Martin Manga

Martin Manga (b. 1934) is Cameroonian Bahá’í who was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for pioneering to the Northwestern Territories Protectorate, a region in Africa which is now part of Ghana.

Biography

Manga was born in 1934. He completed primary school then began working for his uncle as a blacksmith and then a car mechanic at a young age, living with him along with two siblings. His uncle evicted Manga and his siblings as he felt he was caring for too many people in his home and they moved to live with another uncle, David Tanyi, in approximately 1949.

Manga shared a room with Benedict Eballa in Tanyi's household and the two became close friends. In October 1953 Tanyi was introduced to the Bahá’í Faith by Enoch Olinga and Manga and Eballa also joined the new religion. Shortly after they declared the Bahá’ís of Cameroon received a letter from Shoghi Effendi requesting that they pioneer across Africa to open new territories to the Faith and Manga volunteered. At the time Manga was undertaking an auto-mechanic apprenticeship but he resigned from the position and pioneered to Tamale arriving in April 1954.

After arriving Manga found it difficult to teach after arriving as he did not speak the local language. He found a position working as a car mechanic but had to pay to secure the position, contributing funds from his first paycheck to the fee leaving him destitute and malnourished. He was able to meet with R.A. Som and Martin Asumang, who had become Bahá’ís through Julius Edwards, a previous pioneer to the area, and although he worked seven days a week he was able to assist with teaching efforts which resulted in a Local Spiritual Assembly in 1955.

In April 1957 Manga returned to Cameroon to care for his mother who was ill and he remains an active member of the Cameroon Bahá’í community to the present day.