“Ndinu Dr. Livingstone, Eti?”

Yolembedwa ndi wolemba Galamukani! ku Tanzania

“Pansi pa mtengo wa mango umene unali pano, Henry M. Stanley anakumana ndi David Livingstone, pa 10 November 1871.” —Amenewo ndi mawu olembedwa pa chipilala chokumbukira Livingstone chomwe chili ku Ujiji, pafupi ndi nyanja ya Tanganyika, ku Tanzania.

PATHA zaka zopitirira 100 kuchokera pa nthawi imene Stanley analankhula mawu amalonje otchuka akuti: “Ndinu Dr. Livingstone, eti?” Kunja kwa dziko la Tanzania, mwina ndi anthu ochepa okha amene angamvetse tanthauzo la kukumana kwapadera kwa anthu awiri amenewa.

Choncho ulendo wopita ku malo osungirako zinthu zochititsa chidwi otchedwa Livingstone Memorial Museum ku Tanzania utidziwitsa zambiri. Mtsogoleri wathu pa ulendowu, Bambo Mbingo, akutilandira ndi manja awiri. Iwo akufotokoza kuti: “Pamalo pamene anamangapo chipilalachi, kale panali mtengo waukulu kwambiri wa mango, ndipo pansi pa mtengo umenewo m’pamene Stanley anakumana ndi Livingstone.” Tsopano pamalopo pali mitengo ikuluikulu iwiri ya mango. A Mbingo akupitiriza kuti: “M’zaka za m’ma 1920, mtengo woyambirira uja unali kuonekeratu kuti watsala pang’ono kufa. Anayesetsa kuupulumutsa koma zinakanika. Choncho anabzala mitengo ina iwiri pafupi ndi chipilalacho.”

Kodi Livingstone Anali Ndani?

Titakhala pa mthunzi, pansi pa mtengo wa mango umodzi mwa mitengoyo, a Mbingo akutifotokozera kuti David Livingstone anabadwa mu 1813 m’tauni yaing’ono yotchedwa Blantyre ku Scotland. “Ngakhale anabadwira m’banja losauka, anatha kumapita ku sukulu uku akugwira ntchito kuti azidzilipirira ndipo anaphunzira ntchito ya udokotala ndi ya umishonale.” Akutiuza kuti bungwe la London Missionary Society linatumiza Livingstone ku Africa kuno, kumene anakhalako zaka 30, ndipo panthawi imeneyi anadziwika kwambiri chifukwa cha ntchito yake yotulukira malo atsopano ndiponso ya umishonale.

Mtsogoleri wathuyo akutiuza kuti “Dr Livingstone anabwera ku Africa kuno katatu. Poyamba anabwera ku South Africa mu 1841. Mu 1845, Livingstone anakwatira Mary Moffat, mwana wa Robert Moffat, mmishonale mnzake.” Livingstone ndi Mary anabereka ana anayi. Ndipo ngakhale kuti Mary ankapita naye limodzi mwamuna wake pa maulendo ake ambiri, khama limene Livingstone anali nalo pa ntchito yake yotulukira malo atsopano linamuchititsa kuti asamakhale nthawi yambiri ali limodzi ndi banja lake. Mary Livingstone anamwalira ndi malungo mu 1862 akuperekeza Livingstone pa ulendo wake wina.

Buku lotchedwa The New Encyclopædia Britannica limati: “Livingstone ankafunitsitsa kufalitsa Chikristu, kupititsa patsogolo malonda, ndi chitukuko, zinthu zitatu zimene ankakhulupirira kuti zidzathandiza kuti anthu alidziwe dziko la Africa. Ankafuna kuchita zimenezi chakumpoto, kunja kwa South Africa kukafika pakatikati pa Africa. M’mawu otchuka amene analankhula mu 1853, anafotokoza bwino maganizo ake pamene anati: ‘Ndidzatulukira njira yokafika pakati pa dzikoli, apo ayi ndidzafa.’” Choncho maulendo a Livingstone cholinga chake sichinali kulalikira kokha ayi. Ankalimbikitsa kwambiri ntchito yothetsa malonda a ukapolo. Ndiponso anayamba kuchita chidwi kwambiri ndi ntchito yotulukira malo atsopano ndipo cholinga chake chinali choti atulukire pamene mtsinje wa Nile unayambira.

 Koma Livingstone anazindikira kuti sakanatha kukwanitsa ntchito yakeyo yekha. Mu 1857 anauza anyamata ena a pa yunivesite ya Cambridge kuti: “Ndikudziwa kuti m’zaka zochepa ndidzafera m’dziko limenelo, limene tsopano ladziwika kwa anthu. Musalole kuti liphimbikenso! Ndikupita ku Africa kukalambula bwalo kuti malonda ndi Chikristu ziyambike. Kodi mudzapitiriza ntchito yomwe ndaiyambayi? Ndikuisiya m’manja mwanu.”

