Le yinguqulelo ehleliweyo yedilesi uJohn Pilger ayinika iThala leBritane nge-9 kaDisemba 2017 njengenxalenye yomnyhadala obuyayo, 'Amandla oXwebhu', obanjelwe ukuphawula ukufunyanwa kweThala leencwadi kulondolozo olubhaliweyo lukaPilger.
nguJohn Pilger, ngoDisemba 11, 2017, IJohnPilger.com. I-RSN.
Ndiqale ndawaqonda amandla engxelo ngexesha lokuhlelwa kwefilimu yam yokuqala, I-Quiet Mutiny. Kumagqabantshintshi, ndibhekisela kwinkuku, endadibana nayo kunye neqela lam ngoxa sasigada amajoni aseMerika eVietnam.
“Inokuba yinkuku yaseVietcong – inkukhu yamakomanisi,” watsho usajini. Ubhale kwingxelo yakhe: "utshaba olubonwayo".
Umzuzu wenkukhu wawubonakala ugxininisa i-farce yemfazwe - ngoko ndayifaka kwifilimu. Loo nto isenokuba yayingebobulumko. Umlawuli wethelevishini yorhwebo eBritani - ngoko uGunyaziwe weTelevishini eZimeleyo okanye i-ITA - wayefuna ukubona iskripthi sam. Yayiyintoni imvelaphi yam yezopolitiko zenkukhu? Ndabuzwa. Ngaba ngokwenene yayiyinkukhu yamakomanisi, okanye yayinokuba yinkuku exhasa iMelika?
Kambe ke, le mfeketho yayinenjongo enzulu; xa iThe Quiet Mutiny yasasazwa yi-ITV ngowe-1970, unozakuzaku waseMelika eBritani, uWalter Annenberg, umhlobo wobuqu kaMongameli uRichard Nixon, wakhalaza kwi-ITA. Akazange akhalaze ngenkukhu kodwa malunga nefilimu yonke. “Ndizimisele ukwazisa i-White House,” wabhala unozakuzaku. Gosh.
I-Quiet Mutiny ibonakalise ukuba umkhosi wase-US eVietnam wawuzikrazula. Kwakukho imvukelo evulekileyo: amadoda abhalisiweyo ayesala imiyalelo kwaye adubule amagosa awo emqolo okanye "awaqheke" ngeziqhushumbisi njengoko elele.
Akukho nanye kwezi yayiziindaba. Into eyayithetha kukuba imfazwe yayilahlekile; yaye umthunywa lowo akazange axatyiswe.
UMlawuli-Jikelele we-ITA yayinguMhlekazi uRobert Fraser. Wabiza uDenis Foreman, ngoko uMlawuli weNkqubo kwi-TV yaseGranada, kwaye wangena kwisimo se-apoplexy. Etshiza izithuko, uMhlekazi uRobert wandichaza “njengobhukuqo oluyingozi”.
Yintoni echaphazelekayo umlawuli kunye ne-ambassador yayingamandla efilimu enye ye-documentary: amandla eenyani zayo kunye namangqina: ngakumbi amajoni amancinci athetha inyaniso kwaye aphathwe ngovelwano ngumenzi wefilimu.
Ndandiyintatheli yephephandaba. Andizange ndenze ifilimu ngaphambili kwaye ndandinetyala kuCharles Denton, umvelisi okreqileyo weBBC, owandifundisa ukuba iinyani kunye nobungqina obuxelwe ngqo kwikhamera kwaye kubaphulaphuli ngenene banokubhukuqa.
Oku kubhukuqwa kobuxoki obusemthethweni ngamandla eengxelo. Ngoku ndenze iifilimu ezingama-60 kwaye ndiyakholelwa ukuba akukho nto ifana nala mandla kuyo nayiphi na enye indlela.
Ngeminyaka yee-1960, umenzi wefilimu omncinci okrelekrele, uPeter Watkins, wenza Umdlalo wemfazwe yeBBC. Watkins wakha ngokutsha emva kohlaselo lwenyukliya eLondon.
