Irak Bishimbi: Naya Ku Iraq — Kadi Bwa Kuleja Kimo, Anka Mwanda Babylon Ikidyakwetu

Baghdad. Lwishi lwa Tigris. Nsaa isambombo ya dituku. Mulobi umune imene ku nkulo ya bwato bwandi bwa mabaya, ukuponya musambo wandi na kifulo kya kuboko kyo kimweneka pa bilembo bya Assyrie myaka nkama ibidi ibapite. Kusela kwa lwishi, Mutannabi Street yabulwanga — bapano-bamabuku bakangulanga bifwalo, babalanga mabuku atala yellow pa mashitolo a panze. Nzanza ya tchai ibambene yatuminanga mushinga wa ntanshi wa lujishi lwa makala. Kufuma ku ekeselelo pa mbalo ya lwishi kwafikanga mukandu wa dituku mu Arabic — palema ya Iraq itwayilanga lutungunuka lumune, ludu lwa mupano-mukandu lwadi bu muntu ukeba kumana disapula kumpala kwa kufunga kwa Ramadan. Bindege bya bulwaala bikata ne nkunda ifitanga peulu pankima byakubuula amba kuno kedyeelo dya Mésopotamie ya kala — uno Irak mu 2026.

Kankafikile pano na bunzanza. Kadi mwanda nakebanga 'kutombola' buloba babamanyika bu bwa malwa na media ya Butunduluke. Adi bwadi, kunyuma kwa kukimba kumune apopwe kwa 'Iraq World Cup 2026,' ekràn yami yamwenyeshe kikile bifundji bya kwenda — yamwenyeshe bifwatulwa bya bifukaminwe bya Babylon. Nkalasha wa blue-glazed, myaka nkama ibidi ne akisi a nkama, inyuma ya lukulungu lwa chaine mu kifulo kya mpushi ya busende, kwapopwe ayele. Kilanguluko kyami mu ntambo ayo: shi Babylon ikidyakwetu, bwakinyi takudi muntu uya?

Iraq ishala mu East ya Pakatwa, Mésopotamie ya kala — 'buloba buji pakachi ka lwishi lubidi.' Tigris ne Euphrates basangana pano, basema mapeshi a ntanshi a bantu: kusoneka kwa cunéiforme, Code ya Hammurabi, Bipambo bya Kulamamika. Bulwaala ne mashimu kufuma 2003 babongolwile dîna dya ino mbulamatadi kufuma 'lubuto lwa mapeshi' kufika 'kibala kya mashimu.' Anka Lions of Mesopotamia — kipanyi kya nshinta kya Iraq — bekashilula ino mbulamatadi pa bukata bwa World Cup mu 2026. Kwa bantu bavule bashabangapo kukimba Iraq, football nkwa ntanshi wa kukunkumuna kino kibelo.

Mutannabi Street ilamika soko dyampe dya mabuku dya difuku dya butanu mu Baghdad. Kusalula nabi nkwikala kintu kya binunu bisanganyene: mabuku a bitendo atala-yellow pafupi na mabuku a English abeeyele, bisoneka bya poli bya nsaa ya Saddam pafupi na bitembulwe bya mu Arabic bya Harry Potter bimanyikwe. Mwine-shitolo dya mabuku — lueti lwa kutanga luneme pa mbombo, minwe itala gray kufuma ku myaka makumi avule a wino ne busende — wansapwile mu English: 'Mu nsaa ya Saddam, mashitolo a mabuku pa uno mwibele abafululanga. Mu nsaa ya kunyinga kwa America, babafulwile kabidi. Anka mabuku kabafwile, ne lwishi kalwashintulukile.' Walombola panze ku Tigris: 'Uno lwishi mukulukye kukila bukalanga bonso twaketenga pamo. Umwene bamfumu ba Babylon, ba poètes ba dynastie ya Abbasid, batanka ba Angleterre — leelo ututala.'

