Mu kigo ca kaminuza y’Uburundi co ku Mutanga niho honyene hari icibutso citiriwe umuhisi Patiri Ntahokaja. Ico cibutso si ikindi ni inyubakwa yamwitiriwe nko gushima ibikorwa yakoze muri iyo kaminuza hamwe no guhagararira imico n’imigenzo tutibagiye ururimi rw’ikirundi. Ariko twihweje uko iyo nyubakwa ifashwe bigaragara nkaho umengo iyo Ntwari ntaco yoba yaramaze.
Ukudaha agaciro inyubakwa yitiriwe umuhisi Padiri Ntahokaja biri mu bisuzuguza ibikorwa yasize aranguye. Iyo nyubakwa nimwe muzisanzwe ziri mu kigo ca kaminuza y’Uburundi. Abahize benshi bahazi nko «Kwa Ntahokaja ». Iyo nyubakwa ikunda kwifashishwa akenshi iyo hatunganijwe ibiyago bitandukanye. Iranakenerwa kandi iyo hageze gukora ibibazo bimwe bimwe canke bakayigiramwo ubona ko nico kigo cugarijwe n’ubukene bw’ibirasi.
Igitangaje, wihweje uko ifashwe ntibibereye ko yitirwa intwari nka Ntahokaja. Uwatumye twinovora Ikirundi, amayagwa hamwe n’imico n’imigenzo. Uri ibitangurigwa vyaritse ku mpome, amadirisha yononekaye ntanakarangi gashasha kagaragaza ko yoba ari inyubakwa yitiriwe umuntu w’inararibonye nk’uyo, kiremesha mu bandi bahagarariye imico ndundi. Aha umuntu aribaza niba urwaruka rw’ejo ruzomenya Ntahokaja uwariwe, mu gihe atacokorwa iyo nyubakwa yosibangana burundu.
Abatari bake ndetse nabo mu muryango yamukamwo baragiye barasaba ko yokubakirwa icubutso mu ntara asanzwe avukamwo ya Ruyigi. Aloys Bihôbé, umwe mu banyeshure yigishije agira ati :
« Ntahokaja yabaye umwanditsi w’ibitabo vyinshi vy’ikirundi. Yarashoboye kandi gufashanya nabo bari kumwe mu kwandika ururirimbo ruhayagiza igihugu cacu. Sivyo gusa, yaranahagarariye ikirundi hamwe n’imico n’imigenzo ndundi. Ukumwubakira icibutso kwoba ari ugutera iteka ibikorwa yasize akoze, igihugu ndetse n’umuryango wiwe. »
Ntahokaja ninde ?
Yohani Batista Ntahokaja vavukiye i Bweru, mu Rusengo, mu ntara ya Ruyigi. Aho hari mu mwaka w’1920. Mu bijanye n’amashure, amashure matomato yayatanguriye mu Rusengo mu mwaka w’1927 gushika mu 1932. Avuye aho, yaciye abandaniriza mw’iseminari ntoya y’i Mugera, aho yĭze gushika mu 1939. Avuye aho, yaciye abandaniriza mu gihugu c’Urwanda, ari naho yize yongera arangiriza amashure yiwe yo mw’iseminari nkuru y’i Nyakibanda mu mwaka w’1948. Uyo mwaka nyene yaratiwe mu mabanga y’ubusaseredoti kw’igenekerezo rya 25 Mukakaro.
Yohani Batista Ntahokaja yarabaye kandi umuyobozi w’amashure yisumbuye y’i Gisanze mu ntara ya Muyinga kuva mu 1948 gushika mu 1954. Kuva mu 1954 gushika 1960, yari mu Bubiligi i Louvain kunonosora ivyigwa vy’indimi z’ubwoko bw’ikiromani (Philosophie romaine) hamwe n’ubutohoji bw’indimi z’ikinyafrika (Linguistique Africaine).
Avuye mu Bubiligi yashitse yigisha mw’iseminari ntoya y’i Mugera kuva mu 1960 gushika mu 1964 ari naho yasaba ko ikirundi cokwigishwa mu mashure yisumbuye. Twokwibutsa ko muri ico gihe, mu 1962, ari we yari arongoye umurwi wari ujejwe kwandika Ururirimbo rwo guhayagiza Uburundi, « Burundi bwacu« . Mu 1962, Patiri Ntahokaja yarashikirije umwami Mwambutsa IV iciyumviro co gutanguza umugambi w’itohoza ry’ikirundi. Umwami aca aca iteka n°01/96 ryo ku wa 16 Nyakanga 1962 rishinga Inama y’Abashingwakirundi (Académie Rundi), haca mbere hagenwa Patiri Ntahokaja ngo abe ariwe ayirongora.
Kuva mu 1965 gushika mu 1977, Batista Ntahokaja yigisha mw’ishure Kaminuza y’inderabigisha, « Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) « , ahatanguza igisata c’Ikirundi. Kuva mu 1977 gushika mu 1990, Ntahokaja yabandanije kwigisha mw’ishure Kaminuza y’Uburundi mu gisata c’Indimi n’Amayagwa y’Ikinyafrika ari co casubiriye igisata c’Ikirundi co muri ENS.
Yakukurutse mu 1990, aranarongora ishirahamwe ry’abakukurutse. Mu 1992, Ishure Kaminuza y’Uburundi ryamuhaye izina ry’icubahiro nk’Umwigisha Rurangiranwa (Professeur Émérite). Aha mukamenya kandi ko ari we wa mbere yatewe iteka nk’iryo n’iyo kaminuza.
Intore ntiramba, mu 1995 ni ho Patiri Yohani Batista Ntahokaja yitaba Imana amaze imyaka 75 gusa. Iyo ntwari ikaba yashengeye idusigaranye iragi rinini. Bimwe muvyo yadusigaranye kandi tucinovora akaba ari ibi bikurikira: Ubuhinga kama, 1966; Indirimbo y’ikirundi, 1976; Imigani-Ibitito, 1977; Imigenzo y’ikirundi, 1978; Plaidoyer pour l’Afrique, 1993; Grammaire structurale du Kirundi, 1994.
Nawe hari ico woba uzi kindi Patiri Ntahokaja yadusigiye nk’iragi? #Shikiriza!