Umdlalo weMfazwe wavalwa. I-BBC yathi: "Impembelelo yale filimu ibonwe njengeyoyikeka kakhulu kwindlela yosasazo." Owayesakuba ngusihlalo weBBC's Board of Governors yayinguLord Normanbrook, owayenguNobhala weKhabhinethi. Wabhalela umntu oza kungena ezihlangwini zakhe kwiKhabhinethi, uMhlekazi Burke Trend: “Umdlalo weMfazwe awuyilwanga njengepropaganda: yenzelwe ukuba ibe yingxelo eyinyani kwaye isekwe kuphando olucokisekileyo kwizinto ezisemthethweni ... yefilimu kumabonwakude inokuba nempembelelo ebalulekileyo kwisimo sengqondo sikawonke-wonke ngokuphathelele umgaqo-nkqubo wokuthintela inyukliya.”
Ngamanye amazwi, amandla ale ngxelo yayikukuba inokwazisa abantu ngezoyikiso zokwenyani zemfazwe yenyukliya kwaye ibabangele babuze ubukho bezixhobo zenyukliya.
Amaphepha eKhabhinethi abonisa ukuba i-BBC yasebenzisana ngokufihlakeleyo norhulumente ukuvala ifilimu kaWatkins. Ibali leqweqwe lelokuba i-BBC inoxanduva lokukhusela "abadala abahlala bodwa kunye nabantu abakrelekrele ngokwengqondo".
Uninzi lwabashicileli lwakuginya oku. Ukuvalwa komsebenzi woMdlalo weMfazwe kwawuphelisa umsebenzi kaPeter Watkins kumabonwakude waseBritani eneminyaka engama-30 ubudala. Lo menzi wefilimu ubalaseleyo wayishiya iBBC neBritani, waza ngomsindo waqalisa iphulo lehlabathi lonke elichasene nokuhlolwa kovavanyo.
Ukuthetha inyani, kunye nokuchasa inyaniso esemthethweni, kunokuba yingozi kumenzi wefilimu.
Ngo-1988, usasazo lukamabonakude iThames Ukufa phezu kweLiwa, ingxelo engemfazwe yaseMntla Ireland. Yayiliphulo eliyingozi nelinesibindi. Ukunyanzeliswa kwengxelo yento ebizwa ngokuba yiNgxaki yase-Ireland yayixhaphakile, kwaye uninzi lwethu kwiingxelo zaphoxeka ngamandla ekwenzeni iifilimu kumantla womda. Ukuba siyazama, sasitsaleleka kumgxobhozo wokuthobela.
Intatheli uLiz Curtis ubale ukuba iBBC ivalile, yenza ugqirha okanye ilibazise iinkqubo zeTV ezinkulu ezingama-50 eIreland. Kwakukho, ewe, izinto ezibekekileyo, ezinjengoJohn Ware. URoger Bolton, umvelisi we-Death on the Rock, wayengomnye. Ukufa eLiwa kuveze ukuba urhulumente waseBhritane wasasaza amaqela abulalayo e-SAS phesheya kolwandle ngokuchasene ne-IRA, ebulala abantu abane abangaxhobanga eGibraltar.
Iphulo elinoburhalarhume lenziwe ngokuchasene nefilimu, likhokelwa ngurhulumente kaMargaret Thatcher kunye noshicilelo lweMurdoch, ngakumbi iSunday Times, ehlelwe nguAndrew Neil.
Yayikuphela koxwebhu olwakha lwavavanywa ngokusemthethweni-kwaye iinyani zalo zangqinelwa. UMurdoch kwafuneka ahlawule ngenxa yokunyeliswa kwelinye lamangqina aphambili ale filimu.
Kodwa kwakungaphelelanga apho. I-Thames Television, enye yabona basasazi behlabathi, ekugqibeleni yahluthwa ilungelo layo e-United Kingdom.
Ngaba inkulumbuso yamphindezela kwi-ITV kunye nabenzi befilimu, njengoko yenzayo kubasebenzi basezimayini? Asazi. Into esiyaziyo kukuba amandla ale ngxelo inye emi enyanisweni kwaye, njengoMdlalo weMfazwe, waphawula indawo ephezulu kubuntatheli obufotiweyo.
