Okunika umdla mpela kukuba lo kaBillie ungowesithathu kumbutho wababhali i-Imbizo Arts of South Africa nozinze elokishini iNew Brighton eBhayi. Lo mbutho ukhokelwa nguMxolisi Nyezwa encediswa nguMangaliso Buzani. Bobabini bahlohla isidanga esinomsila kubuGcisa bokuBhala, i-MA in Creative Writing kwiDyunivesithi iRhodes Erhini. Kulapho kanye umfo kaBillie athe naye makakhe aye ayokuzilola isakhono kuba umbhali ayonto unokude uyifundise into esisiphiwo kakade. Nangona uBillie esebenza kumzi mveliso weemoto uVolkswagen eTinarha, uthukuthukuzile ngobusuku nangeempela-veki, esiwa evuka ezungulana nemfundo enomsila. kungoku nje naye uBillie uneziqu zeeMasters ekubhaleni.
Le ncwadi ithi Umhlaba Umanzi yayiyinxalenye yethesisi entlantlu-mbini kaBillie. Enye inxenye yayo ingesiNgesi nathe wakhupha kuyo enye ingqokelela yemibongo nedla ubhedu ethi, KwaNobuhle Overcast. Waphefumla wathi uBillie mhla ekhupha loo thesis, ‘Ndixomoloze ndiboph’ amaxonya, ndisenza eli linge lokuzama ukuxhathalaza kulo msinga uzakutshayela ulwimi lwethu. Nantso ke incwadana ndiyithe qhiwu ngendebe endiyithiye ngegama elithi Umhlaba Umanzi. Umhlaba umanzi ziinyembezi zabalilayo, umanzi kukubila kwabasebenzi besombha eludakeni, ufumile ziinkathazo zeminyaka zesizukulwana sesizukulwana. Injongo endifuna ukuyifezekisa ngeli nqaku yeyokuba umntu achole ntwana ithile ngokujonga imeko esiphila kuzo gabalala, ekuhlaleni, emakhayeni ethu nakwiindawo esixelenga kuzo. Mhlawumbi kuyakuvuseleleka iingcinga neenkumbulo zamhla-mnene, okanye ibophe nezilonda ezimanzi. Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi… Nangomso.’
Ezi mbasa, nezaziwa ngamafutshane ngokuba ziiSALA, azifumani ludumo lungako nangona zikumgatho omnye neeSATMAs, iiSAMAs, iiSAFTAs, kwanye nolunye udederhu lwamawonga akhutshwa minyaka le apha elizweni. Ekunika umdla mpela ngale kaBillie kukuba uyifumene kunyaka iZizwe eziManyeneyo ehlabathini ezithe ngNyaka weeLwimi Zemveli eHlabathini (International Year of Indigenous Languages). Kuluhlu lwabachongiweyo kwezoozintlu zilishumi elinesithathu, batahthu qha ababhali abavele kwiilwimi zemveli. ABabanye ababini nguSabata-Mpho Mokae kwisiTswana ngenoveli yakhe ethi Moletlo wa Manong, kwakunye noCornelius Tennyson Daniel Marivate nonikwe isitsaba sobomi (Lifetime Achievement Award) ngemisebenzi yakhe kwisiTsonga.
OkaNyezwa uphefumle wathi ngalempumelelo, ‘u-Ace usibeke kwindawo ephakamileyo ngale mpumelelo yakhe, nathi satsho saziva singabantu.’ Oko kwaziwa makungaqwalaselwa kubo njengeziqu kuphela, koko njengababhali bolwimi lwesiXhosa kwakunye nanjengababhali baseMpuma Kapa. Kaloku ngoku bakumgangatho omnye neembethi manqindi eziza neentshinga eMpuma Kapa, kwakunye nabezomculo abafana nooZahara nooNathi nabo abathi beza neeSAMA, nkqu nooMonwabisi ‘Gudla’ Bangi abaphumelele iimbasa zeeSATMA, nabanye abaninzi nabathi baphikelele ukuphakamisela phezulu eliphondo leMpuma Kapa ukuba laziwe futhi lihlonitshwe lihlabathi liphela.
Abaququzeleli balomsitho weeSALA bakwaququzelela inkomfa yababhai baseAfrika ebanjwa minyaka le ngomhla wesixhenxe kweyeNkanga neyaziwa ngamakhumsha ngokuba yiAfrica Century Writers Conference. Kwiminyaka edlulileyo bayikhalimele kakhulu into yokusilela kweelwimi zemveli, kubalwa nesiXhosa. Bayibethelela futhi into yokuba abakhuphi wonga nokuba umsebenzi wombhali awukho mgangathweni, koko bayaqinisekisa ukuba lowo uchongiwe uchongwe kuba umsebenzi wakhe uphume izandla futhi uzakwenza igalelo kuncwadi. Eneneni nangoku ukuba umfundi uzipha ithuba afunde iincwadi zaba babhali besiXhosa bathe bawongwa kuleminyaka idlulileyo bakuyiqonda imfuneko yokuphakamisa izinga lokubhala ukuze uncwadi lwesiXhosa lubalelwe kumgangatho omnye nezo zezinye iilwimi.
Inqaku Nomfanekiso ngu:
Zongezile Matshoba (Freelance Journalist)
082 480 9698 / tshobasz@gmail.com
