Solomon Tanyi Tambe
Solomon Tanyi Tambe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1912 Bakebe Village, Manyu Division, Cameroon |
| Died | April 2, 1990 Messing, Bakebe, Cameroon |
| NSA member | West Central Africa 1964 - 1967 Cameroon 1967 - 1968 |
| ABM | Africa 1969 - 1973 |
Solomon Tanyi Tambe (1912 - April 2, 1990) was a Cameroonian Bahá’í who served as a National Spiritual Assembly and Auxiliary Board member.
Biography[edit]
Tambe was born in Bakebe Village in 1912. His father, Tambe Eyong Enow, practiced traditional medicine and had seven wives with Tambe being the only child of his mother.[1]
Tambe became interested in Christianity as a teenager and he was baptized at Basel Mission Missionary in 1932 which caused alienation between him and his family. He entered seminary school in 1935 but quickly became disillusioned as he felt his training felt like preparing for a job. He established a farm in Tombel in 1937 and that year he met Esther Agbortoko who he married and had eight children with.[1]
In 1943 Tambe enrolled in a seminary school in Nyassoso, completed a three year course, and worked as a catechist in Tombel and Douala before becoming disillusioned again and returning to farming in 1950. He became aware of the Bahá’í Faith in 1954 when he briefly saw Enoch Olinga and Valerie Wilson when they visited one of his neighbors while passing through his village although he did not speak to them.[1]
Tambe established contact with the Bahá’í community of Bakebe and declared and by 1955 there were eleven Bahá’ís including Tambe in the area who began holding regular meetings. In 1956 a Local Spiritual Assembly of Bakebe was established with Tambe being elected as secretary and in addition to serving the Assembly he began undertaking teaching trips opening Mamfe and Kendem to the Bahá’í Faith. He also translated Bahá’í literature into the Kenyang language.[2]
In 1964 Tambe was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of West Central Africa serving until 1967 when an independent National Assembly for Cameroon was established. He was elected to the Cameroon Assembly and served for a year before being appointed as an Auxiliary Board member for Propagation in 1969 and he served as Board member until 1973.[2]
Tambe passed away in 1990 and the Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after his passing:
". . . the Universal House of Justice was very saddened to learn of the passing of dear Mr. Solomon Tanyi Tambe who is so fondly remembered for his historic services to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh in Cameroon.
Kindly assure his wife, his three sons and his grandchildren of the ardent prayers of the House of Justice in the Holy Shrines for the progress of his pure soul in the realms above."[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 968. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 969. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 970. View as PDF.