Ndikholelwa ukuba amaxwebhu amakhulu abonisa ubuxoki bobugcisa. Kunzima ukuzibeka ngokweendidi. Abafani neentsomi ezinkulu. Azifani nemiboniso bhanyabhanya ebalaseleyo. Ukanti, banokudibanisa amandla apheleleyo azo zombini.
Idabi laseChile: umlo wabantu abangaxhobanga, yingxelo kaPatricio Guzman. Yifilimu engaqhelekanga: eneneni i-trilogy yeefilimu. Xa yakhutshwa ngeminyaka yee-1970, i<em>New Yorker yabuza: “Lalinokuthini iqela labantu abahlanu, abanye abangenawo amava efilimu ngaphambili, elisebenza ngekhamera enye ye-Éclair, irekhoda yesandi enye yeNagra, kunye nephakheji yefilimu emnyama nemhlophe, uvelise umsebenzi ololu hlobo?
I-documentary kaGuzman imalunga nokubhukuqwa kwedemokhrasi eChile ngo-1973 ngama-fascists akhokelwa nguGeneral Pinochet kwaye ekhokelwa yiCIA. Phantse yonke into ifotwe ngesandla, egxalabeni. Kwaye khumbula ukuba le yikhamera yefilimu, hayi ividiyo. Kufuneka utshintshe iphephancwadi rhoqo ngemizuzu elishumi, okanye ikhamera ime; kwaye intshukumo encinci kunye nokutshintsha kokukhanya kuchaphazela umfanekiso.
Kwidabi laseChile, kukho umboniso kumngcwabo wegosa lomkhosi wamanzi, elithembekileyo kuMongameli uSalvador Allende, owabulawa ngabo babeceba ukutshabalalisa urhulumente wohlaziyo ka-Allende. Ikhamera ihamba phakathi kobuso bomkhosi: iitotems zabantu kunye neembasa zabo kunye neerebhoni, iinwele zabo ezidibeneyo kunye namehlo amnyama. Usoyikiso lobuso uthi ubukele umngcwabo woluntu luphela: wedemokhrasi ngokwayo.
Kukho ixabiso ekufuneka uhlawulelwe ukufota ngenkalipho. Umthwebuli, uJorge Muller, wabanjwa waza wasiwa kwinkampu yentuthumbo, apho “wanyamalala” de ingcwaba lakhe lafunyanwa kwiminyaka emininzi kamva. Wayeneminyaka engama-27 ubudala.
EBritani, umsebenzi wobuvulindlela kaJohn Grierson, uDenis Mitchell, uNorman Swallow, uRichard Cawston kunye nabanye abenzi beefilim ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yama-20 bawela umahluko omkhulu wodidi baza babonisa elinye ilizwe. Banobuganga bokubeka iikhamera kunye ne-microphone phambi kwabantu abaqhelekileyo baseBritani kwaye babavumela ukuba bathethe ngolwimi lwabo.
UJohn Grierson kuthiwa ngabanye ukuba baqulunqe igama elithi "documentary". Ngeminyaka yee-1920 wathi: “Umdlalo weqonga usemnyango wakho, naphi na apho amatyotyombe akhoyo, naphi na apho kukho ukungondleki, naphi na apho kukho ukuxhaphaza nenkohlakalo.”
Aba benzi bhanyabhanya baseBhritane bakudala babekholelwa ukuba le filimu kufuneka ithethe ukusuka ngezantsi, hayi ukusuka phezulu: kufuneka ibe ngabantu, hayi igunya. Ngamanye amazwi, yayiligazi, ukubila kunye neenyembezi zabantu abaqhelekileyo abasinika i-documentary.
UDenis Mitchell wayedume ngemifanekiso yakhe yesitalato sabasebenzi. “Kuwo wonke umsebenzi wam,” watsho, “bendimangaliswe ngokupheleleyo ngumgangatho wamandla nesidima sabantu”. Xa ndifunda loo mazwi, ndicinga ngabasindi beGrenfell Tower, uninzi lwabo lusalindele ukubuyiselwa izindlu, bonke besalindele ubulungisa, njengoko iikhamera ziqhubela phambili kwisekisi ephindaphindiweyo yomtshato wasebukhosini.