Komabe Livingstone anayenda maulendo ataliatali padera lapakati pa Africa. Mwa zina, anatulukira mathithi aakulu kwambiri a pa mtsinje wa Zambezi, amene anawatcha dzina la Mfumukazi Victoria. Patapita nthawi, iye anafotokoza kuti mathithiwo anali ‘chinthu chokongola kwambiri chomwe anaona mu Africa monse.’

Kumufunafuna

Mtsogoleri wathu akufotokoza kuti: “Ulendo womaliza wa Livingstone unayamba mu 1866. Koma pakati pa antchito ake panabuka mavuto. Otsatira ake ena anamuthawira n’kubwerera ku Zanzibar, komwe anakafalitsa bodza loti Livingstone wafa. Koma Livingstone anapitirizabe ulendo wake. Anakhazikitsa likulu lake ku Ujiji, kugombe la kum’mawa la nyanja ya Tanganyika, kuti azichokera kumeneko akamapita ku maulendo ake.

“Komabe, anthu a ku Ulaya anali atakhala zaka pafupifupi zitatu asanamve chilichonse kwa Livingstone, ndipo ankaganiza kuti anali atafa. Choncho mwiniwake wa nyuzipepala ya New York Herald anatumiza mtolankhani wotchedwa Henry Morton Stanley kuti akafunefune Livingstone ndi kumupeza, wakufa kapena wamoyo. Komabe Livingstone sikuti anali atafa kapena atasochera. Koma anali kufunikira kwambiri zinthu zomuthandiza pamoyo wake ndiponso anali kudwala. Mu November 1871, mmodzi wa antchito a Livingstone anabwera ku nyumba kwake akukuwa kuti: ‘Mzungu anakuja! Mzungu anakuja!’” Amenewo ndi mawu a Chiswahili otanthauza kuti “Kukubwera mzungu!”

Stanley anali atatha pafupifupi miyezi eyiti akufunafuna Livingstone. Poyamba anayenda ulendo wolowera ku Africa kudzera ku India, ndipo anafika pa chilumba cha Zanzibar pa January 6, 1871. Pa March 21, 1871, ananyamuka mu mzinda wa Bagamoyo wa kugombe la kum’mawa atanyamula katundu wolemera matani sikisi, ali ndi anthu aganyu 200. Ulendo wa makilomita 1,500 woyenda m’dera losadziwika umenewo unakhala ulendo woopsa kwambiri. Chifukwa kunagwa mvula yambiri, mitsinje inasefukira. Stanley ndi anthu ake anadwala malungo ndi matenda ena, ndiponso anatopa kwambiri. Mitsinje yonseyo inali yodzaza ndi ng’ona, ndipo Stanley anangoti kukamwa yasa chifukwa cha mantha pamene anaona n’gona ikukoka bulu wake womaliza n’kumupha. Panthawi ina, Stanley mwiniwakeyo anangotsala pang’onong’ono kugwidwa ndi ng’ona. Ngakhale zinali choncho, Stanley anafunitsitsa kumaliza ntchito yake. Ankalimbikitsidwa ndi nkhani zomwe anali kumva zoti mzungu wina wokalamba kwambiri anali kukhala ku Ujiji.

 Pamene Stanley anali kuyandikira ku Ujiji, anakonzekera kukumana ndi Livingstone. Buku lotchedwa Stanley lolembedwa ndi Richard Hall limati: “Stanley anali ataonda ndiponso atatopa, koma anaganiza kuti ayenera kuoneka bwino kwambiri akamalowa m’taunimo kusiyana ndi momwe ankaonekera [anthu ena otulukira malo m’mbuyomo]. Anadziwa kuti kukumana kumeneko kudzakhala kofunika kwambiri, ndipo iyeyo ndi amene anachititsa kuti zimenezi zitheke, ndiponso ndi amene anali ndi mwayi wolemba za kukumanako. Aliyense pagulu lawolo anavala zovala zabwino kwambiri pa zovala zomwe zinali zitatsala. Stanley anazunguliza lamba watsopano ku chipewa chake chamlaza, anavala thalauza lochapa bwino loyera, ndipo anapukuta bwino kwambiri nsapato zake.”

Kenaka, Stanley anafotokoza zomwe zinachitika. Iye anati: “Ulendowo tsopano taumaliza . . . Pali gulu la Aluya olemekezeka kwambiri, ndipo pamene ndikuyandikira, ndikuona nkhope ya mzungu wamwamuna wokalamba kwambiri pakati pawo. . . . Tikuvulirana zipewa, ndipo ine ndikuti, ‘Ndinu Dr. Livingstone, eti?’ ndipo akuyankha kuti, ‘Inde.’”

