Association for Bahá’í Studies in Southern Africa (ABS-SA)

Ridván, 2003 - ANNUAL REPORT

Email: abs@bahai.org.za

Web: http://www.bahaistudies.org.za

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

This is the 4^th Annual Report of the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Southern Africa (ABS). It contains highlights of events sponsored in the previous year.

ABS Annual Conference held in Port Elizabeth, December, 2002

The Fourth Annual Conference of the ABS was held during the Summer School at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 26 – 31 December, 2002. The Theme of the Conference was: “Creating a Culture of Learning”. There were fifteen presentations at the Conference, and the presenters used interesting and diverse means of sharing their ideas.

Youth Scholars Conference held at Wits

One of the objectives of the ABS is to advance scholarship amongst the youth. In August 2002, University of Witswatersrand held the first youth Scholarship Conference. The aim was to have youth present papers on Bahá’í-related theme. According to reports received, this was a very successful effort with over ten youth presenting papers, all extremely well done.

Seminar “Who is Writing the Future” held at the University of Zambia, June, 2002

(Co-Sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Zambia, Bahá’í Office of Public Relations and the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Southern Africa.) The Seminar, held at the University of Zambia in June 2002, was the eighth university seminar in southern Africa. It was based on themes from the Bahá’í International Community statement “Who is Writing the Future.”

This seminar was quite well attended with over 40 participants from the academic staff, students and friends from Lusaka. Following each presentation, time was given to the audience to comment and ask questions. Several major themes emerged from the comments and questions:

· Concerns that spirituality be incorporated into the development field and questions about the Bahá’í view on the subject;

• Acknowledgement that science and religion are in harmony;
• Many positive remarks about the Bahá’ís and the teachings of the Faith. The audience seemed genuinely interested in understanding the true meaning of the teachings and how they applied to the problems facing the society in Zambia and in the world in general.

Seminar on Prosperity of Humankind - Lesotho

In February, 2003, a second seminar was held at the University of Lesotho, based on “Prosperity of Humankind”. This seminar was the best attended of all the seminars sponsored by the ABS, with over 100 members of the university community present, including a large group of economics students. The seminar was a follow-up to one held in 2000, based on “Who is Writing the Future”. Themes of the seminar included: “Spiritual Dimension of development”; “Individual and Social Justice”; “Importance of Religion as the provider of a moral and spiritual compass”; and “New Patterns and Concepts of Authority and Power”. These were themes from the document “Prosperity of Humankind”. The students asked in-depth questions about the spiritual and social teachings of the Faith, and how they could aid in developing a world of peace.

Membership

Members of the ABS are from countries in Southern Africa, from all walks of life. The major goals of the ABS are:

Study of the Faith: history, teachings, beliefs and practices;

Scholarship: promote research and scholarship in subject areas of interest;

Teaching: promote teaching of the Bahá’í Faith;

Collaboration: cooperate with like-minded groups and societies.

A membership fee of R40 is encouraged to help defray costs; membership is open to all believers.

Distance Education Course on the Kitab-i-Iqan

A distance education course was held on the Kitab-i-Iqan. This course was developed and conducted by Farzin Aghdasi. It was conducted entirely through email. Over 80 participants took the course which was very stimulating. The comments and email discussions on the sections were always challenging. A new course on Century of Light will be offered in September by the ABS.

Members’ Participation at Conferences

Members of the ABS presented Bahá’í papers at academic conferences in Namibia, Madagascar, Uganda, South Africa, and Botswana to name a few of the countries. Topics included equality of men and women; development of the institute process in the Faith; science and religion; and the spiritual principles of development. Members of the ABS also helped develop a management course for Auxiliary Board members.