Ongasekhoyo uDavid Munro kunye nam senze Unyaka we-Zero: Ukufa Okuthuleyo kweCambodia ngo-1979. Lo mboniso bhanya-bhanya waphula ukuthula malunga nelizwe eliphantsi kweminyaka engaphezu kweshumi yokuqhunyiswa kweebhombu kunye nokubulawa kohlanga, kwaye amandla ayo abandakanya izigidi zamadoda, abafazi kunye nabantwana abaqhelekileyo ekuhlanguleni uluntu kwelinye icala lehlabathi. Nangoku, i-Year Zero ibeka ubuxoki kwintsomi yokuba uluntu alukhathali, okanye abo banenkathalo ekugqibeleni baba ngamaxhoba kwinto ebizwa ngokuba “yimfesane yokudinwa”.
Unyaka onguZero ubujongwe ngabaphulaphuli abaninzi kunabaphulaphuli benkqubo yangoku, edume kakhulu yaseBritane “yenyani” ethi Bake Off. Iboniswe kwi-TV eqhelekileyo kumazwe angaphezu kwama-30, kodwa kungekhona e-United States, apho i-PBS yayigatya ngokuthe ngqo, isoyika, ngokutsho kwesigqeba, malunga nokusabela kolawulo olutsha lweReagan. EBritani nase-Australia, yasasazwa ngaphandle kwentengiso-ixesha kuphela, ngokolwazi lwam, oku kwenzeke kumabonakude worhwebo.
Emva kokusasazwa kweBritane, ngaphezulu kweengxowa ze-40 zeposi zafika kwiiofisi ze-ATV eBirmingham, iileta ezingama-26,000 zeklasi yokuqala kwisithuba sokuqala kuphela. Khumbula ukuba eli yayilixesha phambi kwe-imeyile kunye ne-Facebook. Kwiileta yayiyi-£ 1 yezigidi-ininzi yayo kwiimali ezincinci ezivela kwabo babengenakukwazi ukunika. “Le yeyaseKhambodiya,” wabhala watsho umqhubi webhasi, evala umvuzo wakhe weveki. Abadla umhlala-phantsi bathumele imali yabo yomhlalaphantsi. Umama ongenaqabane wathumela imali awayeyongile eyi-£50. Abantu beza ekhayeni lam bephethe izinto zokudlala kunye nemali, nezikhalazo zikaThatcher nemibongo yokucaphukela uPol Pot kunye nehlakani lakhe, uMongameli uRichard Nixon, iibhombu zakhe zakhawulezisa ukwanda kwalowo uphambukayo.
Ngexesha lokuqala, i-BBC ixhasa ifilimu ye-ITV. Inkqubo yeBlue Peter icele abantwana ukuba "baze bathenge" izinto zokudlala kwiivenkile ze-Oxfam kwilizwe liphela. NgeKrisimesi, abantwana babephakamise isixa esimangalisayo se-£ 3,500,000. Ehlabathini lonke, i-Year Zero ikhulise ngaphezu kwe-55 yezigidi zeedola, ubukhulu becala ibingacelwanga, neyathi yazisa uncedo ngokuthe ngqo eKhambodiya: amayeza, ugonyo kunye nokufakelwa komzi-mveliso weempahla ovumela abantu ukuba balahle iyunifomu emnyama ababenyanzeleke ukuba bayinxibe. Pol Pot. Kwaba ngathi abaphulaphuli bayekile ukuba ngababukeli baza baba nenxaxheba.
Kwenzeka into efanayo eUnited States xa umabonwakude weCBS wasasaza ifilimu kaEdward R. Murrow. Ukuvunwa kwehlazo, ngowe-1960. Esi yayisisihlandlo sokuqala ukuba abantu abaninzi baseMerika abakumgangatho ophakathi babone umlinganiselo wobuhlwempu phakathi kwabo.
Ukuvunwa kwehlazo libali labasebenzi bezolimo abafudukayo ababephathwa bhetele kunamakhoboka. Namhlanje, umzabalazo wabo unemvakalelo efana nabafuduki kunye neembacu zilwela umsebenzi kunye nokhuseleko kwiindawo zasemzini. Into ebonakala ingaqhelekanga kukuba abantwana kunye nabazukulwana babanye abantu kule filimu baya kuthwala ubunzima bokuxhatshazwa kunye nokunyanzeliswa kukaMongameli uTrump.
