- Umwanditsi, Thomas Mukhwana
- Igikorwa, Umunyamakuru kuri Afurika
- Umwanditsi, Wycliffe Muia
- Yatangajwe
- Igihe co gusoma: iminota 4
Inteko rusange y'Umuryango w'Abibumbye (ONU) yatoreye gusimbuza ikarita gakondo y'Afurika igasimburwa n'ikarita igaragaza kurushaho ingano nyayo y'Afurika.
Uwo mwanzuro wiswe "Kosora Ikarita" (cyangwa "Correct the Map" mu Cyongereza), wavuye ku gitekerezo cyatanzwe na Togo ndetse ukaba ushyigikiwe n'ibihugu bigize umuryango w'Ubumwe bw'Afurika (AU), wemejwe n'ibihugu 164, birimo Ubufaransa n'Ubwongereza. Amerika ni cyo gihugu cyonyine cyatoye kidashyigikira uwo mwanzuro – ndetse ibihugu bitandatu byifashe.
Iri tora rya ONU si itegeko ryo gukurikiza iyo karita nshya ariko rizatuma habaho impinduka ku makarita akoreshwa n'ibigo binyuranye ku isi.
Ikarita ya Mercator, ikoreshwa cyane kuva mu kinyejana cya 16, iranengwa cyane kuko igaragaza Afurika iyinganisha n'ikirwa cya Greenland, nubwo Afurika iruta Greenland inshuro 14.
Abanenga iyo karita bavuga ko ibyo bituma ibicyenewe mu iterambere hamwe n'ubushobozi bwo gutera imbere bw'ibihugu biri hafi ya koma y'isi (Équateur) bigabanywa.
Ikarita ya Mercator yashushanyijwe mu 1569 n'Umubiligi wo mu bwoko bw'Aba-Flamand, Gerardus Mercator, wari impuguke mu bumenyi bw'isi no gushushanya amakarita, kugira ngo ifashe abashakashatsi b'i Burayi batemberaga isi bashaka kumenya ahantu hanyuranye.
Uko kugoreka mu ikarita ye kwatewe no kuba bidashoboka kugaragaza neza neza ubuso bw'umubumbe w'isi ku ikarita y'ikinyampande ebyiri.
Igihe cyose ikarita y'isi ishushanyijwe, hacyenerwa ko hari ibyemerwa guharwa (kurekwa).
Ikarita ya Mercator igaragaza guhetama kw'isi binyuze mu gutuma ibihugu biri hafi ya koma y'isi bigaragara ari bito cyane kurusha uko bisanzwe bingana, mu gihe ibihugu byegereye impera z'isi bigaragara ari binini cyane kurushaho.
Mu rwego rwo gukosora ibi, mu mwaka wa 2018 itsinda ry'impuguke mu gushushanya amakarita ryakoze ikarita y'ubuso bungana ryise igishushanyo cy'Isi Ingana (cyangwa "Equal Earth" mu Cyongereza).
Muri Gashyantare (2) uyu mwaka, ibihugu 54 by'ibinyamuryango bya AU byemeje icyo gishushanyo, ndetse byavuze ko "kigaragaza bya nyabyo kurushaho ingano z'imigabane yose, by'umwihariko Afurika".
Itsinda ry'ubukangurambaga bwo ku mbuga zo kuri murandasi (internet), ryitwa #CorrectTheMap, ryagize riti: "Ushobora gushyira Leta Zunze Ubumwe [z'Amerika], Ubushinwa, Ubuhinde, Ubuyapani, Mexique n'igice kinini cy'Uburayi muri Afurika ndetse na bwo ukaba ugisigaje [ugisigaranye] ubutaka."
Mbere y'iryo tora ryo ku wa gatanu, Minisitiri w'ububanyi n'amahanga wa Togo Robert Dussey yabwiye ibiro ntaramakuru Reuters ati: "Isi itarenganya itangirira ku ikarita itarenganya."
Mbere yaho, yari yavugiye muri ONU ati: "Ikarita nta na rimwe iba itabogamye. Igena imitekerereze, igira uruhare mu kuntu umwanya w'abantu n'imigabane ku isi wumvikanamo."
Yari ashyigikiwe na Minisitiri w'ububanyi n'amahanga w'Ubufaransa Jean-Noël Barrot, wavuze ko minisiteri akuriye igiye kureka gukoresha ikarita ya Mercator.
Yagize ati: "Guhindura ikarita birumvikana ko bidahindura isi. Ariko gukosora imigaragarize iyigoreka byo ubwabyo ni igikorwa cy'ukuri."
Ariko Yaryna Ferencevych, uhagarariye Amerika muri ONU, yavuze ko uwo mwanzuro uhaye inkwenene akazi n'intego by'inteko rusange ya ONU.
Yagize ati: "Aho kwibanda ku bibazo nyabyo by'amahoro ku isi, uburumbuke [iterambere], cyangwa umubano mwiza, uyu muryango urimo kujya impaka ku bishushanyo by'ikarita byo mu kinyejana cya 16, no ku ruhare rwabyo mu gutuma habaho indishyi n''ubutabera bwo mu bumenyi'."
