Amatara Ayobora Imodoka Yavutse Gute?
Ni inde, cyane cyane mwe muba mu mujyi, ni inde utazi iriya miriro “umutuku, umuhondo, n’icyatsi kibisi” mu masanganiro y’imihanda? Bamwe babyita “Feux Rouges mu gifransa cyangwa Traffic Lights mu cyongereza.” Ntaho utayisanga kw’isi yose. Kw’itariki ya 20 y’ukwa 11, 1923 ni bwo uwayihimbye, Umunyamerika Garrett Morgan Sr. yayiherewe icyemezo cy’umutungo bwite mu by'ubwenge. Turabigarukako muri ino nkuru irambuye yo mu kiganiro Americana.
Mu 1922, Garrett Morgan, ari kumwe na murumuna we John Morgan mu modoka, babonye impanuka mbi mu masanganiro y’imihanda. Indi modoka yagonze akamadoka kakururwaga n’amafarasi. Abantu bari bakarimo barapfuye. Bene izi mpanuka zari zogeye cyane icyo gihe.
Garrett Morgan byamuteye kwibaza, arataha, atekereza ukuntu imodoka zajya zihanahana umwanya aho imihanda ihurira. Ni bwo ahimbye icyapa cyahinduye burundu iby’umutekano mu mihanda. Kiriho imiriro itatu: umutuku uvuga guhagarara, umuhondo kwitonda no kugabanya umuvuduko, icyatsi kibisi kugenda.
Kw’itariki ya 27 y’ukwa kabiri 1922, yashyikirije ibyangombwa ibiro by’urwego rw’igihugu rutanga ibyemezo ku byavumbuwe (United States Patent Office). Rwamuhaye icyemezo nimero “US1475024 A” cy’umutungo we mu by’ubwenge kw’itariki ya 20 y’ukwa 11, 1923. Bityo rero ni we wenyine wari ufite uburenganzira bwo kuwubyaza umusaruro. Ikigo cy’igihugu gishinzwe imihanda migali cyane kandi miremire cyane “Federal Highway Administration” mu Cyongereza, kivuga ko yarengeye ubuzima bw’abantu amamiliyoni n’amamiliyoni. Muri iki gihe muri Leta zunze ubumwe z’Amerika honyine hari ibyapa by’imiriro itatu iyobora imodoka bigera ku 320,000.
Muri uwo mwaka w’1923, Garrett Morgan yagurishije umutungo we mu by’ubwenge na sosiyete yitwa “General Electric” cyazobereye mu by’amashanyarazi n’ingufu. Yamuhaye amadorali 40,000 y’icyo gihe. Uyashyize mu gihe tugezemo arenga 700,000. Ariko yari anawufite mu mahanga, by’umwihariko muri Canada no mu Bwongereza.
Garrett Morgan yari muntu ki?
Yavutse mu 1877 mu mujyi utuwe cyane cyane n’Abirabura witwa Paris, muri leta ya Kentucky, mu majyepfo ya Leta zunze ubumwe z’Amerika. Ababyeyi be bombi, Sydney Morgan na Elizabeth Reed, bahoze ari abacakara bari barahawe ubwigenge n’Abazungu ba nyirabo.
Garrett Morgan yari uwa karindwi mu bavandimwe be bandi bose hamwe 10. Bavukanye rero ari abana 11. Yize amashuli abanza gusa. Yayarangije afite imyaka 14 y’amavuko. Yahise ava iwabo ajya gushaka akazi mu mujyi wa Cincinnati, muri leta ya Ohio, mu burengerazuba bw’igihugu. Abahanga bize iby’ubuzima bwe, bemeza ko yagiraga amatsiko cyane yo kumenya kandi afite n’ubwenge kimeza.
Yari azi kandi gukorakora mu tuntu twose tw’ubukorikori. Mu 1895, yimukiye mu mujyi wa Cleveland, naho ho muri leta ya Ohio. Ubwo yari afite imyaka 18. Naho yabonye akazi kamwe ko gukora imashini zitandukanye zabaga zapfuye kandi ntabyo yize. Ariko byamuhaye guhora atekereza ku buryo ibintu bikora n’uburyo yabisubiza mu buryo igihe binaniwe gukora neza. Ni gutyo byamuviriyemo no kuvumbura no gucuruza.
Mbere y’ibyapa by’imiriro iyobora imodoka mu masangano y’imihanda, Garrett Morgan yari yarahimbye mu 1916 kandi ayibonera icyemezo cy’umutungo bwite mu by’ubwenge “mask” ikingira cyane cyane ba kizimyamwoto ibyuka bibi nk’imyotsi. Abasirikare ba Leta zunze ubumwe z’Amerika nabo barayikoresheje cyane mu ntambara ya mbere y’isi yose yabaye kuva mu 1914 kugera mu 1918.
Garrett Morgan yahimbye n’ibintu byinshi byo gufata neza imisatsi, akanabicuruza. Mu 1920, yashinze n’ikinyamakuru cyitwa “Cleveland Call” cyasohokaga rimwe mu cyumweru. Mu 1938, cyahinduye izina cyitwa “Cleveland Call and Post.” Ubu ni kimwe mu bitangazamakuru bikomeye mu gihugu.
Garrett Morgan yari n’impirimbanyi y’uburenganzira bw’Abirabura. Bityo, mu 1908, yashinze ishyirahamwe ryitwa “Cleveland Association of Colored Men”, ryaje kuba fondasiyo y’umuryango mugali witwa NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), uharanira gutera imbere kw'abaturage b'ibara, nk'uko Abirabura bitwa, wavutse mu mwaka wakurikiyeho w’1909, anawubera umwe mu bayobozi b’ikubitiro. Yahaga n’intwererano zitubutse cyane cyane amashuli makuru na kaminuza z’Abirabura.
Garrett Morgan yitabye Imana i Cleveland mu 1963. Yari afite imyaka 86. Yabyaye abana batatu, bose b’abahungu. Yabonye ibihembo n’amashimwe byinshi. Umwe mu mirage ye, Federal Highway Administration yamwitiriye ikigo cyayo kigisha abakiri bato kibategurira kuzaba abakozi beza mu by’ubwikorezi. Biga siyansi, ikoramabuhanga, imibare (mathematics), n’ibya ba injeniyeri.