Lena inguqulo ehleliwe yekheli u-John Pilger alinikeze e-British Library ngomhla ka-9 Disemba 2017 njengengxenye yomkhosi wokubukelwa emuva, 'Amandla Edokhumenti', ebanjwe ukuze kuphawulwe ukutholwa Kwelabhulali kwengobo yomlando ebhaliwe ka-Pilger.
ngu-John Pilger, Disemba 11, 2017, JohnPilger.com. I-RSN.
Ngiqale ngawaqonda amandla e-documentary ngesikhathi ngihlela ifilimu yami yokuqala, I-Quiet Mutiny. Encwadini ehlaziyayo, ngibhekisela enkukhuni, mina nethimba lami esahlangana nayo lapho sihlola amasosha aseMelika eVietnam.
"Kufanele kube inkukhu yaseVietcong - inkukhu yamakhomanisi," kusho usayitsheni. Ubhale embikweni wakhe: “isitha esibonayo”.
Umzuzu wezinkukhu ubonakala ugcizelela i-farce yempi - ngakho ngayifaka kufilimu. Lokho kungenzeka kwakungahlakaniphile. Umlawuli wethelevishini yezentengiso eBrithani - ngaleso sikhathi eyayiyi-Independent Television Authority noma i-ITA - wayefune ukubona umbhalo wami. Uyini umthombo wami wokujoyina inkukhu? Ngabuzwa. Ingabe kwakuyinkukhu yamakhomanisi ngempela, noma kungenzeka ukuthi kwakuyinkukhu esekela iMelika?
Yebo, lembudane yayinenjongo engathi sína; ngenkathi i-The Quiet Mutiny isakazwa yi-ITV ngo-1970, inxusa laseMelika eBrithani, uWalter Annenberg, umngane womuntu siqu kaMongameli uRichard Nixon, wakhononda ku-ITA. Akazange akhale ngenkukhu kodwa wakhala ngefilimu yonke. "Ngihlose ukwazisa i-White House," kubhala inxusa. Gosh.
I-Quiet Mutiny yayiveze ukuthi ibutho laseMelika eVietnam lalizihlukanisa phakathi. Kwaba nokuvukela obala: amadoda abuthiwe ayenqaba imiyalo futhi edubula izikhulu zawo emhlane noma “ewahlakaza” ngamabhomu njengoba elele.
Akukho kulokhu obekuyizindaba. Okwakusho ukuthi impi ilahlekile; futhi isithunywa asizange saziswa.
UMqondisi-Jikelele we-ITA kwakunguSir Robert Fraser. Wabiza u-Denis Foreman, ngaleso sikhathi owayenguMqondisi Wezinhlelo e-Granada TV, futhi wangena esimweni sokugula. Efafaza iziqhumane, uSir Robert wangichaza “njengovukela umbuso oyingozi”.
Okwakukhathaza umlawuli kanye nenxusa kwakungamandla efilimu eyodwa eyidokhumentari: amandla amaqiniso ayo kanye nofakazi: ikakhulukazi amasosha asemancane akhuluma iqiniso futhi ephathwa ngozwela ngumenzi wefilimu.
Ngangiyintatheli yephephandaba. Ngangingakaze ngenze ifilimu ngaphambili futhi ngangikweleta uCharles Denton, umdidiyeli oyimbuka we-BBC, owangifundisa ukuthi amaqiniso nobufakazi obutshelwa ikhamera ngokuqondile nasezilalelini kungase kube ukuketula umbuso.
Lokhu kuchithwa kwamanga asemthethweni kungamandla edokhumentari. Manje sengenze amafilimu angu-60 futhi ngikholelwa ukuthi ayikho into efana nalawa mandla kunoma iyiphi enye indlela.
Ngawo-1960, umenzi wefilimu osemusha okhaliphile, uPeter Watkins, wenza Umdlalo Wezempi okweBBC. Watkins wakha kabusha umphumela wokuhlasela kwenuzi eLondon.