EUnited States namhlanje, akukho nto ilingana noEdward R. Murrow. Ubucwebe bakhe, obungaguqukiyo uhlobo lobuntatheli baseMelika buphelisiwe kwinto ebizwa ngokuba yinto eqhelekileyo kwaye uye wabalekela kwi-Intanethi.
IBritane isele lelinye lamazwe ambalwa apho amaxwebhu asaboniswa kumabonwakude aqhelekileyo ngeeyure apho uninzi lwabantu lusaphaphile. Kodwa amaxwebhu achasene nobulumko obufunyenweyo aba luhlobo olusengozini, ngelo xesha kanye esilufunayo mhlawumbi kunanini na ngaphambili.
Kuhlolisiso olwenziwa emva kophando, xa abantu bebuzwa ukuba yintoni abangathanda ngakumbi ngayo kumabonwakude, bathetha ngamaxwebhu. Andikholelwa ukuba bathetha uhlobo lwenkqubo yemicimbi yangoku eliqonga lezopolitiko kunye "neengcali" ezichaphazela ulungelelwaniso olukhethekileyo phakathi kwamandla amakhulu kunye namaxhoba ayo.
Amaxwebhu okuqwalasela ayaziwa; kodwa iifilimu ezimalunga nezikhululo zeenqwelo moya kunye namapolisa ezindleleni azinantsingiselo yehlabathi. Bayayonwabisa.
Iinkqubo ezikrelekrele zikaDavid Attenborough kwihlabathi lendalo zenza intsingiselo yokutshintsha kwemozulu - emva kwexesha.
I-BBC's Panorama yenza ingqiqo ngenkxaso yaseBritane eyimfihlo yejihadism eSyria - emva kwexesha.
Kodwa kutheni uTrump ebeka umlilo kuMbindi Mpuma? Kutheni le nto iNtshona isondela kwimfazwe neRashiya neTshayina?
Phawula amazwi ombalisi kwincwadi kaPeter Watkins ethi The War Game: “Phantse kumbandela wonke wezixhobo zenyukliya, ngoku kukho inzolo ngokupheleleyo kumaphephandaba, nakumabonwakude. Kukho ithemba kuyo nayiphi na imeko engasonjululwanga okanye engalindelekanga. Kodwa ngaba likho ithemba lokwenene lokufunyanwa koku kuthula?”
Ngo-2017, oko kuthula kubuyile.
Asizondaba ukuba izinto ezikhusela izixhobo zenyukliya ziye zashenxiswa ngokuzolileyo nokuba iUnited States ngoku ichitha iidola ezingama-46 ezigidi ngeyure kwizixhobo zenyukliya: leyo yi-$4.6 yezigidi ngeyure nganye, iiyure ezingama-24 ngosuku, suku ngalunye. Ngubani oyaziyo loo nto?
Imfazwe ezayo kwiChina, endiyigqibileyo kunyaka odlulileyo, isasazwe e-UK kodwa kungekhona e-United States - apho i-90 ipesenti yabemi ayikwazi ukubiza igama okanye indawo enkulu yaseNorth Korea okanye ichaze ukuba kutheni iTump ifuna ukuyitshabalalisa. I-China ikufuphi neNorth Korea.
Ngokutsho komnye umsasazi weefilimu “oqhubekayo” eUnited States, abantu baseMerika banomdla kuphela koko bakubiza ngokuba “ziifilimu eziqhutywa ngabantu”. Le yikhowudi ethi "jonga kum" inkolo yabathengi edla kwaye yoyikisa kwaye ixhaphaza kakhulu inkcubeko yethu edumileyo, ngelixa ijikisa abenzi befilimu kwisifundo esingxamisekileyo njengalo naliphi na ixesha langoku.
Imbongi yaseRashiya uYevgeny Yevtushenko yabhala yathi: “Xa inyaniso ithatyathelw’ indawo kukuthula, kuthi cwaka bubuxoki.”
Nanini na xa abenzi befilimu abancinci bendibuza ukuba bangenza njani “umahluko”, ndiphendula ndithi ilula kakhulu. Kufuneka baphule ukuthula.
Landela uJohn Pilger kwi-twitter @johnpilger
