amaphimbo ka-anti Sakkie, u-anti Lorraine no-anti Joyce (umama kaSookool), asinika ithuba losuku nosuku lwalaba besifazane nabaningi abanjengabo, abazama ukuthola induduzo nokusekelwa ngesikhathi sokuhlukaniswa ngenkani. Banikeza umongo womsebenzi, enhliziyweni yawo okhuluma ngomphakathi nokuthi sizakha kanjani izikhala ezibusisekile ukuze sibe esidlweni.
Kuyo yonke ingxoxo yethu ngomsebenzi, uLorin wayenomusa ngokwabelana ngendlela yakhe yokwenza ividiyo yokudansa. Wayehlala evuma ukuthi lo kwakungewona umsebenzi owenziwa wedwa kepha kwakuwumsebenzi owawungeke ubekhona ngaphandle kwabantu ababambe iqhaza, kubalwa omamncane abathathu, umenzi wevidiyo uTania Vossgatter kanye nalowo ophethe ukukhanyisa, uThemba Mbuli. Lokhu kuvunywa komphakathi awudalayo kuthathela indawo “Mina” esikhundleni sika “thina,” lapho uLorin enza khona izinqumo ezibonisa isidingo sobuntu sokwakha kunokubhidliza. Ukusazisa ukuthi le nqubo yokubiza kwakuwukuthi umsebenzi wawuthola kanjani igama layo, njengoba kwakungu-anti omdala owethula umqondo wesonto ezingxoxweni. Yize uLorin engakholelwa enkolweni, angavuma ukwenza kwakhe ubuciko njengenqubo yenkolo. Ukungena engxoxweni ngakho-ke kwaba ukungena endaweni yabo yemikhuleko. Lapho ebuzwa ukuthi weqa kanjani iminyaka nezikhala zenkolo ukwakha lo mphakathi, wakhuluma ngokuthola indawo esivumelana ngayo kunokuphokophela ezintweni ayengeke ancike kuzo ngokwemvelo.
Ngale ndlela, inqubo yakhe iqala ukukhanyisa indlela yokuba ndawonye kanye nomphakathi onikelayo naphezu kokungafani kwethu. Yena, njengabesifazane ababengakolunye uhlangothi lwentambo yocingo, wasala ehlupheka ngokuvalelwa phansi waphoqeleka ukuthembela ethembeni nasemthandazweni njengoba ukungaqiniseki kunamandla. Uthathe isifundo ezincwadini zezalukazi, ebezifuna ukuletha isonto labo emakhaya abo. Isonto lakhe, okungubuciko bakhe bokwenza umdanso, lithola ukuvuselelwa ngokuhlangana nalezi zintokazi. Uthola ukuzethemba kokuthatha izinto azenzile, okokuqala ngqa, endaweni yokusebenza kunokuba ayivumele ihlale ngasese ekuzifundiseni kwakhe, noma endaweni yomthandazo.
Ukuvala ingxoxo yethu, ngishilo ukuthi ngivuswe kanjani yiqiniso elinzima engake ngalinikwa ngumngani: ithemba akusilo icebo. Ithemba kungenzeka ukuthi alilona icebo, kepha ngikunikeza njengendawo ephefumulekayo, ehlalisekayo — okungenani kithina esikhumba esincane. Akuyona imfihlo ukuthi imizimba ebhekelwa phansi kudingeke ukuthi ilwe namathuba angenakunqotshwa ukuze ithole ithuba lokuphila izimpilo ezihloniphekile, imvamisa iphendukela kulokho okungabonakala njengezindlela ezingahlelwanga, ezilahlwa kalula njengezingenangqondo noma ezingelona iqiniso. Ithemba, njengokukholwa, yisimo somqondo. Futhi njengoba omunye wababekazi esho, awukwazi ukubona ukukholwa, kepha sekuyisikhathi eside kakhulu kube yiyo yonke le mizimba emnyama ne nsundu obejwayelekile. Ngomusa womkhuleko, ithemba, ukukholwa sisekhona. Futhi empambanweni yomthandazo, ithemba kanye nokufunda, uLorin uphefumulela impilo eqinisweni lanamuhla. Ukwakha isikhala esingahlaliseka, isikhala lapho singaphefumula khona futhi sikhiphe umoya. Indawo lapho ukuphefumula kungelona ilungelo kodwa kuyilungelo eliyisisekelo.
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"I-Screendance Club: iphathi yokubuka engajwayelekile, ingxoxo yamavidiyo omdanso amafushane" yenzeka njalo ngenyanga. Umbuthano olandelayo, ngoMeyi 26, uzophathwa ngumbhali wabasebenzi be-SCD uD'onminique Boyd engxoxweni noCecil McDonald, Jr. ngomsebenzi wakhe, "iPieta for America." Ukwamukela izindaba ngeScreendance Club nezinye izinhlelo zeChicago Dance, bhalisela iphephandaba lethu noma chofoza izixhumanisi ezingezansi Ukuthola ezinye izindaba ngomsebenzi kaLorin Sookool, vakashela iwebhusayithi yakhe.
Editor's note: This piece was published in English on May 5. Read it here.