Umdlalo Wezempi wavalwa. "Umphumela wale filimu," kusho i-BBC, "kucatshangwe ukuthi wesabekayo kakhulu endleleni yokusakaza." Owayengusihlalo ngaleso sikhathi weBhodi Lababusi beBBC kwakunguLord Normanbrook, owayenguNobhala weKhabhinethi. Wabhalela owangena esikhundleni sakhe kuKhabhinethi, uSir Burke Trend: “Umdlalo Wezempi awuklanyelwe njengenkulumo-ze: uhloselwe njengesitatimende esiyiqiniso futhi usekelwe ocwaningweni olunzulu ngezinto ezisemthethweni ... yefilimu kuthelevishini ingase ibe nomthelela omkhulu ezimweni zengqondo zomphakathi mayelana nenqubomgomo yokuvimbela izikhali zenuzi.”
Ngamanye amazwi, amandla ale dokhumentari ayengangoba ingaxwayisa abantu ngezinto ezesabekayo zangempela zempi yenuzi futhi ibenze bangabaze ubukhona bezikhali zenuzi.
Amaphepha eKhabhinethi akhombisa ukuthi i-BBC yasebenzisana ngasese nohulumeni ukuvala ifilimu kaWatkins. Indaba esembozweni yayiwukuthi i-BBC inomthwalo wemfanelo wokuvikela “abadala abahlala bodwa kanye nabantu abahlakaniphe ngokwengqondo okulinganiselwe”.
Iningi lamaphephandaba likugwinyile lokhu. Ukuvinjelwa kwe-The War Game kwaqeda umsebenzi kaPeter Watkins kumabonakude waseBrithani eneminyaka engu-30 ubudala. Lo mdidiyeli wefilimu ophawulekayo wayishiya i-BBC neBrithani, futhi ngokucasuka waqala umkhankaso womhlaba wonke wokulwa nokuhlolwa kwezincwadi.
Ukukhuluma iqiniso, nokuphikisana neqiniso elisemthethweni, kungaba yingozi kumenzi wamafilimu.
Ngo-1988, iThames Television yasakaza Ukufa Edwaleni, idokhumentari ekhuluma ngempi yaseNyakatho Ireland. Kwakuyibhizinisi eliyingozi futhi elinesibindi. Ukuvinjelwa kokubikwa kwalokho okubizwa nge-Irish Troubles kwakugcwele, futhi abaningi bethu kumadokhumentari badangele kakhulu ekwenzeni amafilimu enyakatho yomngcele. Uma sizama, sasingena obishini lokuthobela imithetho.
Intatheli uLiz Curtis ibale ukuthi i-BBC yayivimbile, yenza udokotela noma yabambezela izinhlelo ezinkulu ze-TV ezingama-50 e-Ireland. Yebo, kwakukhona okuhlukile okuhloniphekile, njengoJohn Ware. URoger Bolton, umdidiyeli we-Death on the Rock, wayengomunye. I-Death on the Rock iveze ukuthi uHulumeni waseBrithani wathumela ithimba lababulali be-SAS phesheya kwezilwandle ngokumelene ne-IRA, kwashona abantu abane ababengahlomile eGibraltar.
Umkhankaso ononya wokuhlambalaza wenziwa ngokumelene nefilimu, eholwa nguhulumeni kaMargaret Thatcher kanye ne-Murdoch press, ikakhulukazi iSunday Times, ehlelwe ngu-Andrew Neil.
Kwakuwukuphela kwedokhumentari eyake yaphenywa ngokusemthethweni - futhi amaqiniso ayo aqinisekiswa. UMurdoch kwadingeka akhokhe ngokudicilelwa phansi kwesithunzi somunye wofakazi abakhulu befilimu.
Kodwa akubanga ukuphela kwakho lokho. IThames Television, engomunye wabasakazi abanobuhlakani obusha emhlabeni, yagcina iphucwe ilungelo layo e-United Kingdom.
Ingabe undunankulu waziphindiselela ku-ITV nakubakhi bamafilimu, njengoba enzile kubavukuzi? Asazi. Esikwaziyo ukuthi amandla ale dokhumentari eyodwa ame eqinisweni futhi, njenge-The War Game, amake iphuzu eliphezulu kubuntatheli obuqoshwayo.
