MWENDELA ntanda wakuminye bingi pa byo ataine. Mu kiselebwa kya mu Algeria, watainemo kishimikwa kyatungile bena Loma panyuma ya kushinda kyazhikamineko mu busenga. Scotsman James Bruce watulukile kino kishimikwa mu 1765, kechi wayukile kuba’mba waimene peulu ya bikulukulu bya muzhi mukatampe wa bena Loma ye batungile ku kabeta ka buyeke ka Africa utelwa amba muzhi wa kala wa Thamugadi luno utelwa amba Timgad.

Panyuma ya kupitapo myaka 100, mu 1881, bamfunji ba bya kupoyapoya ba ku France batendekele kuzhiikula bintu bya kala byajinga mu Timgad. Nangwa kya kuba ino mpunzha yajinga mu kiselebwa, bino byo bataine byamwesheshenga amba bantu baikalanga bwikalo bwawama bingi. Pano ki ka kyalengejile bena Loma kushimika muzhi wawama mu ino mpunzha? Kabiji ñanyi bintu byo twafwainwa kufunjilako ku uno muzhi wakala ne bantu baikalangamo?

Bena Loma byo batendekele kulama ku kabeta ka buyeke bwa Africa mu myaka kitota kitanshi B.C.E., bebalukukile ku mikoka ya bantu bavilauka vilauka. Bena Loma bafwainwe kuba byepi pa kuba’mba bomvwañanenga na bantu bo bataine? Patanshitu, nzhita ya busatu ya bashilikale ba kwa Augustus batungile masakwa avula akosa ne byamba bya kulondelapo mu mitumba yaikela mu kabeta ka ku buyeke mu kyalo kitelwa luno amba Algeria. Pa kupitapo kimye, batungile muzhi wa Timgad na nkebelo yabujile kuyukanyikwa.

Bena Loma batungile muzhi wa Timgad pa kuba’mba mwikalenga bashilikale batambula penshonyi, pano bino batungile uno muzhi pa kuba’mba batambule bulume bwa bantu baikalangako. Jishinda jo baingijishe jaingijile. Bantu baiyanga na kupotesha bintu mu Timgad batendekele kukumbwa bwikalo bwawama bwajingamo. Pa kuba’mba bebaswishe kwikala mu Timgad mwaikalangatu bena Loma, bavula batendekele kutwela bushilikale ku bena Loma pa myaka 25 pa kuba’mba abo ne bisemi byabo bekale ke bangikazhi ba mu Loma.

Bena Africa kechi batondelwe kwikalatu na bitupa bya kina Loma ne, bino bamo baikele ne pa bifulo bya peulu mu Timgad ne mu mapunzhatu akwabo a mu Loma. Jishinda jaingijishe bena Loma ja kongola bantu jaingijile kya kuba byo papichile myaka 50 bavula baikalanga mu Timgad bajinga bena Africa ba ku kabeta ka ku buyeke.

Bena Loma baubile byepi pa kuba’mba bajimbaike bantu baikalanga mu Timgad mu kimye kichechetu? Batundaikanga kubula misalululo na bantu bakwabo mambo balondejile muzhilo waambile kinemanga aye Cicero mwina Loma. Bena Loma bajinga bashilikale ne bena Africa bajinga na mapunzha aesakanatu. Mazubo ajinga mu muzhi beashimikile bulongo pa mpunzha yabayile mamita 20 kuzhokoloka kabiji kwapichile ne mikwakwa icheche. Ino mpunzha yaesakene bulongo kabiji yawama yo yakomokanga bano bantu.

Byonka byo kyaikalanga mu mizhi yavula ya bena Loma, bano bantu nabo bayanga na kusambakana ku kisankanyi pa moba kwavulanga bantu pa kuba’mba bomvwe inge kuji mbila yakatataka nangwa kuya na kukaya. Bantu baikalanga mu mitumba yajinga pepi bafwanyikizhanga saka babena kwenda mu mashinda mwajinga bimfutele saka kwazonga mute nangwa kowa mu bizhiba. Bafwanyikizhanga kwikala ku mishima saka besamba na balunda nabo. Bakebeshanga bingi bwikalo bwa uno mutundu.

Kibanza mwakukaila kyalengejile bena Loma kujimbaika bano bantu. Kino kibanza kyatwezhanga bantu kukila pa 3,500, bafumanga ku Timgad ne mu mizhi ya kipi kipi. Bankaizhi bakayanga bisela pa mutuntamo byamweshanga bya bulalelale ne bumbanzhi bwajinga mu Loma.

