NguTOLAKELE SILO
“Lixesha lokunyusa iilwimi zethu,” uyivule ngamazwi atshoyo iLit-Fest umphathiswa wezemidlalo, ubugcisa nenkcubeko eMpuma Kapa, uMam’uBulelwa Tunyiswa ngomhla wesibini kweyeKhala ku-2018 e-1820 Settlers Monument eRhini. ILit-Fest, nebikade isaziwa nje ngeWord-Fest, ngumnyhadala wokunyusa ukusetyenziswa kolwimi kuncwadi, imibongo neminye imisebenzi yezenkcubeko. Lo mnyhadala, uluncuthu kubathandi benkcubeko, uqulunqwe ngeenjongo zokukhuthaza ukufunda kwakunye nokubhala ngeelwimi zesiNtu eMzantsi Afrika.
Lo mnyhadala uthiywa ngokutsha ngonyaka amaqhawe aseMzantsi andulukayo, utat’uNelson Mandela kwakunye nomam’u-Albertina Sisulu egqiba iminyaka elikhulu. Unjingalwazi uNcedile Saule, nobesisithethi sosuku kulo mnyhadala uthe, “funeka abantu bazinike ixesha lokuzifundisa ngalamaqhawe.” USaule nokholelwa ukuba la maqhawe ayezibethelele ekuqinisekiseni ukufundwa kobuNtu ngabantu, ubethelele ngakumbi kumba wokukhuthazwa kwabantu ukuba mababhale kwaye bathethe iilwimi zabo zenkobe.
Ezinye izinto ezithi zenzeke kulo mnyhadala kukusungulwa kweencwadi ezintsha, ukuqeqeshwa kwababhali, ukuboniswa kwemisebenzi yababhali, ukubonga, imixhentso kunye neminye imisebenzi yenkcubeko. Ekuvuleni ngokusesikweni lo mnyhadala, umphathiswa uTunyiswa ukhuthaze abantu ebebekho kulo msitho ukuba basebenzise ulwimi lwabo nje ngesixhobo sokubhala izinto abafuna ukuziva. Oku ukuthethe emva kwesivivana, apho athathe imisebenzi yababhali ethembisa ukuba kwiminyaka elandelayo, icandelo lakhe lizakukwenza into ngale misebenzi yababhali. “Ulwimi lwethu lucinizelwa sithi, ngoko ke, ukuba asibhali imbali yethu ngokwethu, asikwazi ukukhala,” utshilo umphathiswa uTunyiswa.
Phakathi kwabantu ebebezimase lo mnyhadala ibiziindwendwe zephondo lezemidlalo, inkcubeko nezobugcisa laseFreyisthatha kunye nelaseMntla Kapa, iYunivesithi iFort Hare, iYunivesithi yaseFreyisthatha, iYunivesithi yaseWalter Sisulu, iPan South African Language Board (PanSALB), i-Literary Society yephondo leMpuma Kapa kwakunye neNational Library yoMzantsi Afrika.
