Ingabe Likhona Ithemba? Okuhlangenwe nakho Kwami Kwesonto Lolwandle laseCapitol Hill

Kulo lonke uhambo lwami lokuhlola nokuhlela ikusasa lami emkhakheni wezokongiwa kwasolwandle, bengilokhu nginenkinga yombuzo othi “Ingabe likhona ithemba?”. Ngihlale ngitshela abangani bami ukuthi ngithanda izilwane ukudlula abantu futhi bacabanga ukuthi kuyadlalwa, kodwa kuyiqiniso. Abantu banamandla amakhulu futhi abazi ukuthi benzeni ngawo. Ngakho… likhona ithemba? Ngiyazi ukuthi kungenzeka, izilwandle zethu zingakhula futhi zibe nempilo futhi ngosizo lwabantu, kodwa ingabe kuzokwenzeka? Ingabe abantu bazosebenzisa amandla abo ukuze basindise izilwandle zethu? Lona umcabango oqhubekayo ekhanda lami nsuku zonke. 

Ngihlale ngizama ukucabanga emuva kulokho okwakha lolu thando ngaphakathi kimi ngoshaka futhi angisoze ngakhumbula. Lapho ngisesikoleni samabanga aphakeme, phakathi nesikhathi lapho ngaqala khona ukuba nesithakazelo esithe xaxa koshaka futhi ngivame ukuhlala futhi ngibuke amafilimu ngabo, ngikhumbula ukuthi umbono wami ngabo waqala ukushintsha. Ngiqala ukuba umlandeli kashaka enginguye, ngangikuthanda ukuhlanganyela lonke ulwazi engangilufunda, kodwa akekho owayeqonda ukuthi kungani ngangibakhathalela kangaka. Abangane bami nomndeni wami abazange babonakale bebona umthelela abanawo emhlabeni. Lapho ngifaka isicelo kumuntu oqeqeshelwa umsebenzi e-The Ocean Foundation, kwakungeyona nje indawo lapho engangingathola khona ulwazi ukuze ngifake i-CV yami; bekuyindawo ebenginethemba lokuthi ngizokwazi ukuveza imizwa yami futhi ngibe phakathi kwabantu abaqondayo futhi ababelana ngothando lwami. Ngangazi ukuthi lokhu kuzoshintsha impilo yami unomphela.

Isonto lami lesibili e-The Ocean Foundation, nganikezwa ithuba lokuhambela Isonto Le-Capitol Hill Ocean eWashington, DC e-Ronald Reagan Building kanye ne-International Trade Center. Iphaneli yokuqala engaya kuyo ibithi “Ukuguqula Imakethe Yokudla Kwasolwandle Yomhlaba Wonke”. Ekuqaleni, bengingakuhlelile ukuya kuleli phaneli ngoba bekungakangivusi intshisekelo, kodwa ngijabula kakhulu ngokuthi ngingenile. Ngikwazile ukuzwa uNksz Patima Tungpuchayakul ohloniphekile noyiqhawe, umsunguli weLabour Rights Promotion Network, ekhuluma ngobugqila obenzeka emikhunjini yokudoba phesheya kwezilwandle. Bekuyilungelo ukulalela umsebenzi abawenzile nokufunda ngezinkinga ebengingazi kahle. Ngifisa sengathi ngabe ngikwazile ukuhlangana naye, kodwa noma kunjalo, lokho kuyinto engingasoze ngakukhohlwa futhi engiyokwazisa phakade.

Iphaneli engangilijabulele kakhulu, ikakhulukazi, kwakuyiphaneli ethi “State of Shark and Ray Conservation”. Igumbi laligcwele futhi ligcwele amandla amakhulu. Isikhulumi sokuvula kwakunguKhongolose uMichael McCaul futhi kufanele ngisho, inkulumo yakhe nendlela akhulume ngayo ngoshaka nezilwandle zethu yinto engingeke ngiyikhohlwe. Umama uhlala engitshela ukuthi kunezinto ezi-2 ongakhulumi ngazo kunoma ubani futhi lokho kuyinkolo nepolitiki. Sekushiwo lokho, ngakhulela emndenini owawungakaze ube yindaba yepolitiki futhi engeyona indaba etheni ekhaya. Ukwazi ukulalela uKhongolose uMcCaul nokuzwa uthando ezwini lakhe mayelana nokuthile engikukhathalela ngokujulile, kwakumangalisa ngendlela emangalisayo. Ekupheleni kwephaneli, abahlanganyeli baphendula imibuzo embalwa evela ezilalelini futhi umbuzo wami waphendulwa. Ngababuza “Ingabe ninethemba lokuthi kuzoba noshintsho?” Bonke abaphenyi baphendule ngokuthi yebo futhi bazobe bengakwenzi abakwenzayo uma bengakholelwa ukuthi ushintsho lungenzeka. Ngemva kokuphela kweseshini, ngakwazi ukuhlangana no-Lee Crockett, uMqondisi Omkhulu we-Shark Conservation Fund. Ngambuza ngempendulo yakhe embuzweni wami, kanye nokungabaza enginakho, futhi wangitshela ukuthi nakuba kunzima futhi kuthatha isikhathi ukubona ushintsho, lezo zinguquko zikwenza kube nenzuzo. Uphinde wathi okumenza aqhubeke wukuzenzela amagoli amancane ohambweni lwegoli lokugcina. Ngemva kokuzwa lokho, ngakhuthazeka ukuba ngiqhubeke. 

