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Cameroon

From Bahaipedia
 Cameroon
Cameroon Bahá’í Youth Conference, 1998.
Location of Cameroon
National AssemblyCameroon
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[2] 27,198,628
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source 40,000[1] 
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 69,869
Local Assemblies 58[1]
History:
Firsts
 -  Local Bahá'í Jacob Tabot Awo 
 -  Pioneers 1953, Enoch Olinga
1954, Mehrangiz Munsiff
1954, Samuel Njiki 
 -  Local Assembly 1954, Limbe 
 -  National Assembly 1967 
How to contact:
 -  Phone 237 677 046 614 
 -  Email info@bahai-cm.org
 -  Address P.O Box 4230
Yaoundé
Cameroon 
Official Website https://bahai-cm.org/
Related media
Categories: Cameroon • People

The Republic of Cameroon is a Central African country. Christianity is the predominant religion with a sizeable Islamic community also existing. French and English are the official languages.

In recent history Germany colonized the region establishing the colony of Kamerun. After the First World War the area was split into French Cameroon and British Cameroon and remained under colonial rule until French Cameroon became independent in 1960, and after British Cameroon became independent in 1961 the region was united as the Republic of Cameroon.

The Bahá’í Faith was established in Cameroon in 1953 and a community rapidly grew throughout the 1950's becoming one of the leading Bahá’í communities of Africa. By the 1970's growth had slowed and the community struggled to consolidate itself however it continued to grow and develop and began to participate in social and economic development projects. The community remains active to the present day.

History[edit]

When the Ten Year Crusade was launched in 1953 both British and French Cameroon were goal territories for the Bahá’í community to establish communities in. Enoch Olinga volunteered to pioneer to British Cameroon and arrived in the country in October 1953 being driven to his post by Alí and Violette Nakhjavani.[3] Olinga found lodging with David Tanyi and his wife and the Tanyi's became Bahá’ís and by April 1954 Samuel Njiki, Edward Tabe, Albert Buapiah, Martin Manga, and Benedict Eballa had also accepted the Faith through Olinga. Olinga's efforts also resulted in the formation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Limbe in 1954 and twelve other localities of British Cameroon being opened to the Faith.[4]

When Shoghi Effendi issued a request for the Bahá’ís to open other countries in Africa to the Faith many of the early Cameroonian Bahá’ís volunteered.[4] In April 1954 Samuel Njiki opened French Cameroon to the Faith settling in Douala and he was joined the same month by Mehrangiz Munsiff.[5] Their efforts resulted in the Local Spiritual Assembly of Douala being established in 1955.[6]

The Faith saw a rapid increase in size in British Cameroon in 1955 with nine Local Spiritual Assemblies being established that year,[7] and from 1955 to 1956 the community quadrupled in size,[8] reaching nine hundred members by 1958.[9] As of 1959 there were 1,716 Bahá’ís and fifty-three Local Spiritual Assemblies in British Cameroon,[10] and the community had established five schools to promote literacy and adult education.[11]

In 1964 the National Spiritual Assembly of West Central Africa was established with its seat in Victoria and it assumed responsibility for administrating the Faith in the region including in the Cameroons.[12] In 1967 Cameroon established an independent National Spiritual Assembly which achieved incorporation with the government the same year.[13]

As of 1968 Cameroon had forty-six Local Spiritual Assemblies and fifty Bahá’í groups across the country,[14] and throughout the early 1970's several more Local Assemblies lapsed with the community focusing on deepening and consolidation of local communities through the Auxiliary Board. The community was also assisted by visits from Enoch Olinga, Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir, and Oloro Epyeru from the early to mid 1970's,[15] and in 1974 National Teaching Conferences began to be held annually.[16] In 1975 a Bahá’í Institute Course was held at the University to Yaounde, and in 1976 the Cameroon Bahá’í community acquired a mobile institute, a minibus equipped with a Bahá’í library and teaching materials, to assist in deepening communities across the country.[15]

In the late 1970's programmes for the Nineteen Day Feast and Holy Days began to be published and distributed to promote observance of the events within Cameroon and a number of teaching institutes were held for Bahá’ís to study the Writings,[17] with the countries Bahá’í community publishing its own deepening booklets and teaching pamphlets.[18] In 1978 the Faith began broadcasting a fifteen minute weekly program on a national radio station,[19] and an International Bahá’í Youth Conference was held in the country.[20]

