Izitebhisi Eziya Esibhakabhakeni
NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! EPHILIPPINES
UBUDE bawo kuthiwa bulingana nobude beGreat Wall yaseChina buphindwe kayishumi. Abanye bathi uma izingxenye zawo bezingaxhunywa, bezingafinyelela amakhilomitha angu-20 000—noma isigamu somhlaba! Abanye baze bawabize ngokuthi isimangaliso sesishiyagalombili somhlaba! Noma kunjalo, abantu abaningi abakaze bezwe ngalo mbukwane omangalisayo wasePhilippines. Yini yona leyo? Izitebhisi eziya esibhakabhakeni, amasimu elayisi aseCordillera Central. Njengoba elé ezindaweni eziphakeme zaseLuzon, la masimu awumbukwane omangalisayo wobuhle nokuhlakanipha.
Enziwelani? Lezi zintaba ezishaye ujenge ziwummango kangangokuthi kwakungeke kutshalwe kuzo. Kwezinye izindawo kwenyukela ngamaphesenti angaphezu kwangu-50. Kodwa abalimi basendulo abazange bathiywe yilokhu. Endaweni ephakeme ngamamitha angu-1 200 noma ngaphezulu, bemba izinkulungwane zamasimu emaceleni alezi zintaba ezivundile. Ngezinye izikhathi, amasimu angu-25, angu-30 noma ngaphezulu agibelene njengezitebhisi eziya esibhakabhakeni. Futhi insimu ngayinye inamanzi, avinjwe uthango lodaka olubiyelwe ngodonga lwamatshe. Amaningi atshalwe ilayisi futhi aya nokuthi intaba ime kanjani; amanye ashone phakathi, amanye ayizindunduma.
Yebo, amasimu awatholakali ePhilippines kuphela. Amasimu akhona nakwamanye amazwe, ikakhulukazi eNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia, eNingizimu Melika nakwezinye izingxenye ze-Afrika. Kodwa amasimu elayisi asePhilippines avelele ngezindlela eziningi. UMario Movillon, we-International Rice Research Institute, watshela i-Phaphama! ukuthi: “Amasimu elayisi asePhilippines makhulu kakhulu kunawakwamanye amazwe. Ahlanganisa ingxenye enkulu yezintaba zeCordillera.” Ingxenye enkulu iseSifundazweni sase-Ifugao. Umuntu umane ahlatshwe umxhwele inani lala masimu asemmangweni. Anezela ebuhleni bemvelo bezintaba.
Isimangaliso Somhlaba?
Ingabe kuyihaba ukuwabiza ngokuthi isimangaliso sesishiyagalombili somhlaba? Nokho, cabangela leli qiniso: Kungenzeka awumsebenzi wezolimo omkhulu kunayo yonke emlandweni wesintu. Ngo-December 1995, i-United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization yanquma ukufaka amasimu elayisi ase-Ifugao kuyi-World Heritage List. Ngenxa yalokho, la masimu manje aselinganiswa nezinye izindawo ezibalulekile emlandweni nasemasikweni, njengeTaj Mahal eNdiya, iziQhingi zaseGalapagos e-Ecuador, iGreat Wall yaseChina ne-Angkor Wat eCambodia. Kodwa ngokungafani nezinye izakhiwo zasendulo, njengemibhoshongo engunxantathu yaseGibithe, ngokusobala la masimu enziwa ngomzamo womphakathi—hhayi izigqila. Futhi awashiyiwe dengwane kodwa abantu base-Ifugao basawalima.
Uma uvakashela la masimu, ungazibonela mathupha ubuhle bawo obumangalisayo. Uyobona abantu besebenza kula masimu, asukela emamitheni ambalwa kuya kumamitha-skwele angu-10 000. Ezinye izisebenzi zimba inhlabathi ngezinduku ukuze amanzi ashone phansi, zithi zimba zibe zicula. Ezinye zitshala ilayisi, zitshala izithombo noma ziyavuna. Uma uvakasha ilayisi selikhahlela, la masimu ahloba kahle ngemibala eluhlaza ngokuhlukahlukene.
Izinhlobo zelayisi ezithanda amanzi ngeke zichume ngaphandle kwamanzi amaningi. Ngakho-ke kusetshenziswa isimiso sokunisela ngenkasa esiyinkimbinkimbi. Kugeleziswa imifudlana yasentabeni, futhi amanzi agobhozela kula masimu ngesimiso esiyinkimbinkimbi semisele namapayipi enziwe ngoqalo. Edonswa amandla adonsela phansi, amanzi asuka kwenye insimu aye kwenye. La masimu awayona into eyisikhumbuzo, ayisimangaliso soqobo ngempela!
Enziwa Ubani?
Kusobala ukuthi lezi zinkulungwane zamasimu bekungeke kuvele kuse sezikhona nje, futhi bezingeke zenziwe ngeminyaka emibalwa nje. Khumbula ukuthi ayengekho amathuluzi noma imishini yesimanje. Ngakho-ke, kukholelwa ukuthi la masimu aqala ukwenziwa, okungenani emakhulwini amaningana eminyaka adlule.
Ezinye izazi zemivubukulo zize zikholelwe ngisho nawukuthi umsebenzi waqala emuva eminyakeni engu-2 000 edlule. Izazi zesayensi yendabuko yabantu zisikisela ukuthi enziwa abantu abathutha besuka enyakatho ye-Indochina noma ye-Indonesia bayohlala eLuzon, bafika nale ndlela yamasimu elayisi elithanda amanzi. Ngemva kokuba la masimu esenziwe, kwenezelwa iziqephu ezintsha kancane kancane.