Zotsatira Zake

Stanley poyamba anakonza zoti adzangokhala nthawi yochepa chabe yongokwanira kumufunsa Livingstone mafunso n’kulemba nkhani yake basi. Komabe, Livingstone ndi Stanley anakhala munthu ndi mnzake pasanapite nthawi yaitali. Mtsogoleri wathu akufotokoza kuti: “Stanley anakhala ndi Livingstone kwa milungu ingapo, ndipo ali awiri anazungulira nyanja ya Tanganyika. Stanley anayesera kumunyengerera Livingstone kuti abwerere ku Ulaya, koma Livingstone anali atatsimikiza kupitirizabe ntchito yake yopeza pamene mtsinje wa Nile unayambira. Choncho pa March 14, 1872, Stanley ndi Livingstone analekana mwachisoni. Stanley anabwerera ku gombe komwe anakagula katundu wosiyanasiyana n’kumutumiza kwa Livingstone. Atatero anabwerera ku Ulaya.”

Kodi n’chiyani chinachitikira Livingstone? Mtsogoleri wathu akufotokoza kuti: “Mu August 1872, Livingstone anayambiranso ntchito yake yofufuza pomwe panayambira mtsinje wa Nile. Analowera kummwera ku Zambia. Komabe thupi lake linali litafooka kwambiri chifukwa cha kutopa ndiponso matenda. Pa May 1, 1873, anapezeka atafa. Antchito ake . . . anakonza thupi lake kuti lisawole, ndipo anafotsera mtima wake ndi matumbo ake m’dothi la ku Africa kuno. Thupi la Livingstone kenaka analitenga kuyenda nalo mtunda wa makilomita 2,000 kukafika nalo ku Bagamoyo, kumene amishonale analilandira. Anakonza zolitumiza ku Zanzibar, ndipo litafika kumeneko analitumiza ku Britain. Thupilo linafika ku London pa April 15, 1874, ndipo linaikidwa m’manda ku Westminster Abbey patatha masiku atatu. Thupi la Livingstone linatenga pafupifupi chaka chathunthu kuti lifike ku malo kumene linaikidwa m’manda.”

Stanley anabweranso ku Africa kuno kudzapitiriza ntchito imene Livingstone analekera panjira. Stanley anatsogolera anthu amene anayendera madera ozungulira nyanja ya Victoria ndi ya Tanganyika ndi kutsatira mtsinje waukulu wa Congo.

Tonse timagoma nako kulimba mtima ndi khama la anthu ngati Livingstone ndi Stanley. Ponena za Livingstone, buku la Britannica limati: “Zimene anatulukira zokhudza malo, sayansi, mankhwala, ndi chikhalidwe cha anthu, n’zofunika kwambiri ndipo akuzifufuzabe mpaka pano.” Ndipo ngakhale kuti masiku ano Livingstone ndi Stanley amakumbukiridwa ngati anthu otulukira malo osati ngati mlaliki ndi mtolankhani, ntchito yawo inathandiza kuti anthu m’madera ambiri alidziwe Baibulo patatha zaka zambiri.

Chifukwa cha ntchito imeneyo, amishonale a Mboni za Yehova athandiza anthu masauzande ambiri a ku Africa kuno kuphunzira mfundo za choonadi za m’Baibulo. Ndipo ku Ujiji, kumene Stanley anakumana ndi Livingstone koyamba, ntchito ya Mboni youza ena mfundo za choonadi za m’Baibulo ndi yodziwika bwino kwambiri. Choncho anthu okhala kumeneko akaona Mboni zitaima pamakomo pawo, si zachilendo kumva mmodzi wa iwo akunena mawu ngati akuti, “Ndinu Mboni za Yehova, eti?”

[Mapu patsamba 15]

(Onani m’magazini yeniyeni kuti mumvetse izi)

Nyanja ya Victoria

Maulendo a Livingstone

Cape Town

Port Elizabeth

Kuruman

Nyanja ya Ngami

Linyanti

Luanda

Mathithi a Victoria

Quelimane

Mozambique

Mikindani

Zanzibar

Chitambo

Nyanja ya Tanganyika

Nyangwe

Ujiji, kumene amuna awiriwo anakumana

Ulendo wa Stanley wofunafuna Livingstone mu 1871

Zanzibar

Bagamoyo

Ujiji, kumene amuna awiriwo anakumana

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Map: Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.

[Chithunzi pamasamba 14, 15]

David Livingstone

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Livingstone: From the book Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa, 1858

[Chithunzi pamasamba 14, 15]

Henry M. Stanley

[Chithunzi patsamba 15]

Mathithi a Victoria

[Chithunzi patsamba 16]

Mboni za Yehova zikuuza anthu ena choonadi cha m’Baibulo ku Ujiji