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Eswatini

From Bahaipedia
 Eswatini
50th Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Eswatini, 2004.
Location of Eswatini
National AssemblySwaziland
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[1] 1,192,271
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source  
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 5,242
History:
Firsts
 -  Pioneers 1954, Bula Mott Stewart
1954, John Allen
1954, Valera Allen 
 -  Local Assembly 1955, Mbabane 
 -  National Assembly 1967, with Mozambique & Basutoland
1978 
How to contact:
 -  Email bahaiswd@gmail.com
Official Website https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/swaziland
Related media
Categories: Eswatini • People

The Kingdom of Eswatini is a country in Southern Africa. Its official languages are Swazi and English and Christianity is the predominant religion.

The region has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The Swazi people settled in the region in the 18th Century, and in the late 19th Century when Africa was being colonized the British signed conventions acknowledging Swazi independence, however following the Second Boer War ending in 1903 Swaziland became a British protectorate, although a Swazi monarch still held some power. In 1963 Britain began to take steps towards an independent Swaziland, and in 1968 the country gained full independence. In 2018 King Mswati III officially changed the name of the country from the Kingdom of Swaziland to the Kingdom of Eswatini, which is Swazi for 'land of the Swazis', to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Independence.

The Bahá’í community of Eswatini was established in 1954. Friendly relations were quickly established with the Royal Family and the community was able to grow and develop its administration, and in the 1980's efforts began to be undertaken to contribute to social and economic development. The Bahá’ís of Swaziland have become particularly involved in education efforts in the country and continue to remain active to the present.

History[edit]

In 1953 Shoghi Effendi launched the Ten Year Crusade, an teaching plan for the establishment of Bahá’í communities across the world, and establishing the Faith in Swaziland was set as a goal. In April, 1954, Bula Mott Stewart opened the country to the Faith and around a week later John and Valera Allen arrived in the country and all three were named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh.[2] The Allen's successfully taught the Faith with Isaiah and Jemima Phala being among the earliest locals to accept the religion through them.[3] Shortly after arriving in the country John assisted a man whose car had run out of fuel who was Prince Manzini, a son of the King, and John was invited to meet with the King as a result,[4] securing permission to teach the Faith in Swaziland.[5] Some members of the Swazi Royal Family became Bahá’í's through the Allen's as a result of their connection with the King.[4]

In 1955 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Mbabane was established as the first in Swaziland,[3] and the following year the National Spiritual Assembly of South & West Africa was established which assumed responsibility for administrating the Faith in the country.[6] In 1960 the Allen's sons Dale and Kenton pioneered to the country to assist their father in reviving a pineapple canning business with their efforts resulting in the creation of hundreds of jobs.[3] In September, 1962, the Education Department of Swaziland granted permission for the Bahá’í community to establish a school which began operating with three teachers.[7]

By the end of the Ten Year Crusade in 1963 there were 669 Bahá’ís in Swaziland and thirteen Local Spiritual Assemblies,[8] although by 1968 some Assemblies had lapsed with the community having nine,[9] the community had grown to 800 Bahá’ís.[10] In 1967 a joint National Spiritual Assembly for Swaziland, Mozambique, and Basutoland was formed with its seat in Mbabane,[11][12] and the body was incorporated with the Government of Swaziland in 1969.[11]

As of 1970 the Swaziland Bahá’í community had secured land for the construction of a Temple and Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and had also established a Bahá’í Teacher Training Institute named after Leroy Ioas. The King of Swaziland attended the dedication of the Institute that year. When Rúḥíyyih Khánum visited Swaziland in 1972 she had an audience with the King.[11] Administrative development in Swaziland was modest throughout the 1970's and by 1976 there were 59 Local Assemblies in the country which was close to the number of Assemblies in 1974 however the teaching work had been more successful with the Faith becoming well-known throughout the country.[13] In 1978 Swaziland established an independent National Spiritual Assembly.[14]

In the early 1980's local deepening and teaching conferences were held across Swaziland in order to assist in the consolidation of Local Spiritual Assemblies.[15] In the mid 1980's the Bahá’ís of Swaziland made progress in contributing to social and economic development in the country, establishing preschools,[16] and a health education programme,[17] and the National Spiritual Assembly was entrusted with the responsibility of distributing relief supplies after Cyclone Dominica in 1984 by the Canadian International Development Agency.[18] In the late 1980's the Piggs Peak Clinic, a private healthcare facility run by a Bahá’í, began an outreach program visiting rural areas of the country to provide healthcare,[19] and the Bahá’í community became involved in training preschool teachers and developed an international curricula for environmental education based on the Writings.[20]

As of 1994 the Bahá’í community of Swaziland was operating five preschools and that year it established a primary school in Mbabane.[21] By 2000 an additional pre-school had been established and that year the Bahá’í community established Setsembiso Sebunye High School and began a plan to expand the school to the point it could teach 1000 students by 2005.[22]

As of 2004 Swaziland had twenty-four Local Spiritual Assemblies and that year the 50th Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Swaziland was celebrated.[23] Representatives of the Royal Family attended the event.[24]

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 112
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 113
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Edith & Lowell Johnson, Heroes and Heroines of the Ten Year Crusade in Southern Africa, NSA of South Africa: Johannesburg, 2003, p 418
  5. ↑ Edith & Lowell Johnson, Heroes and Heroines of the Ten Year Crusade in Southern Africa, NSA of South Africa: Johannesburg, 2003, p 414
  6. ↑ Baha'i News (1963). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 393, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1970). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 13 (1954-1963), Pg(s) 784. View as PDF.
  8. ↑ Johnson p 414
  9. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 149. View as PDF.
  10. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 201. View as PDF.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Baha'i News (1967). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 440, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  12. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 196. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 157. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ Baha'i News (1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 598, Pg(s) 14. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 167. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 153. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 154. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 98. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 253. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 190. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 22 (1993-1994), Pg(s) 102. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2001). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 28 (1999-2000), Pg(s) 57. View as PDF.
  23. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2006). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 33 (2004-2005), Pg(s) 56. View as PDF.
  24. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2006). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 33 (2004-2005), Pg(s) 58. View as PDF.
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