Sarah Saartjie Baartman (izina rye ry’ukuri ni Ssehura, ariko ryahinduwe n’abakoroni), ni umwe mu bantu bagizwe ibikoresho by’amateka y’ubukoloni, ubucakara, n’ivanguraruhu ryakorwaga hashingiwe ku mibiri y’abantu b’Abanyafurika. Yavutse ahagana mu 1789 mu karere ka Gamtoos River, hafi y’icyo ubu bita Eastern Cape muri Afurika y’Epfo, akaba yaraturukaga mu bwoko bw’abaKhoikhoi (bazwi kandi nka Khoisan).
Uko yagizwe igikoresho cy’irondaruhu, agasuzuguro n’ishyirwaho ry’icyitegererezo cy’umwiraburakazi “udashobotse”, byabaye umusingi w’amateka y’inzika n’akarengane yagaragaje isura mbi y’ubukoroni bw’i Burayi. Inkuru ye yabaye igikoresho cy’amasomo ku bakurikira amateka y’ivangura rishingiye ku ruhu n’uburinganire.
Sarah Baartman yavukiye mu muryango w’abaKhoikhoi, ubwoko bw’abaturage b’umwimerere bari batuye mu gace ka Cape Colony, baranzwe n’ubuzima bw’ubworozi n’ubwisanzure mu mibereho. Buckeye bwaho, Abanyaburayi (Abaholandi n’Abafaransa) barimo bashinga koloni muri Afurika y’Epfo, bazanye ubukoroni bwahinduye imibereho y’abaKhoikhoi, babambura ubutaka, babashora mu bucakara.
Baartman, nk’abandi bagore bo muri icyo gihe, yakuriye mu buzima bwa gikoroni aho Abazungu bashakaga abagore b’abaKhoikhoi nk’abagore bo kuryamana na bo cyangwa nk’abacakara, n’ibikoresho byo kwishimishirizaho no gukoreraho ubufindo. Umuryango we wishwe muri icyo gihe cy’intambara z’ubukoloni, bivugwa ko yatwawe n’Abanyaburayi akiri muto.
Mu 1810, Sarah yajyanywe i London n’umugabo w’Umufaransa witwaga Hendrik Cesars afatanyije n’umucuruzi w’Umwongereza witwa Alexander Dunlop. Bahuje umugambi wo kumugira igikoresho cyo kwerekana “ubwoko butangaje” bwo muri Afurika, cyane cyane kubera imiterere y’umubiri we, harimo ikibuno kinini bise steatopygia, bakabyita “ikimenyetso cy’ubusambanyi bwo ku rwego rwo hejuru.”
Yazengurutse mu Burayi yerekanwa mu mazu y’imyidagaduro (nka freak shows) ndetse no mu ruhame, aho bamwerekanaga nk’inyamaswa idasanzwe, yambitwe ubusa hafi ya hose, yambaye nk’abantu ba cyera mu isura y’agashinyaguro, ibintu abitabiriye berekanaga nk’ubugeni cyangwa “ubumenyi” ku Banyafurika.
Abaharanira uburenganzira bwa muntu mu Bwongereza bagerageje kujyana abamukoreraga ibyo mu nkiko, bavuga ko ari ubutumwa bw’iyicarubozo no gukoresha ubucakara, ariko Sarah we yabwiye urukiko ko abyemera ku bushake. Abashakashatsi benshi bavuga ko ibyo yavuze byari ku gitutu, dore ko atari ashoboye gusubira iwabo cyangwa kwigenga.
Mu 1814, Baartman yajyanywe i Paris, ahantu hazwi nk’ahavugwaho “ubuhanga” bwo kwiga imyanya y’ibanga y’abantu bo mu bihugu bitari iby’i Burayi. Yakoreshejwe mu bushakashatsi n’abashakashatsi b’Abafaransa barimo Georges Cuvier, umuganga n’inyangamugayo y’icyo gihe, wamufashe nk’inyamaswa y’imibereho ifitanye isano n’inguge.
