“Isihlahla Sokuphila” Esimangalisayo Sase-Afrika
NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! ETANZANIA
“ANGIKHOLWA ukuthi kukhona into enjengale eyake yabonwa kunoma iyiphi ingxenye yomhlaba.” Yini le uMichel Adanson ongumFulentshi ayibona lapho evakashele eSenegal ngo-1749? Kwakuyisihlahla! Sasingamamitha angaba ngu-20 ukuphakama, sinesiqu esibanzi kakhulu, singamamitha angu-8 ubukhulu. UDavid Livingstone kamuva wasibiza ngokuthi “isaqathi esitshalwe sabhekiswa phansi.”
Kunenganekwane ethi “udeveli wasiphula [lesisihlahla], wafaka amagatsha aso emhlabathini, wayeseshiya izimpande zaso zisemoyeni.” Ngakho, abaningi basazi ngokuthi “isihlahla esibheke phansi.” NgesiLatini sibizwa ngokuthi Adansonia digitata, sethiwe ngomuntu owasithola kuqala, kodwa abaningi bethu basibiza ngokuthi i-baobab, singesinye sezihlahla ezaziwa kakhulu empumalanga Afrika, nakuba izinhlobo zaso ezithé ukuba zinde kunaso zitholakala eMadagascar futhi ezinye ngisho nase-Australia.
Isihlahla Esibheke Phansi
Sase sichithe amahora amaningi sihamba ngemoto emaphandleni aseTanzania. Kwakujabulisa ukubona amadolobhana amahle, izindlu ezifulelwe ngotshani, abesifazane bethwele izinkuni, abantwana bedlala ngaphansi kwezihlahla zikamango, futhi abelusi abathile beluse izinkomo zabo. Ekugcineni siyakubona lokho u-Adanson akubona emuva ngekhulu le-18.
“Nansiya!” kumemeza uMargit. I-baobab enkulu kakhulu ibonakala lapha nalaphaya ezingxenyeni ezithé ukoma e-Afrika eshisayo. Imila emahlanzeni, ngasogwini, ngisho nasemithambekeni yeNtaba iKilimanjaro. “Asikho isihlahla engake ngasibona esinjengayo,” kunezela omunye wabangane bethu. Njengoba impunga futhi inkulu, i-baobab iyisitshalo esinamagxolo angamasentimitha amahlanu kuya kwayishumi ubuqatha. “Ngempela injengesihlahla esitshalwe sabhekiswa phansi!” Engxenyeni enkulu yonyaka, phakathi nezinyanga eziyisithupha kuya kwezingu-7 zenkathi engenamvula, lesisihlahla asibi ngisho naneqabunga elilodwa. Siphila kanjani lesisihlahla? Ake sibuze umuntu owaziyo.
Njengoba sihamba ezweni le-baobab, ekugcineni sikwazi ukukhuluma noShem, ongowomdabu. “Uyabona,” kusho lendoda, “lesi isihlahla esiyibhodlela.” Isihlahla esiyibhodlela? “Yebo, phakathi nenkathi emfushane yemvula, imicu esasiponji yalesisihlahla imunca amanzi amaningi, esiwagcina esiqwini siwasebenzise ngenkathi engenamvula.” Incwadi ethi Baobab—Adansonia Digitata iyaphawula: “Ngokuvamile isiqu sinesikhisi phezulu, amanzi emvula namazolo kuqoqana lapho futhi lawomanzi angaba ukuphela kwatholakayo endaweni enkulu ezungezile. . . . Isiqu sinamanzi amaningi. Kulinganiselwa ukuthi umuthi ongama-cubic mitha angu-200 uyoba namalitha angu-140 000 amanzi. . . . Izingojwana zesiqu ezithwalekayo zingagawulwa bese kukhishwa amanzi okuphuza.” UShem uyantela: “Iyisihlahla esikhulu, kodwa ingaphakathi laso lithambile.” Manje sekufike nabanye abantu bakulelidolobhana futhi balalelisise lengxoxo. “Benazi yini ukuthi i-baobab iyisihlahla sokuphila?” kubuza u-Emmanuel.
“Isihlahla Sokuphila”
Kwabomdabu abaningi lesisihlahla siyisipho esivela kuNkulunkulu. Ngani? “Okokuqala singaphila isikhathi eside kakhulu. Mhlawumbe iminyaka eyinkulungwane noma ngaphezulu,” kuqhuba othile wakulelidolobhana. “Sisinika ukudla, amanzi, izembatho, izinto zokufulela, i-glue, imithi yokwelapha, indawo yokukhosela, imigexo, ngisho namaswidi abantwana.” Kuthiwani ngezinkuni zokubasa? “Cha, amagxolo aswakeme kakhulu ngenxa yamanzi ahlala kuwo. Sivamé ukufuna ezinye izihlahla ukuze sibase.” UDaniel osemusha uthi: “Kodwa sisebenzisa amagxolo ukuze sizenzele izintambo noma izindophi.” Ngaphezu kwalokho, isetshenziselwa ukwenza amanetha, omata, izindwangu, izigqoko, izikebhe ezigwedlwayo, izingqoko, amabhokisi, obhasikidi, nephepha. Umlotha wamagxolo ungasetshenziswa njengomanyolo, futhi abaningi benza insipho ngawo. “Amahlumela namaqabunga ayadliwa,” kunezela omunye womama abasebasha, obelethe ingane. “Sithosa izinhlamvu bese senza ikhofi ngazo. Ingxenye ethambile yesithelo isetshenziselwa ukwenza utshwala, namafutha angatholakala kuyo.”