Bupopweshi bwa bena Loma bwatundaikanga bino bisela. Panshi ne ku bibumbulu mwakowela balengejileko bipikichala byawama byamwesheshenga bankishi ba bubela. Byo kiji kuba’mba kowa kwajinga kintu kyanema bingi, bangikazhi batendekele kutemwa bupopweshi ne balesa babena Loma. Jishinda jo baingijishe kulengela bena Africa kutemwa bisho bya bena Loma jaingijile bingi bulongo kya kuba pa mabwe a kusonga o babikanga pa bilende balengelangapo balesa babo ne babena Loma.

Mfumu wa bufumu bukatampe aye Trajan byo atulukile uno muzhi mu 100 C.E., bena Loma bamutundaikile kujimamo kajo ka museke, manyi a olivi ne binyu ku kabeta ka buyeke bwa Africa. Bena Loma koko bayanga na kusenda kajo. Muzhi wa Timgad naye wanonkele byonka byajinga mizhi ikwabo yalamwanga na bena Loma. Pa kupitapo kimye, bantu baikalanga mu Timgad bavujile kabiji muzhi wabayijileko kya kuba batendekele ne kushimika pangye ya nsakwa.

Bantu baikalanga mu uno muzhi ne bene bena mpunzha banonkele bingi mambo baubanga busulu na bena Loma, bino bene banjimi bamwenangamotu pacheche. Mu myaka kitota kya busatu C.E., kubaya kwa misonko kwalengejile banjimi kubula kumvwañana. Bamo bayanga mu Katolika bafuminemo ne kwinunga ku jibumba ja bebepekezhanga kwikala bena Kilishitu bafumine mu Chechi wa Katolika na mambo a mazhikakanwa batelwanga amba Donatists.—Monai kakitenguluzha ka kuba’mba “ Donatists—Kechi ‘Chechi ya Kine Ne.’”

Byo papichile myaka ya kupusenamo kwa bupopweshi, nkondo mukachi ka kyalo, kwibalukuka ku balwanyi, bena Loma bulume bwapwile bwa kulama bena Africa. Byo kyafikilenga mu myaka kitota kya bu 6 C.E., muzhi wa Timgad bamonawine ku  mikoka ya bena Alabya ne kushala ke masala pa myaka kukila pa 1,000.

Bamfunji ba bya kupoyapoya bazhikwile byajinga mu muzhi wa Timgad bakuminye bingi byo bataine panembwa byambo mu Kilatini. Pajinga byambo bya kuba’mba: “Bukibinda, kowa, kukaya, kuseka buno bo bwikalo!” Mwina France unemba pa bya mpito waambile’mba, “bino byambo bimwesha buntemwa maana bwa kubula luketekelo, bino bamo bakonsha kwibimona nobe muji maana.”

Buno bo bwajinga bwikalo bwa bena Loma pa myaka yavula. Mutumwa wa bwina Kilishitu aye Paulo waambile pa bwikalo bwa uno mutundu amba “Twayai tujenga ne kutoma mambo kesha tukafwa.” Nangwa kya kuba bayanga ku bupopweshi, bena Loma balangulukangatu pa bintu bya pa kyonkakya kimye kechi pa bikekala bwikalo bwabo bwa kulutwe ne. Paulo wajimwineko bena Kilishitu amba bafwainwe kuchinuzhuka bantu ba uno mutundu byo aambile’mba: “Kange mujimbaikwe ne. Kupwanañana na babi konauna byubilo byawama.”—1 Kolinda 15:32, 33.

Nangwa kya kuba bena Timgad bajingako kala papita ne myaka 1,500, bantu byo bamona bintu kechi byapusana na byo bebimonanga ne. Lelo jino, bantu batatu muchima pa bintu bya pa kino kimye. Bamona amba bwikalo bwa bena Loma bwawamine bingi nangwa kya kuba mwafumine bintu byatama. Bino Baibolo witujimunako kuba’mba: “Bintu pano pa ntanda bibena kwaluka.” Kabiji itutundaika ‘kubula kukizhamo kwingijisha bya pano pa ntanda.’—1 Kolinda 7:31.

Bikulukulu bya muzhi wa Timgad bimwesha kuba’mba bwikalo bwawama kabiji bwa lusekelo kechi bufuma pa byambo byo bazhikwile mu busenga byajinga pa kipabi ku kabeta ka buyeke ka Africa ne. Bino bwikalo bwawama bwaimena pa kulondela bino byambo bya mu Baibolo bya kuba’mba: “Kabiji pano pa ntanda pabena kupita ne bya kusakasaka bijipo, pakuba awa uba kyaswa muchima wa Lesa ukekala myaka ne myaka.”—1 Yoano 2:17.