Haribazwa impamvu kuri ubu aribwo hatangajwe ko umwana w’umwirabura yajyanywe kumurikwa mu nyamaswa muri Amerika
Ota Benga yashimuswe muri Congo (DR Congo y’ubu) mu 1904 ajyanwa muri Amerika kumurikwa. Umunyamakuru Pamela Newkirk, wanditse cyane kuri ibi, muri iyi nyandiko arareba ku buryo ababikoze bagiye bagerageza kubihisha.
Nyuma y’imyaka irenga 100 inkuru ivugwa mu binyamakuru y’uko uyu muhungu w’umunyafurika yamurikwaga hamwe n’inkende, nibwo inzu y’inyamaswa (Zoo) ya Bronx muri New York yabyicujije.
Ikigo kitwa Wildlife Conservation Society cyasabye imbabazi ku byakorewe Ota Benga, ibi byaje bikurikiye imyigaragambyo yamagana iyicwa ry’umwirabura George Floyd ryongeye kugaragaza neza ivanguraruhu muri Leta zunze ubumwe za Amerika.
Mu muhango wo gusubira mu mateka, Cristian Samper, ukuriye Wildlife Conservation Society yavuze ko ari ingenzi “kwibuka amateka ya WCS, n’irondaruhu ryaranze ikigo cyacu”.
Yemeye ko iki kigo, ari nacyo gitegeka iriya nzu y’inyamaswa, gishyira ku mugaragaro ibyabaye byose byavuzwe mu itangazamakuru Iburayi na Amerika kuva tariki 09/09/1906 – umunsi Ota Benga yerekanywe bwa mbere n’iyo zoo – kugeza igihe yayivaniwemo tariki 28/09/1906.
Gusa uko gusaba imbabazi bibaye nyuma y’imyaka myinshi yo kuvunira ibiti mu matwi.
‘Yari umukozi wa zoo’
Aho gufata ibyabaye nk’isomo, Wildlife Conservation Society yamaze imyaka irenga 100 idasobanura cyangwa ifasha gukwiza inkuru zitavuga cyangwa ziyobya ku byakorewe Ota Benga.
Mu gihe benshi bari batangiye kunenga ibyo iyi zoo ikorera Ota Benga, muri uwo mwaka wa 1906 ibaruwa yo mu bushyinguranyandiko bwayo ivuga ko yari umukozi w’iyo nzu y’iyamaswa.
Uko bigaragara, ubwo bucakura bwakomeje kwemerwa gutyo imyaka myinshi yakurikiyeho.
Ota Benga yari inde?
- Yafashwe mu kwa gatatu 1904 n’umucuruzi w’umunyamerika Samuel Verner mu cyahoze ari Congo mbiligi. Imyaka ye ntabwo yari izwi, ashobora kuba ari hagati ya 12 na 13
- Yajyanywe n’ubwato i New Orleans yarekanwa muri uwo mwaka mu “imurika ry’isi” ry’i St Louis hamwe n’abandi bahungu umunani
- Iryo murika ryarakomeje no mu mezi y’ubukonje bwinshi aho aba Banyafurika bari bafungiwe ahantu hadakwiye kandi batambaye bikwiye
- Mu kwezi kwa cyenda 1906 yamuritswe mu gihe cy’iminsi 20 muri Bronx Zoo y’i New York mu gikorwa cyahuruje imbaga
- Umujinya w’abavugabutumwa b’abakiristu watumye bahamuvana, ajyanwa mu kigo cy’impfubyi cy’umunyamerika w’umwirabura witwa Reverend James H. Gordon
- Mu kwezi kwa mbere 1910 yagiye kuba mu ishuri rya tewolojiya ry’abirabura muri leta ya Virginia
- Aha yigishije abahungu baho uko bahiga amafi anababwira inkuru z’imibereho y’iwabo muri Congo
- Bivugwa ko nyuma yagize agahinda gakabije kubera gukumbura iwabo no kwangirwa gusubizwayo, maze mu kwezi kwa gatatu mu 1916 yirasa akoresheje imbunda yari yarahishe, arapfa. Bikekwaho yari afite imyaka 25.
Aho biva: Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga
Mu 1916, nyuma y’urupfu rwa Ota Benga, inkuru ya New York Times yahakanye ibyemezwaga muri rubanda ko yamuritswe hamwe n’inyamaswa.
Iyi nkuru igira iti: “Ni akazi [yakoraga] katumye hazamuka amakuru ko yari afungiye muri pariki nka kimwe mu bintu bimurikwa mu ruzitiro rw’inkende.”
Icyo kinyamakuru, cyahakanyaga inyandiko nyinshi zari zaranditswe imyaka 10 mbere mu binyamakuru byo muri Amerika n’Iburayi.
Ota Benga (iburyo) yafotowe mu “imurika ry’isi” ry’i St Louis mu 1904 aho we na bagenzi be bamuritswe nk’abantu bo mu bwoko bw'”impunyu”
Nyamara, New York Times ubwayo yari yaranditse inkuru zirenga 10 kuri iki kibazo, iya mbere ya tariki 09/09/1906 ifite umutwe ugira uti: “Umuntu wo mu ishyamba mu ruzitiro rumwe n’inguge”.