Ngikholelwa ukuthi amadokhumentari amakhulu aqukethe ukuhlubuka kobuciko. Kunzima ukuhlukanisa ngezigaba. Abafani nezinganekwane ezinkulu. Awafani namamuvi wesici esihle. Nokho, bangakwazi ukuhlanganisa amandla aphelele akho kokubili.
Impi yaseChile: ukulwa kwabantu abangahlomile, idokhumentari eyingqophamlando kaPatricio Guzman. Ifilimu engavamile: empeleni i-trilogy yamafilimu. Lapho ikhishwa ngawo-1970, i-New Yorker yabuza: “Iqembu labantu abahlanu, abanye abangenalo ulwazi lwangaphambili lwefilimu, lalingakwazi kanjani ukusebenza ngekhamera eyodwa ye-Éclair, i-sound-recorder eyodwa ye-Nagra, kanye nephakethe lefilimu emnyama nemhlophe, ukukhiqiza umsebenzi ongaka?"
Idokhumentari kaGuzman imayelana nokuketulwa kwentando yeningi eChile ngo-1973 ngama-fascists ayeholwa uGeneral Pinochet futhi eqondiswa yiCIA. Cishe yonke into ithwetshulwa ibanjwe ngesandla, ehlombe. Futhi khumbula ukuthi lena ikhamera yefilimu, hhayi ividiyo. Kufanele ushintshe umagazini njalo ngemizuzu eyishumi, noma ikhamera iyama; futhi ukunyakaza okuncane nokushintsha kokukhanya kuthinta isithombe.
Empini yaseChile, kunesigameko emngcwabeni wesikhulu samasosha asolwandle, esithembekile kuMongameli uSalvador Allende, owabulawa yilabo ababehlela ukucekela phansi uhulumeni ka-Allende wenguquko. Ikhamera ihamba phakathi kobuso bezempi: ama-totems abantu anezindondo zawo namaribhoni, izinwele zabo ezihlanganisiwe namehlo angabonakali. Ingozi yobuso ithi ubukele umngcwabo womphakathi wonkana: wentando yeningi uqobo.
Kunenani ongalikhokha ngokuqopha ngesibindi. Umthwebuli, uJorge Muller, waboshwa wayiswa ekamu lokuhlushwa, lapho “anyamalala” kwaze kwaba yilapho ithuna lakhe litholwa ngemva kweminyaka eminingi. Wayeneminyaka engu-27. Ngimkhumbula.
EBrithani, umsebenzi wokuphayona kaJohn Grierson, uDenis Mitchell, uNorman Swallow, uRichard Cawston nabanye abenzi bamafilimu ekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-20 weqa ukuhlukana okukhulu kwesigaba futhi wethula elinye izwe. Baba nesibindi sokubeka amakhamera nemibhobho phambi kwabantu abavamile baseBrithani futhi babavumela ukuba bakhulume ngolimi lwabo.
UJohn Grierson kuthiwa abanye baqamba igama elithi “documentary”. “Idrama isemnyango wakho,” esho ngawo-1920, “nomaphi lapho imijondolo ikhona, nomaphi lapho kunokungondleki kahle, nomaphi lapho kukhona ukuxhashazwa nonya.”
Laba benzi bamafilimu bokuqala baseBrithani babekholelwa ukuthi idokhumentari kufanele ikhulume ngaphansi, hhayi ukusuka phezulu: kufanele kube indlela yabantu, hhayi igunya. Ngamanye amazwi, yigazi, izithukuthuku nezinyembezi zabantu abavamile okwasinika i-documentary.
U-Denis Mitchell wayedume ngezithombe zakhe zomgwaqo wabasebenzi. “Kuwo wonke umsebenzi wami,” esho, “ngimangazwe kakhulu izinga lamandla nesithunzi sabantu”. Lapho ngifunda lawo mazwi, ngicabanga ngabasindile baseGrenfell Tower, iningi labo lisalindele ukubuyiselwa izindlu, bonke lisalindele ubulungisa, njengoba amakhamera eqhubekela phambili esekisini eliphindaphindayo lomshado wasebukhosini.
