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Namibia

From Bahaipedia
 Namibia
Cluster Reflection Meeting, Ondjombo, Namibia, 2001.
Location of Namibia
National AssemblyNamibia
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[1] 2,530,151
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source  
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 12,482
History:
Firsts
 -  Local Bahá'í 1956, Hilifa Andreas Nekundi 
 -  Pioneers 1953, Ted Cardell 
 -  Local Assembly 1965, Windhoek 
 -  National Assembly 1981 
How to contact:
 -  Email bahainamibia@iway.na
 -  Address P.O. Box 20372
Windhoek 
Official Website https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/namibia
Related media
Categories: Namibia • People

The Republic of Namibia is a country in Southern Africa. English is its official language, with eight others being recognized as national languages and three as regional languages, and Christianity is the predominant religion.

The region has been inhabited since prehistory. In 1884 the German Empire colonized the region establishing the colony of German South West Africa. After the First World War the area became a territory of South Africa under the name South West Africa with the name being changed to Namibia in 1968. It remained under South African administration until achieving independence in 1990.

The Bahá’í Faith was established in Namibia in 1953. Apartheid restrictions severely limited the growth of the Bahá’í community, which was made up of members of different races, however since independence the Bahá’ís have become more active and remain active to the present day.

History[edit]

In 1953 Shoghi Effendi launched the Ten Year Crusade, an international teaching plan which aimed to establish Bahá’í communities across the world, and South West Africa was designated a goal territory for establishing a community. Ted Cardell, a British Bahá’í, opened the country to the Faith in October, 1953, and he settled in Windhoek.[2] German and local languages were more widely spoken than English and the territory was subject to South African apartheid laws which severely limited Cardell's ability to teach.[3] In 1955 Cardell attempted to translate a one page explanation of the Faith he had written into the Kuanyama language, however he was advised it was of poor quality and directed to seek assistance from Hilifa Andreas Nekundi, a police interpreter, in improving it. Nekundi became interested in the religion while producing the translation and became the first Namibian Bahá’í.[4]

In 1957 Michael Sears pioneered to Windhoek, with Cardell departing in 1958,[4] and in 1959 Gerda and Martin Aiff pioneered with their children. Due to apartheid the Aiff's hired Martin Onesmus, a black African Bahá’í, so he was permitted to live with them and facilitate communication between white and black Bahá’ís. While apartheid limited efforts to establish the Faith the community was able to establish the Local Spiritual Assembly of Windhoek in 1965,[4] and as of 1968 the Assembly had been maintained with Bahá’ís also residing in four other localities.[5]

In the early 1970's apartheid continued to make it difficult for local Bahá’ís and pioneers to maintain contact with each other however native Bahá’ís were able to actively teach the Faith and a Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds was secured in Windhoek.[6] In 1981 the National Spiritual Assembly of Namibia was established,[7] and it was incorporated with the government the following year.[8] In 1985 a Temple site was secured for the community.[9]

After Namibia achieved independence in 1990 the Bahá’í community was invited to participate in efforts to restructure the nations education system,[10] and in 1995 Bahá’í delegations presented information on the Bahá’í Faith to regional governors, council members, ministry officials, and tribal chiefs across the country.[11] As of 1999 Mel Chester, a Bahá’í pioneer to Namibia, had established the Mondesa Clinic to coordinate efforts to provide food for children and the elderly.[12] In December, 1999, an international Bahá’í Summer School was held in Namibia which was the first in the country and throughout the year Bahá’ís had visited the majority of schools in the country to make presentations promoting race unity.[13]

As of 2003 there were twenty-five Local Spiritual Assemblies in Namibia,[14] and that year the 50th Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Namibia was celebrated.[15]

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 107
  3. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 108
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Earl Redman, The Knights of Baha'u'llah, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 109
  5. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 149. View as PDF.
  6. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 157. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 163. View as PDF.
  8. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 426. View as PDF.
  9. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 91. View as PDF.
  10. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 190. View as PDF.
  11. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1997). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 24 (1995-1996), Pg(s) 72. View as PDF.
  12. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2000). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 27 (1998-1999), Pg(s) 70. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2001). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 28 (1999-2000), Pg(s) 55. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2005). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 32 (2003-2004), Pg(s) 55. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2005). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 32 (2003-2004), Pg(s) 54. View as PDF.
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