I-International Centre ye-Ethno-Religious Mediation (ICERM) izimisele ukuxhasa uxolo oluzinzileyo kumazwe ehlabathini lonke, kwaye siyazi kakuhle igalelo elinokwenziwa ngabadala bethu. I-ICERM iseke iQonga leHlabathi laBadala ngokungqongqo lilungiselelwe abantu abadala, abalawuli bemveli/iinkokeli okanye abameli bobuhlanga, inkolo, uluntu kunye namaqela emveli. Simema igalelo labo baye baphila kwiinguqulelo ezimangalisayo kwezobuchwepheshe, ezopolitiko nezentlalo. Sifuna uncedo lwabo ekulungelelaniseni olu tshintsho nemithetho nezithethe zesintu. Sifuna ubulumko babo ekuzinziseni iingxabano ngoxolo, ukuthintela ungquzulwano, ukuqalisa iingxoxo, nokukhuthaza ezinye iindlela ezingenabundlobongela zokusombulula iingxabano.

Ukanti, njengoko besisenza uphando ngeempendulo zeMibuzo Ekhokelayo kule nxalenye, kuyadanisa ukubona ukuba iUnited States, apho intlangano yethu isekelwe khona, ineembono ezilinganiselweyo ngamalungelo abantu abakhulileyo. Sinemithetho yoluntu kunye nolwaphulo-mthetho ukubakhusela kukuxhatshazwa ngokwasemzimbeni nangokwemali. Sinemithetho yokubanceda bagcine ukuzimela geqe, kwanaxa befuna abagadi okanye abanye abantu abaza kubathethelela kwimiba elinganiselweyo, enjengokhathalelo lwempilo okanye izigqibo zemali. Nangona kunjalo akukho nto ingako siyenzileyo ukucela umngeni kwizithethe zasekuhlaleni, ukugcina ukubandakanywa kwabantu abalupheleyo, okanye ukudibanisa abo bathe babekwa bucala.

Okokuqala, sidibanisa wonke umntu oneminyaka engama-60 kwiqela elinye, ngokungathi bonke bayafana. Ngaba unokucinga ukuba siyenzele wonke umntu ongaphantsi kweminyaka engama-30? Umfazi osisityebi oneminyaka engama-80 ubudala eManhattan ofikelela kukhathalelo lwempilo kunye namayeza anamhlanje ngokucacileyo anezidingo ezahlukeneyo kunendoda eneminyaka engama-65 ubudala e-Agrarian Iowa. Kanye njengokuba sifuna ukuchonga, ukwamkela, kunye nokulungelelanisa iyantlukwano phakathi kwabantu abaneemvelaphi ezahlukeneyo zonqulo, i-ICERM isebenza ukuzisa abadala kunye nabanye abantu abajongelwe phantsi kwiincoko ezibachaphazelayo. Asizange silibale ukuba okusichaphazelayo kuyabachaphazela nabo. Kuyinyani ukuba asinakuchaphazeleka ngendlela efanayo, kodwa ngamnye yethu ichaphazeleka ngokukodwa, kwaye namava ethu onke ayasebenza. Simele siziphe ixesha lokujonga ngaphaya kobudala, njengoko ngandlel’ ithile sikwacalulana ngolo hlobo yaye siqhubela phambili ezo ngxaki sifuna ukuzicombulula.

Okwesibini, e-US, sikhusela abantu abadala ekucaluleni xa besasebenza, kodwa kubonakala ngathi kukho ukuvuma apho ukufikelela kwiimpahla kunye neenkonzo, ukunakekelwa kwezempilo kunye nokunakekelwa kwentlalo. Sinocalucalulo lwethu ngakubo xa “bengenamveliso”. Umthetho wabantu baseMelika abakhubazekileyo uya kubakhusela njengoko ukulinganiselwa kwabo ngokomzimba kuncipha kwaye kufuneka bahambe kwiindawo zikawonkewonke, kodwa ngaba baya kuba nokhathalelo lwempilo olwaneleyo kunye nokhathalelo lwentlalo? Kakhulu kuxhomekeke kwingeniso, kwaye ngaphezu kwesinye kwisithathu okanye abantu abalupheleyo bahlala kufutshane nenqanaba lentlupheko. Inani labo banesicwangciso esifanayo sezemali kwiminyaka yabo yamva kulindeleke kuphela ukwanda, kwaye ngamanye amaxesha xa silungiselela ukunqongophala kwabasebenzi.

Asiqinisekanga ukuba uwiso-mthetho olongezelelekileyo luya kuluguqula uninzi localucalulo esilubonayo kubantu abalupheleyo, kwaye asicingi ukuba luya kuyilwa ngokungqinelana noMgaqo-siseko wethu. Njengabalamli kunye nabaququzeleli abanezakhono, sibona ithuba lengxoxo kunye nokusombulula iingxaki ngokuyila xa sibandakanya abantu abalupheleyo. Kusekuninzi ekufuneka sikufundile ngabantu abaninzi abahlukeneyo ababumba eli candelo likhulu labemi behlabathi. Mhlawumbi eli lixesha lokuba simamele, siqwalasele, kwaye sisebenzisane.

Okwesithathu, sifuna iinkqubo ezingakumbi ezigcina abantu abalupheleyo benxibelelene noluntu lwabo. Apho sele bengamakheswa, kufuneka sibadibanise ngokutsha ngamavolontiya, ngokubanika iingcebiso nangezinye iinkqubo ezibakhumbuza ngokuxabiseka kwabo nokukhuthaza igalelo labo eliqhubekayo, kungekhona njengesohlwayo kodwa njengethuba. Sineenkqubo zabantwana, abaza kuhlala bengabantwana iminyaka eli-18 kuphela. Ziphi iinkqubo ezifanayo zama-60 nama-70-abanye abanokuba neminyaka eli-18 okanye ngaphezulu yokufunda baze bakhule, ingakumbi apho abantu abadala ngokufuthi benolwazi olungakumbi namava okwabelana nabo kunabantwana ebudeni beminyaka yabo eli-18? Andithethi kuthi imfundo yabantwana ayinaxabiso, kodwa silahlekelwa ngamathuba amakhulu xa sisilela ukuxhobisa abantu abadala, nathi.

Njengoko iAmerican Bar Association Liaison yatshoyo kwiSeshini Yesithandathu, “indibano yamalungelo abantu abakhulileyo imele ibe ngaphezu kokuhlanganisa nokuchaza amalungelo. Kufuneka kwakhona itshintshe imbono yentlalo yokwaluphala.” (Mock, 2015). Umbutho waseMelika wabantu abadla umhlala-phantsi uyavuma, wongeza ngelithi “Ngokuphazamisana nokwaluphala—ukutshintsha incoko malunga nokuba kuthetha ukuthini ukukhula ngeminyaka—sinokuvelisa izisombululo kunye nokucofa izibonelelo ezivelisa indawo yokusebenzela, sandise indawo yentengiso kwaye siphinde senze uluntu lwethu.” (UCollett, ngo-2017). Asinakuzenza zonke ezi zinto ngokufanelekileyo de sibe sicele umngeni kwimiba yethu yokungakhethi cala malunga nokwaluphala, esikwenza ngokuququzelela izakhono.

UNance L. Schick, Esq., Ummeli oPhambili weZiko leZizwe ngezizwe le-Ethno-Religious Mediation kwiKomkhulu leZizwe eziManyeneyo, eNew York.