In the early 1980's several Local Spiritual Assemblies lapsed in Cameroon and the community began to focus on the importance of consolidating the growth of the community.[21] As of the early 1980's two Bahá’í inspired schools were operating in the country,[22] and Bahá’í summer schools began to be held more frequently with four summer schools being held annually across the country.[23] A major inter-regional Bahá’í conference for women was held in Yaounde was held in the 1980's which received widespread publicity and the Bahá’ís began publishing a women's newsletter. The community also began publishing a youth bulletin,[24] and in 1985 a youth conference was held which was attended by two hundred people.[25]

In the late 1980's the Bahá’ís of Cameroon began holding training programmes for community health workers,[26] and holding literacy classes for women.[27] The communities efforts in healthcare were conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization.[28] In 1988 the Yaounde University Bahá’í Club organized a conference on the topic of how African youth could serve contemporary society which was well attended and broadcast on national radio.[29]

In the early 1990's the Bahá’í community of Cameroon collaborated with the United Nations Development Fund for Women on a project titled Traditional Media as a Change Agents which aimed to improve the status of women in rural villages through the use of traditional media.[30] In 1992 the Bahá’ís launched the Bahá’í Village Health Volunteer Programme which involved training volunteers to teach their communities about nutrition, hygiene, and immunization.[31]

In the 1990's the Cameroon government began preparing a new constitution and the National Spiritual Assembly drafted a document on the Bahá’í approach to governance and law which was submitted to the Constitution Drafting Committee and all political parties.[32] The National Assembly also prepared a document on the Bahá’í approach to education which it submitted to the Minister of National Education.[33] In 1997 a national Bahá’í youth conference was held focusing on Bahá’í laws, education, and social and economic development.[34]

In August, 2003, the 50th Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Cameroon was commemorated in Yaounde and attended by 560 people including George Olinga, the son of Enoch Olinga. It was reported the Bahá’í community of Cameroon had 40,000 members and fifty-eight Local Spiritual Assemblies at the time of the commemoration.[35] In 2008 a Bahá’í Regional Conference was held in Yaounde to review the progress of the Bahá’í community of Cameroon and neighboring countries with consultation and workshops being held on producing healthy patterns of growth.[36]

In 2013 an International Bahá’í Youth Conference was held in Bertoua attended by six hundred youth at which consultation and discussion centered around Bahá’í community building activities.[37] In 2019 eight gatherings were held across Cameroon to commemorate the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb,[38] and in 2022 grassroots Bahá’í conferences were held across the country for consultation on how to foster vibrant communities.[39] In 2024 the Universal House of Justice announced a local Mashriqu’l-Adhkár was to be constructed in Batouri.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bahá’í International Community (2003-09-23), "Cameroon celebrates golden time", Bahá’í World News Service
  2. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 66
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Earl Redman, The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 67
  5. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 76
  6. ↑ Enoch Tanyi Nyenti, The Story of David and Esther Tanyi: Adam and Eve of the Bahá'í Faith in Cameroon Kindle Edition, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 179
  7. ↑ Anthony A. Lee, The Bahá'í Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952-1962, Brill: Leiden, 2011, pp 80-81
  8. ↑ Anthony A. Lee, The Bahá'í Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952-1962, Brill: Leiden, 2011, p 169
  9. ↑ Anthony A. Lee, The Bahá'í Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952-1962, Brill: Leiden, 2011, p 176
  10. ↑ Anthony A. Lee, The Bahá'í Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952-1962, Brill: Leiden, 2011, p 178
  11. ↑ Anthony A. Lee, The Bahá'í Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952-1962, Brill: Leiden, 2011, p 179
  12. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 101. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 392. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 147. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 163. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 164. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1981). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 17 (1976-1979), Pg(s) 149. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1981). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 17 (1976-1979), Pg(s) 153. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1981). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 17 (1976-1979), Pg(s) 150. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1981). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 17 (1976-1979), Pg(s) 151. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 166. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 118. View as PDF.
  23. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 150. View as PDF.
  24. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 153. View as PDF.
  25. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 302. View as PDF.
  26. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 253. View as PDF.
  27. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 260. View as PDF.
  28. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 524. View as PDF.
  29. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 262. View as PDF.
  30. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1993). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 21 (1992-1993), Pg(s) 242. View as PDF.
  31. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 22 (1993-1994), Pg(s) 105. View as PDF.
  32. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 22 (1993-1994), Pg(s) 108. View as PDF.
  33. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1996). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 23 (1994-1995), Pg(s) 128. View as PDF.
  34. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1999). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 26 (1997-1998), Pg(s) 143. View as PDF.
  35. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2005). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 32 (2003-2004), Pg(s) 45. View as PDF.
  36. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/community-news/regional-conferences/yaounde.html
  37. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/community-news/youth-conferences/bertoua.html
  38. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/1346/
  39. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/1593/slideshow/52/
  40. ↑ 16 October 2024 message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World

See also[edit]


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