Aho i Paris, ntiyakomeje gusa kwerekanwa nk’icyamamare giteye amatsiko, ahubwo yashyizwe no mu nzu z’indaya, aho yakorerwaga ihohoterwa rishingiye ku gitsina. Inkuru ivuga ko yari mu bukene bukabije, indwara no kwangirika k’ubuzima.
Yapfiriye i Paris ku ya 29 Ukuboza 1815 afite imyaka 26, bikekwa ko yazize indwara zifitanye isano n’imibonano mpuzabitsina no kwicwa n’agahinda k’akarengane.
Nyuma y’urupfu rwe, Georges Cuvier yahise afata umurambo we, awusuzuma mu rwego rwa siyansi. Umubiri wa Sarah Baartman wari washyizweho amarangamutima y’uko “umugore w’umwiraburakazi afite imyanya ndangagitsina ifitanye isano n’inyamaswa”—ibitekerezo by’ivanguraruhu ryashingiraga ku bujiji bw’amateka y’ubumenyi bw’Abazungu bo mu gihe cye.
Ishusho y’umubiri we (mu buryo bwa plaster cast), igitsina cye, ndetse n’ubwonko bwe byashyizwe mu nzu ndangamurage y’i Paris (Musée de l’Homme) aho byagaragarizwaga abashyitsi n’abandi basuye iyo nzu ndangamurage kugeza mu 1974, ni ukuvuga imyaka isaga 150 nyuma y’urupfu rwe.
Mu myaka ya 1980–1990, Abanyafurika y’Epfo batangiye gusaba ko umurambo wa Baartman usubizwa mu gihugu cye cy’amavuko, mu rwego rwo guha icyubahiro izina rye no kumwibuka nk’umuntu, aho kumufata nk’icyatsi cyo mu nzu ndangamurage.
Umuyobozi w’icyo gihe wa Afurika y’Epfo, Nelson Mandela, yandikiye Leta y’u Bufaransa asaba ko ibisigazwa bye bisubizwa. Nyuma y’amasuzuma n’imyanzuro y’ubuyobozi bw’u Bufaransa, umurambo we wasubijwe muri Afurika y’Epfo ku ya 6 Werurwe 2002, ushyingurwa ku mugaragaro ku ya 9 Kanama 2002 hafi y’aho yavukiye, mu cyubahiro gikomeye.
Sarah Baartman yabaye igikoresho cy’irondaruhu, irondogitsina n’ubumenyi bw’ubujiji. Yerekanwe mu ruhame, ateshwa agaciro, n’ubwigenge bwe buhindurwa igicuruzwa. Inkuru ye ubu irakigishwa mu mashuri, yibutswa mu nyandiko, mu mashusho ndetse no mu biganiro by’uburenganzira bwa muntu, feminism, n’ubusesenguzi bw’amateka y’ubukoroni.
Nyuma y’urupfu rwe yasigaye azwi ku izina rya “Hottentot Venus”, irindi zina ry’agasuzuguro ryahimbwe n’Abazungu kugira ngo bashimangire uko umubiri we utandukanye n’uw’Abazungu. Ubu, ni ishusho y’umugore wababariwe amateka, wahindutse ikimenyetso cy’ukwigobotora ivangura n’ipfobya rishingiye ku gitsina n’ubwoko.
Inkuru ya Sarah Saartjie Baartman ni umusemburo w’isesengura ku buryo abantu bashobora gusuzugurwa no kwamburwa agaciro kubera uburyo baremwe. Ni isomo ku isi y’ubu: aho uburenganzira bw’umuntu bugomba kurindwa atari uko ameze cyangwa uko agaragara, ahubwo kuko ari umuntu.
Hari Amasomo twakwigira kuri iyi nkuru
Kwiga amateka ye ni ukwigira ku mahano y’ubukoloni no gufata ingamba zo kurwanya ivangura ryose.
Baartman yerekana ko kuba umuntu bikwiye guhabwa agaciro kurusha isura cyangwa umubiri.
Hari umuhate uriho wo kwibuka no gusubiza agaciro abagore n’abagabo b’Abanyafurika basuzuguwe mu mateka.
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UMWANDITSI: Corneille Ntaco