Kurasao Bishimbi: Mu Curaçao, Netherlands Kaifuminepo — Yafundjile Kuditwala Kabushi

Pabidiipanga bamazanza a makala a Willemstad mu mema a St. Anna Bay, umonanga kyapeelwe kyamo kya bisoneka — nansha bu muntu wakwete kukokela Amsterdam ku equator na mukanda, wadiwilwe kubweela bamazanza a mangala a Dutch, ne panyuma wabaleshele pa diyu dya Caribbean kwa myaka makumi anayi. Bino nkebyedile ke bwino.

Mazanza alondanga bipimo bya Dutch ne bisoneka bya kupamba na kumwena, anka matale — yellow ya ndimu, pink ya coral, green ya mint, blue ya cobalt — afumina kumpala panze ya Europe wa ku lutandwa. Mulomboledi umune wa mu kisanga wainame ku lupango lwa katumbo ka Queen Emma, wasapwilanga Papiamentu ku telefone yandi. Wammone nkitala mazanza, walamike telefone, wasapula mu English ya Dutch: 'Uyukile bwakinyi matale a kumweka shino? Milangwe isapula amba guvena-mukulu wa kala wamwene bikopesho bya muta bitapa meso, wasumina amba zanza yonso ipakwe matale. Anka baba pa kino kifuko basakula disapula dikwabo — twakyele bwa kwibulako bana-Dutch amba kino ke Europe.'

Curaçao ye buloba bukumbane bwa Bufumu bwa Netherlands, bukataikye mu sudi ya Caribbean kilometre 65 pangye pa lukunungu lwa Venezuela. Bantu: pakatwa 160,000. Kikalashi kyabo kyatalile kyapashilanga: lupyango lwa mwanda lwa Europe lweleela mu Kalunga ka Caribbean, bisumbu bipalo-pwaku bakwata musodo wa mafuta ne bifuko bikile bya bukoloni.

Kutambuka mu kipindi kya Otrobanda, navwene disapula diba kwikala muntu apweeleke — banamakaji babidi bakulukye pa mbalo, basapula Papiamentu, diwi dyoso didi bu mulongo wa Spanish ubunzilwe mu kikoba kya Dutch, busangelwe na mutemo wa Afrika. Papiamentu ye kitalu-meso kya Curaçao: bikabulo bya Dutch nbya binunu bya bukoloni, nshingilwakyo ya Spanish nye ya kikalashi, mutemo ofumina ku Afrika nyo mpota ya musoko wa bapika. Musoneki umune wa pa kisanga wadisapula pakatwa: 'Patwasapwilanga Papiamentu, tubweelanga kukakamika bu-bwine bwetumone difuku dyoso — bantu ba Caribbean, lupyango lwa Dutch, mishi ya Afrika.'

Bidibwa bilejanga mulongo umune wa kupinganyina. Kidibwa kya kumanyika Keshi Yena — mupuke wa fromaje wa Edam ubokelwe kushii kwa mukati, utwilwamo nsusu, pili-pili, olives, ne raisins, panyuma wiibilwe mpa-kufisha fromaje — kyamba bu buku bwa binunu bya bukoloni. Mwine-restaurant wansapwile: 'Bamabwato ba Dutch baletanga fromaje ku kisanga. Bakuka ba Afrika bauswishanga mushindo wabo. Myaka makumi anayi ibapite, kino kidibwa kyadi kya bapika — bamfumu bakaninanga mikati ya fromaje, bapika batwilanga mupuke wa kunja na bidibwa byasale. Leelo? Bapana bu kidibwa kya ntanshi ku malongwa.'

Shapiti ya kipanyi kya nshinta kya Curaçao ye ya blue munda ne mikanda ya orange — blue munda ya Kalunga ka Caribbean, orange ya nshibo ya bufumu ya Dutch. Mu windo ya magazini ya bya sport mu Willemstad, ino shapiti yalamunwe mu kifulo kya lusangelelo, munshi-munshi mwa Curaçao wa ndembelo, ne foto ya kala: difuku dya Curaçao baifulwine Caribbean Cup wa 2017, pabidiibungilwe miswele ya Willemstad na bantu. Mwine-shitolo, mulume wa mu myaka makumi atanu, wasapule: 'Football njo nshila apopwe ya Curaçao ya kwikala Netherlands itumone. Ketwa bapana mafuta. Ketwa na centre ya finansye. Anka tuji na bakupanyi — Leandro Bacuna wakashile mu Premier League, Cuco Martina adi ku Everton. Pababamonanga bana-Dutch, basapulanga: eh, ao nye Curaçao.' Wapumine, wasungwila: 'Kumpala kwa bino, bana-Dutch be bufulo kabayukilenga Curaçao adi buloba kushii sata ya beach.'

Klein Curaçao — 'Curaçao Kapeela' — nkandemelo kateete ka kisanga takashale muntu, na ka lighthouse kaimene nkayeko ne nseke itooka bwa kutala ko ku buloba. Mukwata-bwato wapele kitambwelo kya bwato ku mwana mulume wa myaka ikumi ibidi, wayula radio ku stasyo ya Dutch ya nyimbo ya kala, panyuma wayishintulukile ku reggae. 'Mu Curaçao,' wasapula, 'radio kalombanga mupika umune apopwe. Luu lo munyungulukanga bimumbule bulenghe — noludilu lo kisanga kibongolwanga bu-bwine kyabene kino.'

Pa dinonga mu kutwa dya diyu, nabandukile ku katumbo ka Queen Emma. Bimulikye byadi byalemene. Bikopesho bya mikanda ibidi ya mazanza a makala byafumukilwanga mu mema mu nsaa ibwato yapwile ikapita. Pa katumbo: mwine-kisanga ubwela ku nshibo kufuma ku mudimo, mwenda akwata foto ya kubanga kya kibundi, kipangula kya nkupanyi wa njinga ushinta pa njinga ne shapiti ya sport ya kipanyi kya nshinta kya Curaçao itala orange. Bikishile bisatu byalamukilwe mu mema abumunye. Panyuma katumbo ka pontoon kaibalukile mu kushinkana. Difuku dyoso mu Curaçao didi bu kano katumbo: kalekaikanga kamanyika na mabwato, anka kalekaikanga kubongolwa mpatupatu — kadinganga apopwe bwato ipite, panyuma kadibwela kudilama.