Bifukaminwe bya Babylon bikala pakatwa kilometre makumi mwanda na itano ku sudi ya Baghdad, lwendo lwa nsaa ibidi. Anka nsaa ibidi ayo apilanga ku bikalo bya kulamina bya kisoda bine papite — ne kipindi kya bibundji bya meya mpa bipelela bya America byapatwilanga. Pakufika, nabadile bakamio bibidi mu kifulo kya parking — umune wa mulomboledi, mukwabo wa mufubi wa mbulamatadi ya bintu bya kala bya Iraq. Mulomboledi, mwine-kisanga wa Babylon Governorate wa kubetamina Hassan, wakunkulwile kibelo kikata kya kyela kya kifulo kya kufukamina na bumpete bu buntu ukunkumuna lupango lwa kubelo lwabo: 'Kakino kyaba kya ba-touriste — Babylon nka kikalapo kyaba kya ba-touriste.' Walombola ku kibelo kya Ishtar — matale a blue-glazed, banshiaminyoka ne bamboloko bikidyakwetu — wasapula: 'Pa Nebuchadnezzar II bakile kino kibelo, Babylon adi bwilele bukile bunene pa buloba. Leelo — leelo ke na nshila ya bisi nansha.' Mwi dimo dyandi mwadi ke mulanda. Disapula apopwe.

Kusela kwa lutandwa, Erbil, mbuji-mbuyi ya Mbulamatadi ya Kurdistan ya Iraq, ikala mu ludu lupusanene lwashi ne lupusanene lwa bulami. Citadelle — kifulo kikile kala kya bantu kwikala kya bubine pa buloba, kishabangapo kulekelwa mu myaka nkama isambombo — iimika kufuma pakachi ka bwilele bu kite kikata kya sand. Mufundi wa univesite wa Kurdese wansendele ku shitolo dyandi dipende dya kebab, pakachi ka kudia bungi, wansapwile pa gol wa kumpela wa Aymen Hussein, waposele na mutwe nsolwe na Oman. 'Nzanza yoso ya tchai mu Erbil yatumbukile pamo — ba-Kurdes, ba-Arabes, ba-Turkmènes — kwadi bu-bwine bumune apopwe mu kyumba ekyo.' Wakashishe katamba kyandi kya kebab pa kusoneka kibumbo kya kipanyi kya football pa mesa, ne wasoneke maloba abidi pakachi: Iraq.

Bishiba bya Mésopotamie mu sudi — kifulo kya mitoto kya Bipambo bya Eden — kyadi kya kumpela, ne kikile kutadila, kya namwene mu Iraq. Mazanza a kusomba a bitete abamanyika bu mudhif anyemanga bukeeya pa mema. Bambole ba mema babadi keele anka myomo ne bipembe bibidi bya musempe. Mwata-bwato, waimene mu bwato bwandi bwa mashoof, wasapule mu English yapeela: 'Saddam mpindi wakebile kwamisha bino bishiba byonso — pa kupana kya kipupa kwa ba-Arabes ba bishiba bashalanga pano. Mema aamwine myaka ikumi. Panyuma ba-America bafikile, mema aabweleele. Leelo — mema ashika panshi, aya peulu, ashika panshi kabidi. Bishiba nkyaba bishiba.' Wabwimikile kayi; kumpala kwetu, kibundi kya bakafu batokele batumbukile. Kekwadi kingeleshe kyakebwanga. Byabwine nbyo byaselenga bukile.

Pa nkome yami ya kumpela mu Baghdad, nabweleele ku nzanza ya tchai pa Mutannabi Street. Kipuna kimo, kafwa ibimuna ya Arabic. Pa mesa ipitene, kipangula kyatembwilanga mukandu wa kumpela wa World Cup ya Iraq kufuma ku telefone yandi kwa balunda bandi mu Arabic, maloba 'Mbappé' ne 'Messi' abudilenganga kamo ne kamo — football nkyo lukuta lwa bantu bonso. Padi nkusoneka bino bitungunuka bya kumpela, mulwisho wa kulomba wamvwike panze. Tigris, kumoneka mu kishinkunkulu, wadi apopwe kuvwika leelo — ndinga ya mema akwenda. Nakebanga kutwila byonso mu disapula dimune, anka Hassan — mulomboledi wa kufuma Babylon — wakilepo kunsonekela padi nafuma: 'Uyukile, kunyuma kwa myaka kupela kukila nkama umune Nebuchadnezzar kafwide, Babylon yadi bushii muntu. Anka mabuku a bulomboledi a leelo? Iraq ipeta mulongo umune: Kentu kwenda. Bumpite bwa uno mwibele ke bupite — binunu byawupele dîna dikata bwine, ne leelo dyawupele lukumo lutupu bwine.' Nabadye pa kafwa yami. Nasonekwe mu buku dya ba-kwasu — popa mwanda takudya muntu wakasha wa kwitanga.