Noni_Jabavu
Ebutsheni bokubhala kwakhe
Noxa uNoni Jabavu iligama aziwa ngalo kwihlabathi jikelele kubalulekile ukuqaphela ukuba igama lakhe elipheleleyo nguNontando Helen Jabavu. Kwicala lakhe kukho imfuneko emandla ngokwembali nengqondo yokuba aphephe izehlo zokwenyani zobumi babumini. Nkqu umhla wakhe wokuzalwa awuchaneki njengoko maxawambi kuthiwa wazalwa ngowe-1919 okanye ngowe-1921. Kubonakala ngathi uNoni Jabavu wayengafuni nto emayamanisa ngokwembali kunye nobuzwe bakhe kunye nokubunjwa kwenkolo yakhe ngokwenkcubeko. Iincwadi zakhe ezimbini, Drawn in Colour (1960) kunye nenye ethi The Ochre People: Scenes from South Africa (1963) nezabhalwa ebutsheni bexesha lakhe njengombhali, nezonwabisa umxhelo ngokumangalisayo, zibonisa ukuba uJabavu wayethanda ukuzichaza ngokungakhethi cala ngokubhekiselele kubuzwe bakhe: engumntu oNtsundu nowaseNtshona ngaxesha nye, elanda umnombo wakhe wokuzalwa eNgilani naseMzantsi Afrika noxa wayengazalwa ngabazali beentlanga ezahlukileyo ngebala. Isizathu sokuzibeka kwakhe kwanti ngokuthi angalandeli mnombo uthile kungokuba noxa iinkcubabuchopho eZintsha eziNtsundu, ababhali, iinkokheli zopolitiko zexesha lakhe, ezifana noEzekiel Mphahlele okanye uJordan Ngubane okanye uNelson Mandela okanye uNadine Gordimer kuye kwafuneka bashukuxe uqhekeko olukhoyo ngokwembali phakathi kwesiko nenkolo yabumini. UNoni Jabavu wava kusisidingo ukuba akhabe ngawo omane oko wayekubona njengesiko ukuze amkele ngokupheleleyo inkolo yabumini. Kwabanye abantu, ngokwesimo saseAfrika, inkolo yabumini nesiko zazingumtya nethunga yaye zingohlukani. KuNoni Jabavu inkolo yabumini nesiko yayimihlambi eyalanayo. Indlela awayebona ngayo inkolo yabumini nesiko yayifuna nekaR.V. Selope Thema nowabanegalelo elikhulu embaleni njengoJabavu: ubungqondi babo neemvakelelo zabo zifana ngokuselubala. Noxa babeshiyana phantse ngeminyaka engamashumi amane (uR.V. Selope wazalwa ngowe-1886), umquli ongobomi bukaSelope Thema owabhalwa ebutsheni beminyaka yoo-1930 nongazange upapashwe othi: Out of Darkness: From Cattle-Herding to the Editor’s Chair ungathathwa njengomquli ozoba ngokucacileyo imizila yembali yohambo lwenkolo kaNoni Jabavu. Xa kubuyelwa umva kujongwa indlela enovakelelo nochukumiseko athi uR.V.Selope Thema acacisayo ngayo kumqulu ongobomi bakhe ukuhlangana kwakhe Elijah Makiwane|noElijah Makiwane (1850-1928) nowayetyelele uMntla weRhawuti esuka kwaSomgxada eDikeni eyokumemelela ukuba abantu baguqukele kwinkolo yabumini nobuKrestu, amasolotya ahlanganisa uNoni Jabavu noR.V.Selope anzulu ngokwembali. Yayiyinkolo yabumini eyayilandelwa nguElijah Makiwane eyenza ukuba uSelope Thema ashiye ‘ubuxaza’ ‘nobumnyama’azayamanise ‘nempucuko’ ‘nokhanyo’ ngokuthi athathe uhambo olude olusingise kwaSomgxada ukuya kufumana imfundo yabumini yobuKrestu. UElijah Makiwane wayengumakhwekwhetha wovuko-mbuso leminyaka yoo-1880 nalapho amaXhosa ayephicotha intsingiselo yenkolo yabumini ngokwembali. UMakiwane wayelilungu leNtlangano yeMfundo yakwaSomgxada nesiGqeba seMfundo sabaNtsundu. Amanye amalungu ayequka uWalter B. Rubusana, Pambani Jeremiah Mzimba, Isaac Wauchope, John Tengo Jabavu (utatomkhulu kaNoni Jabavu). UMakiwane ubhala amavo abalulekileyo angabongqondi, imbali nezopolitiko kwiphephandaba likaJohn Tengo Jabavu Imvo Zabantsundu ngokubaluleka kokulandela inkolo yabumini kubantu abaNtsundu. UJohn Tengo Jabavu wayengumntu wokuqala oNtsundu ukubangumnini wephephandaba eMzantsi Afrika.