Enoch Olinga
| Enoch Olinga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 24, 1926 Uganda |
| Died | September 16, 1979 |
| NSA member | North West Africa 1956 - 1964 |
| Hand of the Cause | Africa 1957 - 1979 |
| Title(s) | Knight of Bahá’u’lláh |
| Appointed by | Shoghi Effendi |
| Signature |  |
Enoch Olinga (June 24, 1926 - September 16, 1979)[1] was a Hand of the Cause of God and Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for British Cameroon.
He was born to a Christian family of the Iteso ethnic group in Uganda. In 1952 he became a Bahá’í in Kampala. In 1953 he became the first pioneer to British Cameroon, and was given the title Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for that country. As the number of Bahá’ís grew in Cameroon new Bahá’ís left the immediate region to pioneer in other surrounding areas, each becoming a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh including Ghana, and Togo. Because of the successive waves of people becoming Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, Enoch Olinga was entitled "Abd'l-Futuh", a Persian name meaning "the father of victories" by Shoghi Effendi.[2]
In October 1957 Shoghi Effendi appointed him as a Hand of the Cause of God. Olinga chaired the opening session of the first Bahá’í World Congress (in 1963) which announced the election of the first Universal House of Justice[3] after which he travelled all over the world.
During the rule of Idi Amin for a time the Bahá’í Faith in Uganda was illegal. Olinga returned to Uganda during this time to help protect the community during these difficulties.[4] On 16 September 1979, in the aftermath of the overthrow of the rule of Idi Amin,[5] Olinga, his wife and three of his five children were murdered by unknown gunmen. Since 2000 the Olinga Foundation for Human Development has offered training in remote primary and junior secondary schools in Ghana's Western Region.[6]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Rabbani, R. (Ed.) (1992). The Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963. Bahá’í World Centre. pp. xxiii. ISBN 085398350X.
- ↑ Bahá’í International Community (2003-09-23), "Cameroon celebrates golden time", Bahá’í World News Service
- ↑ Excerpts from the lives of early and contemporary believers on teaching the Bahá’í Faith: Enoch Olinga, Hand of the Cause of God, Father of Victories. Instructor: N. Richard Francis
- ↑ Francis, N. Richard (1998), "Enoch Olinga -Hand of the Cause of God, Father of Victories", Olinga, Enoch, Bahá’í Faith Website of Reno, Nevada
- ↑ Smith, Peter; Momen, Moojan (1989), "The Baha'i Faith 1957-1988: A Survey of Contemporary Developments", Religion, 19 (01): 63–91, doi:10.1016/0048-721X(89)90077-8
- ↑ In Ghana, innovative literacy program produces dramatic results Gonukrom Village, Western Region, Ghana. 3 December 2007 (BWNS)
References[edit]
- Harper, Barron (1997). Lights of Fortitude (Paperback ed.). Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-413-1.
External links[edit]
- Enoch Olinga, Hand of the Cause of God, Father of Victories by Richard Francis
