Isidumbu: Bruce Kent

nguTim Devereux, Qeda Impi, June 11, 2022

Ngo-1969, uBruce wavakashela e-Biafra ekuphakameni kweMpi Yombango yaseNigeria - kwakuwuMgwaqo wakhe oya eDamaseku. Wabona indlala enkulu yabantu abasetshenziswa njengesikhali sempi ngenkathi uhulumeni waseBrithani ehlinzeka ngezikhali kuhulumeni waseNigeria. “Asikho esinye isenzakalo empilweni yami esake salola imibono yami ngokushesha okukhulu... Ngaqala ukuqonda ukuthi labo abanegunya bangaziphatha kanjani uma izithakazelo ezinkulu ezifana nowoyela nohwebo zisengozini. Ngaqala nokubona ukuthi ukukhuluma ngokungathi sína ngokukhulula ubumpofu ngaphandle kokubhekana nezindaba zokubuswa kwezempi kuwukuzikhohlisa wena nabanye.”

Ngaphambi kweBiafra, ukukhuliswa okujwayelekile kwesigaba esiphakathi kwamyisa eStonyhurst School, okwalandelwa iminyaka emibili Inkonzo Kazwelonke eRoyal Tank Regiment kanye neziqu zoMthetho e-Oxford. Waqeqeshelwa ubupristi, futhi wagcotshwa ngo-1958. Ngemva kokukhonza njengomphathi, okokuqala e-Kensington, kwase-Ladbroke Grove, waba nguNobhala Ozimele ka-Archbishop Heenan kusukela ngo-1963 kuya ku-1966. Abafundi baseLondon, bavula iChaplaincy kuGower Street. Imisebenzi yakhe yokuthula nentuthuko yanda. Ngo-1973, emkhankasweni wemashi ye-Nuclear Disarmament, wayekhipha ububi endaweni engaphansi kwe-Polaris nuclear submarine base-Faslane - "Kusukela ekuzimiseleni ukubulala, Nkosi Enhle, sikhulule."

Lapho eshiya i-Chaplaincy ngo-1974, wasebenzela uPax Christi iminyaka emithathu, ngaphambi kokuba abe uMphristi wePherishi e-St Aloysius e-Euston. Ngesikhathi elapho waba nguSihlalo we-CND, kwaze kwaba ngu-1980, lapho eshiya ipherishi ukuze abe nguNobhala Jikelele we-CND ngokugcwele.

Kwakuyisikhathi esibalulekile. UMongameli uReagan, uNdunankulu u-Thatcher kanye noMongameli uBrezhnev bahlanganyele ekukhulumeni kwe-bellicose ngenkathi uhlangothi ngalunye luqala ukuhambisa imicibisholo ye-cruise ngezikhali zenuzi ezinobuhlakani. Inhlangano emelene nezikhali zenuzi yakhula futhi yakhula - kwathi ngo-1987, kwasayinwa i-Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Ngaleso sikhathi, uBruce wayesephinde waba nguSihlalo we-CND. Kule minyaka eyishumi eneziyaluyalu, washiya ubupristi kunokuba ahambisane nomyalelo kaKhadinali Hume wokuyeka ukubandakanyeka okhethweni lukazwelonke lwase-UK lwango-1987.

Ngo-1999 uBruce Kent wayengumxhumanisi waseBrithani we-Hague Appeal for Peace, ingqungquthela yamazwe ngamazwe e-10,000 e-The Hague, eyaqala imikhankaso emikhulu (isib. ngokumelene nezikhali ezincane, ukusetshenziswa kwamasosha ayizingane, kanye nokukhuthaza imfundo yokuthula). Yilokhu, kanye nenkulumo kaProfessor Rotblat yokwamukela iNobel ethi kuqedwe impi ngokwayo, okwamkhuthaza ukuthi asungule e-UK iMovement for the Abolition of War. Ngaphambilini kunabaningi emikhankasweni yokuthula nemvelo, wabona ukuthi awukwazi ukuzuza ukuthula ngaphandle kokuthi uphinde usebenzele ukugwema ukuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu - waqinisekisa ukuthi ividiyo ye-MAW ethi "Conflict & Climate Change" ibona ukukhanya kosuku ngo-2013.

UBruce washada noValerie Flessati ngo-1988; njengesishoshovu sokuthula uqobo, benza ukubhanqa okunamandla, besebenza ndawonye kumaphrojekthi amaningi ahlanganisa iLondon Peace Trail kanye nezinkomfa Zomlando Wokuthula. Njengomkhankaseli wokuthula, ngisho nasebudaleni, uBruce wayehlale ezimisele ukugibela isitimela aye ngaphesheya kwezwe ukuze akhulume nomhlangano. Uma eke wahlangana nawe ngaphambili, ubezokwazi igama lakho. Kanye nokubonisa ubuphukuphuku nokuziphatha okubi kwezikhali zenuzi ezinkulumweni zakhe, wayevame ukukhuluma ngeZizwe Ezihlangene, ngokuvamile ukuze asikhumbuze ngeSingeniso Somqulu: “Thina bantu beZizwe Ezihlangene sizimisele ukusindisa izizukulwane ezizayo embusweni. isishayo sempi, esiye saletha usizi olungenakulinganiswa esintwini kabili ekuphileni kwethu…”

Wayekhuthaza - kokubili ngesibonelo, nangekhono lakhe lokukhuthaza abantu ukuthi babambe iqhaza, futhi bazuze okungaphezu kwalokho ababecabanga ukuthi bangakwenza. Wayengusokhaya ohlakaniphile, ojabule futhi ohlakaniphile. Uzokhumbula kakhulu izishoshovu zokuthula eBrithani nasemhlabeni jikelele. Umkakhe, uValerie, nodadewabo, uRosemary, basinda kuye.

U-Tim Devereux