Africa
This note concerns references to Africa in the
Bahá'í Writings.
In World
order of Bahá'u'lláh Shoghi Effendi wrote:
“..- the first stirrings of a conscious and
determined revolt against the aims and methods of political and economic
imperialism (WOB,31) the "long-slumbering continent (Bahá'í News Feb 53, 2). In the period to 1953 five National
Assemblies were involved in the African work.
In the years prior to 1953 five National Assemblies were involved in
teaching the Faith in Africa. Persia, Egypt, India, Britain and the United
States.
In
November 1951 Shoghi Effendi directed the British National Assembly to convene
an intercontinental conference in Kampala in 1953, and directed that
representatives of the British, American, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian
National Spiritual Assemblies attend. In February 1952 he appointed Musa Banani
a Hand of the Cause in Africa and requested that he assist in acquiring a local
Hazírá in Kampala to "synchronise with the formation of first Assembly in
heart of Africa" (Messages to the Bahá'í World, 21).
On
January 5 1952 Shoghi Effendi cabled the Bahá'í world that the actions of the
"heroic band" of pioneers to Africa was "reminiscent alike of
episodes related in the Book of Acts and the rapid, dramatic propagation of the
Faith through the instrumentality of the dawn-breakers in the Heroic Age of the
Bahá'í Dispensation. The marvellous accomplishments signalizing the rise and
establishment of the Administrative Order of the Faith in Latin America have
been eclipsed. The exploits immortalizing the recently launched crusade in the
European continent have been surpassed. The goal of the seven-month plan,
initiated by the Kampala Assembly, aiming at doubling the twelve enrolled
believers, has been outstripped. The number of Africans converted in the course
of the last fifteen months, residing in Kampala and outlying districts, with
Protestant, Catholic and pagan backgrounds, lettered and unlettered, of both
sexes, representative of no less than sixteen tribes, has passed the two
hundred mark. The effulgent rays of God's triumphant Cause, radiating from the
focal center, are fast awakening the continent and penetrating at an
accelerating rate isolated regions unfrequented by white men and enveloping
with their radiance souls hitherto indifferent to the persistent humanitarian
activities of the Christian missions and the civilising influence of the civil
authorities...." (Messages to the Bahá'í World, 133).
In
June 1952 American pioneers arrived in East and West Africa (30 June 1950, Messages
to the Bahá'í World, 30).
In
launching the World Crusade on the African continent, Shoghi Effendi called for
the opening of 33 territories, the purchase of three Temple sites, the establishment
and incorporation of three National Spiritual Assemblies, the purchase of three
National Hazíratu’l-Quds, the establishment of a publishing trust, and for
formation of an Israel branch by one National Spiritual Assembly (Messages
to the Bahá'í World, 8 October 1952, pp40-45). In addressing the
All-America Intercontinental Conference in Chicago in May 1953, the Guardian
noted that on the continent of Africa there were 13 translations, 31 races and
24 tribes represented in the Bahá'í community. (Messages to the Bahá'í World,
148)
At
Ridván 1954 the Guardian reported: "The Africa Campaign, outshining the
brilliant success of the enterprise launched in Latin America, throwing into
shade the splendour of the victories won in recent years on the European
continent, eclipsing all previous collective pioneer undertakings embarked upon
in the Asiatic and Australian continents, has almost doubled, in the course of
a single year, the number of territories opened since the introduction of the
Faith in that continent over eighty years ago. The total number of converts to
the Faith belonging to the African race has passed the six hundred mark. The
total number of African Bahá'í centres has now been raised to over one hundred
and ninety. The total number of the tribes indigenous to the soil of that
continent represented in the Faith is now over sixty."
