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Cape Verde

From Bahaipedia
 Cape Verde
Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Cape Verde.
Location of Cape Verde
National AssemblyCape Verde Islands
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[1] 587,925
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source  
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 849
History:
Firsts
 -  Local Bahá'í Frutuoso de Brito 
 -  Pioneers Howard Menking
JoAnne Menking 
 -  Local Assembly 1957, Praia 
 -  National Assembly 1984 
Official Website https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/cape-verde
Related media
Categories: Cape Verde • People

The Republic of Cabo Verde is a country consisting of a group of ten islands located off the coast of West Africa. The official language of the country is Portugese and Cape Verdean Creole is also spoken.

The islands were discovered in 1460 and were uninhabited until being colonized by Portugal. The islands became prosperous as part of the Atlantic slave trade, and as slavery began to be abolished in the 19th century the islands economy declined and many residents emigrated. In 1951 the islands were incorporated as an overseas department of Portugal, and in 1975 they achieved independence. The country was known as Cape Verde in English contexts until 2013 when the government ruled that it would be known as Cabo Verde.

The Bahá’í Faith was established in Cape Verde in 1954 however the early Bahá’í community community struggled to consolidate itself in the face of some government restrictions. The Faith was re-established in the country in 1978 and increased religious freedoms instituted since the country became independent allowed the Bahá’í community to develop and continue building capacity until the present.

History[edit]

The Cape Verde Islands were directly mentioned by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as one of the regions where the Bahá’í Faith should be taught in one of the Tablets of the Divine Plan revealed in 1916.[2] At the opening of the Ten Year Crusade in 1953 the goal of opening Cape Verde to the Faith was assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States by Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith.[3]

Howard and JoAnne Menking were the first pioneers to the Islands arriving on January 4, 1954, and were named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh.[4] They found a house within two weeks of arriving and as Howard emigrated as a Commercante (businessman) they were confident that they would be granted a residence visa. They had visited Lisbon before arriving and stocked up on Portuguese Bahá’í literature and began lending copies to people after arriving.[5]

First LSA of Praia, 1957.

The first person from Cape Verde to declare was Frutuoso and other early Bahá’ís were Claremundo, Inacio Barbosa Amado, Avalino Barros, Octavio Brito, and Entonio Leon. In April 1957 the first Cape Verde Local Spiritual Assembly was established in Praia, however government restrictions resulted in the body being disbanded shortly after being formed[6][7] and Joanne returned to America in 1957,[8] with Howard also leaving Cape Verde by 1958.[9][10]

In 1964 the National Spiritual Assembly of West Africa was formed which was responsible for administrating the Faith in Cape Verde.[11] As of 1968 there were small Bahá’í communities in four localities across Cape Verde.[12] In 1970 the National Spiritual Assembly of Upper West Africa was formed and succeeded the West Africa Assembly in administrating the community of Cape Verde,[13] and when the National Spiritual Assembly of Senegal was formed in 1975 it assumed responsibility for administrating the Faith in Cape Verde.

In August 1978 Jack and Wandra Harmsen made a teaching trip to Cape Verde to assist in re-establishing the Local Spiritual Assembly of Praia as religious freedom had increased after the country became independent in 1975. They held nine public meetings which resulted in fourteen accepting the Faith and the Local Spiritual Assembly was reformed.[14] At the opening of the Seven Year Plan in 1979 the goal of establishing a National Spiritual Assembly of Cape Verde by 1986 was set.[15]

Bahá’í community of Praia, 1978.

In April 1983 the Cape Verde Bahá’ís secured a National Center, one hundred and fourteen people became Bahá’íse during the year,[16] and in July the Universal House of Justice announced the National Spiritual Assembly of the Cape Verde Islands was to be established during Ridvan in 1984.[17] In August 1985 the Bahá’í Faith became the fourth religion to be granted full recognition by the government of Cape Verde.[18] On October 29, 1985, a Bahá’í delegation presented the President of Cape Verde with The Promise of World Peace, the peace statement by the Universal House of Justice.[19]

By March 1986 the National Assembly had been given juridical personality, the equivalent of incorporation.[20] In May and June 1986 the Cape Verde Bahá’ís held Peace Conferences, one of which was attended by one hundred and twenty people including most local officials.[21]

As of February 1990 twenty-nine people had declared as a result of the Duarte Vieira Teaching Campaign.[22] In 1992 the Cape Verde Bahá’ís commemorated the Centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh at the Parliament House in Praia, with the President of the Praia Municipal Council and other community leaders attending.[23] In 1997 the National Spiritual Assembly of Cape Verde wrote a statement on the Faith's stance on drugs and alcohol for the countries Civic Week which was published in one of the countries major newspapers.[24] In 1998 a Bahá’í delegation met with the President of Cape Verde, His Excellency Dr. Mascarenhas Monteiro, and presented him with Bahá’í literature.[25]

In November 2004 the 50th Anniversary of the Faith in Cape Verde was celebrated on the island of Santiago with Howard Menking attending for the Jubilee and staying for three weeks with his daughter and grandson.[26]

See also[edit]

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. ↑ Tablets of the Divine Plan, US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1993 pocket-size edition, p 107
  3. ↑ Baha'i News (1953). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 265, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  4. ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 276, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  5. ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 281, Pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  6. ↑ Baha'i News (July 1957). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 317, Pg(s) 18. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ Baha'i News (1979). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 576, Pg(s) 14. View as PDF.
  8. ↑ *Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. pp 290-291.
  9. ↑ Ferrell-Chambers Funeral Home Obituary
  10. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2006). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 33 (2004-2005), Pg(s) 45. View as PDF.
  11. ↑ Baha'i News (1963). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 393, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  12. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 151. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ Baha'i News (1975). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 526, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ Baha'i News (1979). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 576, Pg(s) 14. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ Baha'i News (1979). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 580, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ Baha'i News (1983). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 631, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ Baha'i News (1983). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 630, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ Baha'i News (1986). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 660, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ Baha'i News (1988). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 683, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ Baha'i News (1986). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 660, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ Baha'i News (1987). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 678, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ Baha'i News (1990). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 709, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  23. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1993). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 21 (1992-1993), Pg(s) 135. View as PDF.
  24. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1999). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 26 (1997-1998), Pg(s) 119. View as PDF.
  25. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1999). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 26 (1997-1998), Pg(s) 131. View as PDF.
  26. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/350/


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