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Botswana

From Bahaipedia
 Botswana
First National Convention of Botswana, 1970.
Location of Botswana
National AssemblyBotswana
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[1] 2,588,423
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source  
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 19,292
History:
Firsts
 -  Local Bahá'í 1954, Modiri Molema 
 -  Pioneers 1954, John Robarts
1954, Audrey Robarts
1954, Patrick Robarts 
 -  Local Assembly 1957, Mafeking 
 -  National Assembly 1970 
How to contact:
 -  Email nsa@bahai.org.bw​
 -  Address P.O. Box 466
Gaborone 
Official Website https://www.bahai.org.bw/
Related media
Categories: Botswana • People

The Republic of Botswana is a country in Southern Africa. English is the official language with Setswana being an official language and Christianity is the predominant religion.

The region is the home of the Tswana people who settled in the area in the 7th century. In 1885 the British Empire colonized the region and established the protectorate of Bechuanaland. It achieved independence in 1966 as Botswana.

The Bahá’í community of Botswana was established in 1953. It experienced modest growth throughout the 1960's and 1970's, began to emerge from obscurity in the 1990's, and remains active to the present day.

History[edit]

In 1953 Shoghi Effendi launched the Ten Year Crusade, an international teaching plan aiming to establish Bahá’í communities across the world, and Bechuanaland was designated a goal territory for Bahá’ís to pioneer to. The country was opened to the Bahá’í Faith in February, 1954, when John and Audrey Robarts arrived in the country with their children Patrick and Audrey. They settled in Mafeking and were named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh with the exception of Audrey who had not yet turned fifteen and reaffirmed as a Bahá’í.[2] They were visited by fellow pioneers in Southern Africa William and Marguerite Sears shortly after arriving.[3]

In 1954 Dr. Modiri Molema became the first Botswanan Bahá’í through the Robarts and he began hosting firesides in his home and introduced John Robarts to six tribal chiefs in the country.[3] In 1956 the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa was established which assumed responsibility for administrating the Faith in Bechuanaland and in February, 1957, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Mafeking was established which was the first in the country.[3] In 1960 Wright Lekhonkobe, who had become a Bahá’í in Mafeking, pioneered to the village of Morwatshetlha and through his efforts a Local Spiritual Assembly was established in 1961 as the second in the country.[4]

As of the completion of the Ten Year Crusade in 1963 there were sixty-six Bahá’ís in Botswana, two Local Spiritual Assemblies, and seven organized Bahá’í groups.[5] In 1964 the National Spiritual Assembly of South Central Africa was established and became the body responsible for administrating the Faith in Botswana.[6] Teaching work continued through the 1960's and by 1968 there were nine Local Spiritual Assemblies in the country and Bahá’í residents in an additional eleven localities,[7] and in 1970 an independent National Spiritual Assembly was established with Paul Haney representing the Universal House of Justice at the occassion.[8]

In 1972 Rúḥíyyih Khánum visited Botswana during her extensive travel teaching tour of Africa.[9] Throughout the year of 1973 a series of local Bahá’í conferences were held in villages across the country to proclaim the Faith and stimulate Bahá’í communities to begin activities.[10] In October, 1973, the Government of Botswana officially recognized the Bahá’í Faith as a religion and the same month Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir visited the country and assisted the National Spiritual Assembly in developing a teaching project in Selebi-Pikwe which resulted in 300 declarations.[10] In 1974 an International Bahá’í Youth Conference was held in Botswana which was followed by the youth visiting several villages to teach the Faith.[10]

In the early 1980's efforts were made to proclaim the Faith in the Kalahari desert, which makes up most of the geographical area of Botswana.[11] The community struggled to achieve growth in the early 1980's, although the community was able to develop a Mobile Teaching Institute to provide deepening to communities across the country,[12] but experienced a surge of activity in 1985 which resulted in community development.[13] In 1987 Bahá’í youth of Europe undertook the Botswana 1987 teaching project to support efforts to develop the Bahá’í community of Botswana and the national Youth Committee of Norway contributed funds to assist the Botswanan Bahá’ís in deepening Bahá’ís in the Kalahari desert.[14]

In 1994 Botswana held its first Bahá’í youth camp at the Bahá’í Institute in Mahalapye,[15] and in 1996 the Bahá’í National Women and Child Education Committee organized a conference in Gaborone on the topic of creating violence-free families.[16] In December, 1999, the first Bahá’í Summer School to be held entirely in the Setswana language was conducted in Botswana and in September, 2000, the first Bahá’í prayer book in Setswana was published,[17] and in February, 2001, a book launch was held for the prayer book and a Setswana translation of the Hidden Words which was attended by the President of Botswana.[18]

As of 2004 there were thirty Local Spiritual Assemblies across Botswana,[19] and that year the 50th Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Botswana was celebrated.[20] The Universal House of Justice wrote the following in a message to the event:

. . . this historic event, at which the shining spirit and soul—stirring exploits of the early believers will be recalled, will surely inspire the friends to arise with renewed dedication to bring the healing Message of Baha’u’llah to the indigenous peoples of your beloved country.[21]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  2. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 110
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 111
  4. ↑ Edith & Lowell Johnson, Heroes and Heroines of the Ten Year Crusade in Africa, NSA of South Africa: Johannesburg, 2003, p 41
  5. ↑ Edith & Lowell Johnson, Heroes and Heroines of the Ten Year Crusade in Africa, NSA of South Africa: Johannesburg, 2003, p 39
  6. ↑ Baha'i News (1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 608, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 149. View as PDF.
  8. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 196. View as PDF.
  9. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 607. View as PDF.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 150. View as PDF.
  11. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 165. View as PDF.
  12. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 93. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 149. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 434. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1996). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 23 (1994-1995), Pg(s) 185. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1997). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 24 (1995-1996), Pg(s) 85. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2001). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 28 (1999-2000), Pg(s) 49. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/130/
  19. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2006). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 33 (2004-2005), Pg(s) 43. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2006). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 33 (2004-2005), Pg(s) 40. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2006). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 33 (2004-2005), Pg(s) 42. View as PDF.
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