Uganda
alone now had 500 Bahá'ís in 80 localities, including 13 LSAs, and
representatives of 30 tribes, and had dispatched 9 pioneers to other African
locations. Shoghi Effendi reported in his Ridván message:
"A
single territory out of the thirty-five territories already opened to the Faith
in the African continent, situated in its very heart and which, a little over
two years ago did not possess a single Bahá'í, now boasts of over five hundred
colored converts, who are settled in over eighty localities, are drawn from
thirty tribes, are provided with thirteen local Assemblies, and anticipate the
immediate formation of about ten additional Assemblies. This same territory
has, moreover, distinguished itself throughout the entire Bahá'í world through
the dispatch of nine members of its mother Assembly for the purpose of
pioneering in neighboring centers, as well as in territories situated on the
eastern and western coasts of the African continent. A number of the newly-won
recruits in some of these territories have, moreover, been instrumental in
winning the allegiance of some of the members of their race, and have, in their
turn, succeeded in opening no less than three neighboring territories in that
continent." (Messages to the Bahá'í World, 62).
By
October 1954 the number of African Bahá'ís had reached 700, including 380 in
the past year. The number of Bahá'í centres had increased to 195, number of
tribes to 85, translations 34, and Local Spiritual Assemblies, 50 (Messages to
the Bahá'í World, 71). By March 1955 there were 300 centres in Africa
(Cablegram, March 20, 1955, Messages to the Bahá'í World, 75). By April
1955 there were 1,300 African Bahá'ís, over 100 Local Assemblies, 50
translations (Messages to the Bahá'í World, 77-8, 85).
On
23rd August 1955 the Guardian announced his intention, following
renewed outbreak of persecution of the Persian Bahá'ís, to build the
"Mother Temple of Africa in the City of Kampala, situated in its heart and
constituting a supreme consolation to the masses of oppressed valiant brethren
in the Cradle of the Faith" (Messages to the Bahá'í World, 90).
In
his Ridván 1956 message the Guardian reported that 2,500 of Africa's 3,000 Bahá'ís
belonged to the Negro race, and that there were 58 territories opened, over 400
localities, and over 120 Local Spiritual Assemblies (Messages to the Bahá'í
World, 93).
At
Ridván 1956 three new Regional Spiritual Assemblies were established:.
Included Uganda,
Tanganyika, Kenya, Belgian Congo, Ruanda-Urundi, French Equatorial Africa,
Zanzibar, Comoro Is, Seychelles and Chagos Archipelago)
Included South Africa,
Mauritius, Reunion Island, St Helena, Bechuanaland, Basutoland, Northern
Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, Nyasaland, Madagascar, Mozambique, South-West
Africa, Angola, Zululand and Swaziland
Included Tunisia (secretarial seat in Tunis), Algeria, Morocco
(International Zone), Spanish Morocco, French Morocco, Spanish Sahara, Rio de
Oro, Spanish Guinea, Ashanti Protectorate, French Cameroons, British Cameroons,
Northern Territories Protectorate, French Togoland, British Togoland, Gambia,
Portuguese Guinea, French West Africa, the Gold Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, SIerra
Leone, Madeira,[1][1] the Canary Island, Cape Verde Islands,
and St. Thomas Island.
At
the same time, the NSA of Egypt and Sudan became aRegional Assembly for North
East Africa. It included French Somaliland; Egypt, Sudan,
Abyssinia, Libya, Eritrea, British Somaliland; Italian Somaliland; and Socotra
Is.
A
year after the formation of these Assemblies the Guardian reported that
"the momentum gained in the process of propagation of the Faith and
consolidation of its newly-born administrative institutions has exceeded the
rate of progress achieved in every other continent of the globe... the number
of adherents of the Faith...is now well over thirty-five hundred, over three
thousand of whom are Negroes. The number of localities where the followers of
Bahá'u'lláh reside is over five hundred and fifty. The number of tribes
represented in these flourishing communities has reached one hundred and
ninety-seven. The number of languages into which Bahá'í literature has been and
is being translated is over seventy, whilst the number of local spiritual
assemblies, constituting the bedrock of a solidly established Order, is
approaching one hundred and fifty." (Messages to the Bahá'í World,
110).
See Bahá'í World 1950-54,
“Development of the Faith in Africa”, 52-53.
God Passes By, 313.