Nyuma mu 1974, William Bridges, wari umukozi mukuru muri iyi nzu y’inyamaswa ya Bronx yavuze ko mu by’ukuri ibyabaye bitamenyekana.
Mu gitabo cye yise The Gathering of Animals, yibaza nkana ati: “Ota Benga ‘yamuritswe’ – nk’inyamaswa idasanzwe?”, ikibazo nk’umuntu wari ukuriye ubushyinguranyandiko bw’iyi nzu, ubwe yari mu mwanya mwiza wo gusubiza.
Arakomeza ati: “Kuvuga ko yari afungiye mu ruzitiro kugira ngo bamurebe mu gihe cy’amasaha bisa n’ibitarashobokaga”. Yirengagije ku bushake ibimenyetso bihamya ibi, bibitswe n’iyo nzu.
Inyandiko y’uyu mugabo ku imurika ryabaye ku gihe cya Ota Benga, yanashyizwe mu nyandiko zisohorwa na Wildlife Conservation Society ubwayo.
Bwana William Bridges kandi yaranditse ati: “Muri iki gihe gishize ikintu cyavugwa, ni uko ibyakozwe byose bitari bigamije inabi, kuko Ota Benga yari ateye amatsiko rubanda rwa New York.”
‘Ubucuti bw’abashimuswe n’ababashimuse’
Hejuru y’ibi byari byaravuzwe, hiyongereyeho igitabo cyasohotse mu 1992 cyanditswe gifatanyijwe n’umwuzukuru wa Samuel Verner, umugabo wagiye muri Congo yitwaje intwaro nyinshi agashimuta Ota Benga n’abandi ngo bazerekanwe mu imurika ry’isi rya St Louis mu 1904.
Iki gitabo, mu buryo butumvikana cyo kivuga inkuru y’ubucuti hagati ya Verner na Ota
Ibinyamakuru bimwe byasubiyemo ibivugwa n’icyo gitabo cy’uyu mwuzukuru wa Verner wavuze ko Ota Benga – wagiye wanga cyane uburyo yari afashwe – yishimiye kwiyerekana imbere y’abatuye New York.
Mu gihe kirenga imyaka 100, ikigo n’abantu bakoresheje Ota Benga, n’ababakomokaho, basibanganyije ibyabaye bakwirakwiza inkuru zitari ukuri kuri ayo mateka.
Yewe n’ubu, Bwana Cristian Samper yasabye imbabazi ku kumurika Ota Benga “iminsi myinshi”, ntiyavuze ko ari ibyumweru bitatu yamaze afungiwe mu nzu y’inkende.
Wildlife Conservation Society, ifite Bronx Zoo, yavuze ko yamagana bimwe mu bibi byabaye mu mateka yayo
Iyi zoo ubu yashyize kuri internet inyandiko kuri icyo gihe, igizwe n’amabaruwa y’ibyakorwaga buri munsi kuri Ota Benga n’abagabo bari baramufunze.
Amenshi muri ayo mabaruwa avugwa mu gitabo cyanjye [Pamela Newkirk] cyitwa Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga, cyasohotse mu 2015.
My myaka itanu kuva gisohotse, abategetsi ba Bronxy Zoo banze kwicuza ibyabaye no gusubiza ibyo abanyamakuru bababazaga.
Mu gihe kandi nagize amahirwe yo gusura inzu y’inguge aho Ota Benga yamurikirwaga anafungiye, kuva ubwo iyo nzu yahise ifungwa ntihagira abandi bayigeraho.
‘Icyumba cyiza mu nzu y’inkende’
Ubu, Bwana Samper agira ati: “Turicuza cyane ko abantu benshi n’ibisekuru bababajwe n’ibyo bikorwa cyangwa no kuba twarananiwe kubyamagana.”
Yamaganye kandi Madison Grant na Henry Fairfield Osborn bamwe mu bashinze iyi nzu, bombi bagize uruhare rukomeye mu kumurika Ota Benga.
Grant we nyuma yanditse igitabo yise The Passing of The Great Race, igitabo kivuga kuri siyansi yo gushimagiza ubusumbane bw’amoko y’abantu, cyaje no gushimwa cyane na Adolf Hitler.
Gusubiza Ota Benga muri Congo abamujyanye muri Amerika bavugaga ko byaba bihenze cyane
Gusa Bwana Samper ntiyigeze avuga kuri William Hornaday washinze Bronx Zoo, akanafungirana Ota Benga ahari amagufa mu gushaka kwerekana ko arya abantu, ndetse wavugaga ko Ota Benga afite “icyumba cyiza mu nzu y’inkende”.
Ibyabaye ni isomo ku bantu bakigira ibitekerezo ko hari ubwoko bw’abantu buruta ubundi.
Amahame shingiro ya Bronx Zoo yagize uruhare mu gukwirakwiza ivanguraruhu risumbanyisha amoko y’abantu ririho n’ubu.
Kimwe mu byifuzwa ni uko Wildlife Conservation Society yakwitirira ishuri ryayo Ota Benga, wagize ibyago n’umurage udashobora gutandukanywa na Bronx Zoo.
@igicumbinews.co.rw
About The Author