Mina noDavid Munro ongasekho siyenzile Unyaka we-Zero: Ukufa Okuthule KweCambodia ngo-1979. Le filimu yaphula ukuthula mayelana nezwe elibhekene nokuqhunyiswa kwamabhomu nokuqothulwa kohlanga iminyaka engaphezu kweshumi, futhi amandla ayo afaka izigidi zamadoda, abesifazane nabantwana abavamile ekutakuleni umphakathi ngakolunye uhlangothi lomhlaba. Ngisho namanje, i-Year Zero ibeka amanga enganekwaneni yokuthi umphakathi awunaki, noma ukuthi labo abanakekelayo bagcina sebeyizisulu zento ebizwa ngokuthi “ukukhathala kozwela”.
I-Year Zero ibukwe izithameli eziningi kunezethameli zohlelo lwamanje, oludume kakhulu lwaseBrithani "lwangempela" elithi Bake Off. Ikhonjiswe kumabonakude ajwayelekile emazweni angaphezu kuka-30, kodwa hhayi e-United States, lapho i-PBS iyenqaba khona ngokuqondile, isaba, ngokusho kwesikhulu, ngokusabela kwabaphathi abasha beReagan. EBrithani nase-Australia, yasakazwa ngaphandle kokukhangisa - isikhathi kuphela, ngokwazi kwami, lokhu kwenzeke kumabonakude wezohwebo.
Ngemva kokusakaza kweBrithani, kwafika amasaka eposi angaphezu kuka-40 emahhovisi e-ATV eBirmingham, izincwadi ezingu-26,000 zesigaba sokuqala eposini lokuqala kuphela. Khumbula ukuthi lesi bekuyisikhathi sangaphambi kwe-imeyili ne-Facebook. Ezincwadini bekuyi-£ 1 million - iningi layo ngamanani amancane kulabo ababengakwazi ukunikeza. “Lokhu okwaseCambodia,” kubhala umshayeli webhasi, ehlanganisa umholo wakhe wesonto. Abahola impesheni bathumele impesheni yabo. Umama ongayedwana wamthumelela imali ayeyongile engu-£50. Abantu beza ekhaya lami namathoyizi nemali, nezicelo zikaThatcher nezinkondlo zokucasukela uPol Pot kanye nomhlanganyeli wakhe, uMongameli uRichard Nixon, amabhomu akhe ayesheshise ukwanda kwalowo owayeshiseka ngokweqile.
Ngokokuqala ngqa, i-BBC isekela ifilimu ye-ITV. Uhlelo lweBlue Peter lucele izingane ukuthi “zilethe futhi zithenge” amathoyizi ezitolo ze-Oxfam ezweni lonke. NgoKhisimusi, izingane zase zikhuphule inani elimangalisayo lika-£3,500,000. Emhlabeni jikelele, i-Year Zero iqoqe imali engaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-55 zamaRandi, iningi layo engacelwanga, futhi elaletha usizo ngokuqondile eCambodia: imithi, imigomo nokufakwa kwefekthri yonke yezingubo eyayivumela abantu ukuba balahle imifaniswano emnyama ababephoqwe ukuba bayigqoke. I-Pol Pot. Kwaba sengathi izethameli azisekho futhi seziphenduke abahlanganyeli.
Kwenzeka okufanayo e-United States lapho i-CBS Television isakaza ifilimu ka-Edward R. Murrow, Ukuvunwa Kwehlazo, ngo-1960. Kwakungokokuqala ngqá ukuba abantu baseMelika abaningi abasezingeni eliphakathi babone izinga lobumpofu phakathi kwabo.
I-Harvest of Shame yindaba yezisebenzi zezolimo ezifudukayo ezaziphathwa kangcono kunezigqila. Namuhla, umzabalazo wabo unamandla njengoba abafuduki kanye nababaleki belwela umsebenzi nokuphepha kwamanye amazwe. Okubukeka kuxakile wukuthi izingane nabazukulu babanye abantu abakule filimu bazobe bethwele kanzima ngenxa yokuhlukunyezwa nemithetho eqinile kaMengameli uTrump.