Indlela Yokuwajabulela
Manje ake sivakashele la masimu ngamehlo engqondo. Okokuqala sigibela ibhasi elinesimiso sokupholisa umoya elisuka eManila liye edolobheni laseBanaue, e-Ifugao. Lolu hambo luthatha amahora angaba ngu-9. Manje sinezinto eziningana esingakhetha kuzo. Singakhetha ukuhamba ngezinyawo, ukugibela inqola (inqola enengqukumbane) noma ukugibela i-jeepney siye ezindaweni ezihlukene ezijabulisayo. Uma sithanda futhi sinamandla, singahamba ngomunye wemizila eya ezintabeni okuhanjwa kuyo ngezinyawo. Ikwenza ukwazi ukuwabuka kahle la masimu futhi ubone ukuthi lesi simangaliso esenziwe umuntu sikhulu kangakanani.
Sikhetha ukuthatha i-jeepney siye edolobhaneni iBatad. Kusithatha isikhathi esingaphezu kwehora sihamba emgwaqweni osentabeni omahhadlahhadla size sifike esiqongweni esingamakhilomitha angu-12. Ukusuka lapha, sihamba ngendlela yabahamba ngezinyawo. Isishonisa phakathi kwezihlahla ezihlukahlukene zale ntaba njengoba sikhuphuka kancane kancane sifika egqumeni eliphakathi kweziqongo ezimbili. (Kunendlela enqamulelayo, kodwa iwummango kakhulu futhi akutuswa ukuba bahambe ngayo labo abangazijwayele izindawo ezikhathazayo.) Ukusuka kuleli gquma sihamba kancane sehle siye eBatand ngomzila owumngcingo.
Ngemva kokuhamba amahora ambalwa, sijabulela umoya opholile wasentabeni endleleni, sigcina sesifikile lapho besibabele khona. Lapha la masimu adelisa amehlo ethu. Njengoba iBatad ibhekene nendawo yentaba eshone phakathi, la masimu amise okwenkundla enkulu yemidlalo yasesiteji. Enza imigqa ethakazelisayo, omunye phezu komunye, njengezitebhisi eziya esibhakabhakeni. Njengoba sisondela edolobhaneni, sibona izindlu ezindala zase-Ifugao, ezigcwele kuleli dolobhana njengamakhowe asitshekelwe utshani obude.
Abantu balapha banobungane futhi bayasibingelela njengoba sibadlula besebenza kula masimu. Ungamangala ukubona abantu balapha behamba kalula ematsheni amakhulu okwakhiwe ngawo uthango lwala masimu, besuka kwesinye isiqongo beya kwesinye. Abanye bacaca njengembuzi yentaba besuka kwesinye isiqephu beya kwesinye esingenhla, besebenzisa amatshe abekwe ngokucophelela njengezitebhisi. Uma ubabhekisisa uyabona ukuthi abafake zicathulo. Futhi nxazonke bazungezwe yilo mbukwane wamasimu asentabeni—into engavamile lapho umsebenzi womuntu ungena kahle khona futhi uphelelise le ndawo.
Ingabe kuzwakala kuthakazelisa? Uma kunjalo, lapho uvakashele ePhilippines, ungaliyeki ithuba lokubona izitebhisi eziya esibhakabhakeni, isimangaliso soqobo ongeke usikhohlwe.
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Ukulondoloza Amasimu
Nakuba la masimu emahle kangaka, ukuqhubeka kwawo ekhona kuyasongelwa. Iningi lesizukulwane esisha esihlala kulezi zintaba alisakuthandisisi ukutshala ilayisi futhi lifuna imisebenzi kwezinye izindawo. Lokhu kungabangela ukuntuleka kwabalimi abanekhono lokugcina la masimu.
U-Aurora Ammayao, ongumnsinsi wokuzimilela e-Ifugao, osebenzelana ne-International Rice Research Institute, watshela i-Phaphama! ngenye ingozi: “Amasimu kufanele ahlale emanzi, kodwa manje amanzi aseyindlala ngenxa yokugawulwa kwamahlathi.” Ukoma kwemithombo yamanzi kuyosho ukuphela kwala masimu.
Izinhlekelele zemvelo nazo zibangela izinkinga ngezinye izikhathi. Ukuzamazama komhlaba ngo-1990 kwacekela phansi izingxenye eziningana zala masimu lapho uhlangothi lonke lwentaba ludilika.
Nokho, kuthathwa izinyathelo zokuvimbela ukushabalala kwala masimu. Ngo-1996 kwakhishwa umyalo wokwakha i-Ifugao Terraces Commission. Wawuyini umsebenzi wayo? Ukulondoloza la masimu, kuhlanganise nesimiso samanzi nendlela okusetshenzwa ngayo kule ndawo nokulungisa noma yiziphi izindawo ezicekeleke phansi.
Ukufakwa kwala masimu kuyi-World Heritage List ye-United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) nakho kwenza uhulumeni wasePhilippines abe nesibopho sokulondoloza le ndawo. Futhi ngokukaJean Tuason, oyiphini lomqondisi wehhovisi le-UNESCO eManila, “i-UNESCO nayo inganikeza usizo lwezobuchwepheshe nolwezimali ukuze kuvikelwe futhi kulondolozwe amasimu elayisi.”
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(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)
Cordillera Central
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