Ngenhla: Iphaneli ye-“Whale Conservation in the 21st Century”.

Ngenxa yokuthi yimina othanda oshaka kakhulu, angizange ngizinike isikhathi esiningi sokufunda ngezinye izilwane ezinkulu ngendlela ebengingaba nayo. EVeki Yolwandle YaseCapitol Hill, ngakwazi ukuthamela isigungu Sokongiwa Kwemikhomo futhi ngafunda okuningi. Ngangihlale ngiqaphela ukuthi iningi, uma kungezona zonke, izilwane zasolwandle ngandlela-thile zazisengozini ngenxa yezinto ezenziwa abantu, kodwa ngaphandle kokuzingela ngokungemthetho ngangingenaso isiqiniseko sokuthi yini eyayibeka lezi zidalwa ezihlakaniphile engozini. Usosayensi Omkhulu, uDkt. Michael Moore wachaza ukuthi inkinga enkulu phakathi kwemikhomo ukuthi ivame ukubhajwa ogibeni lwamalobster. Ngicabanga ngalokho, angizange ngicabange ukuthi nginake ibhizinisi lami futhi ngihileleke ngaphandle kwendawo. UMnu Keith Ellenbogen, umthwebuli wezithombe wangaphansi kwamanzi owine indondo, uchaze okuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe ethatha izithombe zalezi zilwane futhi kwakumangalisa. Ngayithanda indlela ayethembeke ngayo ngokusaba ekuqaleni. Imvamisa uma uzwa ochwepheshe bekhuluma ngezinto abahlangabezane nazo, abakhulumi ngokwesaba abake babhekana nakho lapho beqala nalapho ekhuluma, kwakunginika ithemba kimina lokuthi mhlawumbe ngelinye ilanga ngingaba nesibindi ngokwanele ukuba ngisondele kulezi zinkulukazi, izilwane ezinhle kakhulu. Ngemva kokubalalela bekhuluma ngemikhomo, kwangenza ngazizwa ngibathanda kakhulu. 

Ngemva kosuku olude lokuqala engqungqutheleni nganikezwa ithuba elimangalisayo lokuhambela i-Capitol Hill Ocean Week Gala, eyaziwa nangokuthi "i-Ocean Prom," ngalobo busuku. Kwaqala ngokwamukela i-cocktail ezingeni eliphansi lapho ngazama khona u-oyster wami wokuqala ongahluziwe. Kwakuwukunambitheka okuzuziwe futhi kunambitheka njengolwandle; angiqiniseki ukuthi ngizizwa kanjani ngalokho. Njengoba abantu bengibhekile, ngabona indawo engizungezile. Kusukela ezigqokweni ezinde zikanokusho kuya ezingutsheni ezilula ze-cocktail, wonke umuntu wayebukeka emuhle. Wonke umuntu waxhumana ngokukhululekile kangangokuthi kwakubonakala sengathi ngisemhlanganweni wesikole samabanga aphezulu. Ingxenye engangiyithanda kakhulu, ukuba ngumthandi woshaka, kwakuyindali engasho lutho, ikakhulukazi incwadi yoshaka. Ngabe ngibeke phansi ibhidi ukube bengingeyena umfundi wasekolishi ophukile. Njengoba ubusuku buqhubeka, ngahlangana nabantu abaningi futhi ngabonga kakhulu, ngafaka yonke into. Umzuzu engingasoze ngawukhohlwa yilapho uDkt. Nancy Knowlton odumile futhi omangalisayo ehlonishwa futhi wanikezwa indondo ye-Lifetime Achievement. Ukulalela uDkt. Knowlton ekhuluma ngomsebenzi wakhe nokuthi yini emenza aqhubeke, kwangisiza ngabona okuhle nokuhle ngoba nakuba muningi umsebenzi okufanele wenziwe, sihambe ibanga elide kakhulu. 

Ngenhla: UDkt. Nancy Knowlton uyawamukela umklomelo wakhe.

Okuhlangenwe nakho kwami ​​kwakumnandi. Bekucishe kufane nedili lomculo elinenqwaba yosaziwayo, okumangalisayo nje ukuzungezwa abantu abaningi abasebenza ukwenza ushintsho. Nakuba, kuyingqungquthela nje, kuyingqungquthela ebuyise ithemba lami futhi yangiqinisekisa ukuthi ngisendaweni efanele nabantu abafanele. Ngiyazi ukuthi kuzothatha isikhathi ukuthi ushintsho lufike, kodwa luzofika futhi ngijabule ngokuba yingxenye yaleyo nqubo.