E-United States namuhla, akukho okufana no-Edward R. Murrow. Ubuntatheli bakhe obugagu, obungantengantengi baseMelika buqediwe kulokho okubizwa ngokuthi yi-mainstream futhi usephephele ku-inthanethi.
IBrithani isengelinye lamazwe ambalwa lapho amadokhumentari asakhonjiswa kumabonakude ajwayelekile ngamahora lapho iningi labantu lisaphapheme. Kodwa amadokhumentari aphikisana nokuhlakanipha okwamukelwe aphenduka uhlobo olusengozini yokushabalala, ngaleso sikhathi esiwadinga kakhulu kunangaphambili.
Ocwaningweni lwangemva kocwaningo, lapho abantu bebuzwa ukuthi yini abangayithanda kakhulu kumabonakude, basho amadokhumentari. Angikholwa ukuthi zisho uhlobo lohlelo lwezindaba zamanje oluyinkundla yosopolitiki “nongoti” abathinta ukulingana okukhethekile phakathi kwamandla amakhulu nezisulu zawo.
Amadokhumentari okubuka adumile; kodwa amafilimu akhuluma ngezikhumulo zezindiza namaphoyisa emigwaqo awawenzi umqondo wezwe. Bayanandisa.
Izinhlelo ezinhle zikaDavid Attenborough emhlabeni wemvelo zenza umqondo wokushintsha kwesimo sezulu - ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.
I-BBC's Panorama yenza umqondo wokwesekwa okuyimfihlo kweBrithani kwe-jihadism eSyria - ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.
Kodwa kungani uTrump evutha umlilo eMpumalanga Ephakathi? Kungani iNtshonalanga isondela empini neRussia neChina?
Phawula amazwi omlandi kwekaPeter Watkins ethi The War Game: “Cishe kuyo yonke indaba yezikhali zenuzi, manje sekunokuthula okuphelele emaphephandabeni, nakumabonakude. Kukhona ithemba kunoma yisiphi isimo esingaxazululiwe noma esingalindelekile. Kodwa ingabe likhona ithemba langempela elizotholakala kulokhu kuthula?”
Ngo-2017, lokho kuthula kubuyile.
Akuzona izindaba ukuthi izivikelo zezikhali zenuzi ziye zasuswa buthule nokuthi i-United States manje isichitha amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-46 ngehora ezikhalini zenuzi: lokho amaRandi ayizigidi ezingu-4.6 ihora ngalinye, amahora angu-24 ngosuku, nsuku zonke. Ubani okwaziyo lokho?
I-Coming War e-China, engayiqeda ngonyaka odlule, isakazwe e-UK kodwa hhayi e-United States - lapho amaphesenti angu-90 abantu engakwazi ukusho noma ukuthola inhloko-dolobha yaseNyakatho Korea noma ukuchaza ukuthi kungani uTrump efuna ukuyibhubhisa. I-China iseduze neNorth Korea.
Ngokomunye umsabalalisi wamafilimu “othuthukayo” e-US, abantu baseMelika banesithakazelo kuphela kulokho akubiza ngokuthi “amadokhumentari aqhutshwa ngabalingiswa”. Lena ikhodi yenkolo yabathengi ethi "ngibheke" manje edla futhi esabisa futhi exhaphaza kakhulu isiko lethu elidumile, kuyilapho ihoxisa abenzi bamafilimu esihlokweni esiphuthumayo njenganoma yisiphi ezikhathini zanamuhla.
“Lapho iqiniso lithathelwa indawo ukuthula, kubhala imbongi yaseRussia uYevgeny Yevtushenko, ukuthula kungamanga.”
Noma nini lapho abenzi bamafilimu abasebasha bengibuza ukuthi “bangawenza kanjani umehluko”, ngiphendula ngokuthi kulula ngempela. Badinga ukunqamula ukuthula.
Landela u-John Pilger ku-twitter @johnpilger