Phakathi nenkathi emfushane yemvula, lesisihlahla siba nezimbali ezinhle ezimhlophe. Kodwa azinuki kahle njengoba zibukeka! Ziqala ukuvuleka lapho ilanga seliya ngomutsha wendoda kuze kube yilapho lisanda kuzilahla kunina futhi zisuke sezivuleke ngokuphelele ngakusasa ekuseni. Ebusuku, amalulwane adla izithelo aheheka kanjalo ukuba azothutha impova. Abomdabu bahlanganisa impova yembali namanzi bese benza i-glue. Izithelo ezingamasentimitha angu-40 ubude ziyalenga ezingabeni. Uma sithinta lesisithelo esiluhlazana, kuba sengathi sithinta ivelvethi. Sinjengomsila wenkawu. “Oh, kungakho lesisihlahla sibuye sibizwe ngokuthi isihlahla sesinkwa senkawu!” Sisisike lesisithelo sibone ngaphakathi? Kwalaphi!
“Isihlahla Se-cream-of-tartar”
Isithelo sinento emhlophe emuncu ezungeze izinhlamvu, enovithamini C, uvithamini B1, ne-calcium. Lapho kubhakwa, lokhu okumhlophe kungasetshenziswa esikhundleni se-cream of tartar. Yilesosizathu esenza abanye basibize ngokuthi isihlahla se-cream-of-tartar. UShem uthi: “Ngezinye izikhathi senza iziphuzo ngalengxenye ethambile yesithelo. Inambitheka njengolamula.” Kungakho abanye abantu besibiza ngokuthi isihlahla sikalamula. Sisetshenziselwani futhi?
UShem uyaphendula: “Cishe sizisebenzisa zonke izingxenye zalesisihlahla. Igobolondo lesithelo silisebenzisa njengento yokudoba entantayo, inkezo, indishi yesobho, futhi silisebenzisa njengonoxhaka okahle wokubamba amagundane. Lapho izinkomo zethu zihlushwa izinambuzane, sivele sishise lengxenye ethambile yesithelo, bese intuthu izixosha. Ngezinye izikhathi sihlanganisa impuphu yalengxenye ethambile yesithelo nobisi bese sithola i-yogurt eyehla esiphundu.” Kuthiwani ngomuthi wokwelapha? “Yebo, lesisihlahla siyikhemisi lethu,” kuhleka uShem.
Ikhemisi Le-baobab
Nilisebenziselani? “Yonke into!” Ngenxa yokuthi usetshenziselwa izinto eziningi, abantu abaningi bendawo bayasihlonipha lesisihlahla, bayasesaba, yebo, baze basikhulekele. Sizwe ukuthi omama abancelisayo bahlanganisa ingxenye ethambile yesithelo esampuphu nobisi ukuze bayiphuzise izingane zabo bevimbela ukuba izingane zingabi nezisu eziqumbile, ukuhuda igazi, nemfiva. “Umuthi wokwelapha” walesisihlahla uthengiswa ezimakethe zendawo futhi kuthiwa welapha ukuvuvuka, ukuqaqamba kwamazinyo, nezinye izifo. Kulendawo usetshenziselwa ukwelapha inkinga ye-anemia, isifo sohudo, imfuluwenza, isifuba somoya, izinkinga zezinso, izinkinga zokuphefumula, ngisho nezimila.
Kunezinganekwane nezinsumansumane ezixoxwa ngalesisihlahla esingavamile. Abanye banomuzwa wokuthi “ipulazi okumile kulo [i-baobab] akumelwe lithengiswe, ngoba ubukhona bayo busho inhlanhla. . . . Enye indaba ithi noma ubani ovele akhe imbali kulesisihlahla uyodwengulwa iBhubesi. Kunenkolelo yokuthi kunemimoya ehlala kulezizimbali. Kuthiwa amanzi obekucwiliswe futhi kwagovuzwa kuwo izinhlamvu zalesisihlahla avikela ekuhlaselweni izingwenya nokuthi ophuza imbiza eyenziwa ngamagxolo aso uyoba namandla.”—Baobab—Adansonia Digitata.
Amaswidi Ezingane
Sifunde okuningi okusha kwabomdabu ezweni le-baobab. Manje, eDar es Salaam, sibona uNavina, uSuma, noKevin. Qagela ukuthi bahlafunani futhi bamuncani? Izinhlamvu ze-baobab! Izinhlamvu ezibomvana zithengiswa njengamaswidi emgwaqweni, futhi kubonakala sengathi lezizingane ziyazithanda. “Zimuncu?” “Kancane nje, kodwa siyazithanda!” kusho lezizingane ngazwilinye. “Nazi ezinye! Zithatheni nizinambithe!” Yebo, kungani ungenakunambitha okuthile okuvela ‘esihlahleni sokuphila’ sase-Afrika?
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I-“baobab,” isihlahla esisetshenziselwa izinto eziningi
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Izinhlamvu, ziba amaswidi futhi ziyathoswa zibe ikhofi
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Izimbali zaso ziba zinkulu
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Asibi namaqabunga ngenkathi engenamvula