Muri Werurwe (3) uyu mwaka, Amerika na bwo yanenze umwanzuro wemejwe wo gutangaza ko ubucuruzi bw'abacakara bwambukiranyaga inyanja y'Atlantika bwari "icyaha cya mbere kibi cyane cyibasiye inyokomuntu".
Lerato Mogoatlhe, wo mu itsinda ryitwa "Africa No Filter" (cyangwa, ugenekereje mu Kinyarwanda, Afurika idahinduweho na gato), rimwe mu matsinda yakoze ubukangurambaga bwo kureka gukoresha ikarita ya Mercator, yabwiye BBC ati:
"Kugaragaza Afurika ukutari ko ku makarita y'isi si ikosa ryo ku ikarita gusa - ni ikibazo cy'ukuntu ivugwa."
Yavuze ko ari kimwe mu bikorwa byo guhagarika "ikwirakwizwa ry'amakuru atari ukuri rya mbere rimaze igihe kirekire cyane ku isi n'ikwirakwizwa ku bushake ry'amakuru atari ukuri rya mbere rimaze igihe kirekire ku isi" rijyanye n'Afurika.
Naho kuri Kioko Muendo, impuguke mu bumenyi bw'isi wo muri Kenya, we asanga ikarita ya Mercator ipfobya mu buryo buteruye umutungo mwinshi cyane w'umugabane w'Afurika, abaturage bawo n'amahirwe y'ishoramari.
Yabwiye BBC ati: "Amakarita arenze kuba ari uburyo bwo kuyobora abakora ingendo - agena ukuntu uturere tubonwa [dufatwa] muri politike no mu bukungu."
Facts Only
* The UN requested countries to display the actual size of Africa.
* The initiative is called "Correct the Map."
* The proposal was supported by the African Union (AU) and 164 member states, including France and the United Kingdom.
* The Mercator map is widely used but causes distortion in representing the relative sizes of landmasses.
* The Mercator map was developed by Gerardus Mercator in 1569 for navigation.
* In 2018, 54 AU member states endorsed the "Equal Earth" projection.
* The #CorrectTheMap movement advocates for displaying actual proportions to reflect continental equality.
* Officials from Togo and France expressed concerns that changing the map would cause confusion.
* Ferencevych stated the change supports understanding of relative distances, progress, and relationships between nations.
* Lerato Mogoatlhe advocated against using the Mercator map due to its impact on resource allocation and political status for African peoples.
Executive Summary
The United Nations (UN) issued a document concerning the African continent requesting that countries display the actual size of Africa, rather than using projections. This initiative stems from a proposal called "Correct the Map," which was supported by the African Union (AU), supported by 164 member states, including France and the United Kingdom. The Mercator projection, widely used, is criticized because it distorts the relative sizes of countries, making landmasses like Africa appear larger than they are compared to the actual proportions.
The article details the history of the Mercator map, created by Gerardus Mercator in 1569, which was intended for navigation and mapping. The shift toward a new projection, "Equal Earth," in 2018, was supported by 54 AU member states who argued it more accurately reflects the relative sizes of the continents, especially Africa.
Various commentators expressed differing views on the necessity of changing the map. Some representatives, including officials from Togo and France, argued that changing the map would cause confusion or imply a change in geography. Conversely, others asserted that correcting the map is a matter of truth and reflects the reality of continental proportions. The debate also involved concerns about political and economic implications, with some arguing that accurate mapping impacts resource allocation and political standing.
Full Take
The debate surrounding cartographic representation exposes a fundamental tension between established historical convention, administrative practicality, and claims of objective truth regarding spatial representation. The insistence on the Mercator projection is rooted in its utility for navigation during the Age of Exploration and its formal embedding in geopolitical systems. However, when that utility conflicts with an assertion of accurate proportional representation—particularly concerning continental equality—a philosophical divergence emerges.
The tension lies not in whether a map *can* be drawn, but what purpose it serves: navigational expediency versus perceptual reality. The push for "Equal Earth" represents a demand for epistemology where visual representation is secondary to mathematical proportionality reflecting physical or social equity. When groups advocate for altering established systems (like the UN's standards), they are challenging the legitimacy of the established framework itself.
The dissenting voices, whether from governments or civil society movements, reveal how deep-seated assumptions about power and knowledge influence geographical consensus. The reaction against change often stems from a fear that altering the visual reality might destabilize existing political or economic arrangements, suggesting that accepted realities carry inherent weight beyond mere mathematical accuracy. The pattern observed is the resistance to epistemological shifts when those shifts challenge established hierarchies of knowledge, leading to disputes over what constitutes verifiable truth in representation.
Bridge Questions: If empirical observation suggests a shift in geographical understanding, how should institutional bodies reconcile historical precedent with emerging proportional claims? What are the long-term consequences for international agreements when accepted foundational data is contested? How can shared epistemological frameworks be developed that prioritize equitable representation without collapsing established systems?
Sentinel — Human
This appears to be a piece of politically framed commentary synthesized from various international arguments regarding cartography, sovereignty, and geographic representation, presented in Kinyarwanda.