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Zimbabwe

From Bahaipedia
 Zimbabwe
First Bahá’í National Convention in Salisbury (now Harare), 1970.
Location of Zimbabwe
National AssemblyZimbabwe
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[1] 15,993,524
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source  
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 47,165
History:
Firsts
 -  Bahá'í to visit 1929, Shoghi Effendi 
 -  Pioneers 1953, Ezzatu’llah Zahra’i 
 -  Local Assembly 1955, Harare 
 -  National Assembly 1970 
Related media
Categories: Zimbabwe • People

The Republic of Zimbabwe is a nation in Southern Africa. It has sixteen official languages, which are local African languages, and the predominant religion is Christianity.

The area has been settled since at least the fourth century A.D., with the construction of the city of Great Zimbabwe beginning and continuing from the 11th Century. In 1898 the colony of South Rhodesia was established in the area, and it was annexed by Britain in 1923. It was renamed Rhodesia in 1964 and declared independence in 1965, remaining independent until reverting to British rule as Zimbabwe-Rhodesia in 1979. In 1980 the Country became independent again as Zimbabwe.

The Bahá’í Faith has been present in the country since 1953 and some Zimbabweans had become Bahá’ís by the close of the 1950s. As of the present day the Bahá’í community of Zimbabwe is made up of majority indigenous Zimbabweans, with members from all the major tribes. There are several Local Spiritual Assemblies and Bahá’í Centers across the country, with the majority of localities having been opened to the Faith.

History[edit]

Opening to the Faith[edit]

The first Bahá’í to set foot on the soil of Zimbabwe was Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. He visited in 1929 in the course of an overland trip from Cape Town to Cairo. In 1940 Shoghi Effendi visited Zimbabwe again with his wife, Rúhíyyih Khánum, and father-in-law, William Maxwell, when they returned to Palestine from England through Africa due to the Second World War blocking access through Italy. They visited Victoria Falls, Matupo and Bulawayo.[2]

The first Bahá’í pioneer to Zimbabwe was Ezzatu’llah Zahra’i who arrived two months after the start of the Ten Year Plan in 1953, however his application for residency was rejected and he had to leave the country. He was followed by a succession of pioneers who were also unable to obtain permanent residency, with Claire Gung arriving in October 1953, ‘Aynu'd-din and Tahirih ‘Alá'í arriving in December 1953,[3][4], Dr. Kenneth Christian and his wife Roberta arriving in January 1954,[5] and Joan Powis arriving in February 1954.[6] All of these early pioneers were named Knights of Bahá’u’lláh although Powis turned down receiving the title as she had moved before becoming a Bahá’í and as such did not feel she had pioneered with Shoghi Effendi accepting her decision.[7]

Larry Hautz, a Bahá’í from the United States, pioneered to the country in 1954 and bought a property on Bulawayo Road, opened a motel, a service station, a rose garden and a snake park. In spite of some resistance from the government he succeeded in establishing the first primary school for indigenous children on a "white-owned" property. Sue and Sylvia Benatar were the first white people to become Bahá’ís in then Southern Rhodesia having heard of the Faith from Larry Hautz. Early teaching work from 1953 to 1963 was largely centered around Bulawayo and Salisbury.

Early Progress[edit]

In 1955 Charles Zauyamakando became the first native person from Zimbabwe to join the Bahá’í community and a number of other indigenous people declared around the same time with the Faith being established in Musarara, Madyavanhu and Manjomwe. In April 1955 the first Local Spiritual Assembly was established in then Salisbury, now the capital city of Harare, and in 1956 the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa was established, and it administrated the Faith in Zimbabwe. It was later incorporated under the name the National Spiritual Assembly of Rhodesia, but its seat was in Johannesberg, South Africa.[8][9] In 1957 Mabel Chiposi became the first native woman to become a Bahá’í,[10] and Hand of the Cause John Robarts and his wife Audrey pioneered to Bulawayo from Botswana, remaining in Zimbabwe for the next ten years.[11]

The Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Salisbury.

In August 1957 Hand of the Cause Músá Banání held a week long Conference with six Auxiliary Board members and National Assembly members in Salisbury to consult on making the following year a historic year of teaching, concentrating on the unfinished goals of the Ten Year Crusade, and to formulate methods of collaboration between the Hands of the Cause and the National Spiritual Assemblies. The two local Bahá’í communities in the Salisbury area held three firesides during the conference which had an average attendance of fifty which Músá Banání and the Auxiliary Board and Assembly members attended. A report of the Conference was sent to Shoghi Effendi who cabled his appreciation in response.[12]

In November 1958 an Area Teaching Committee of Southern Rhodesia and Northern Mozambique held a Teaching Conference on deepening. Hastings Hojane chaired the conference. Speakers included Audrey Robarts.[13] Also in November 1958 the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Salisbury was purchased, a large house in the suburb of Waterfalls with ten rooms, two of which were merged to form a large meeting room with the others being developed into a library, reading room and office, and also living quarters for Genevieve Coy.[14]

In 1960 the fifth Convention, and the second annual Bahá’í Teacher Training School, of South and West Africa were held in Salisbury.[15][16] A Teaching Conference was also held in Bulawayo in 1960.[17] The sixth Convention of South and West Africa was also held in Salisbury in 1961.[18]

In 1964 the National Spiritual Assembly of South Central Africa was established with its seat in Salisbury, and it administrated the Bahá’í community of Zimbabwe.[19] In August 1964 a conference was held at the Rural Community Bahá’í Center at which Auxiliary Board member Amos Zauyamakando and Shidan Fat'he-Aazam conducting sessions on Bahá’í Administration, covering Feasts, functions of a Local Spiritual Assembly, and the fund.[20]

In September 1965 the Hands of the Cause in Africa called a Conference in Salisbury, the first of three, in order to consult on cooperation between the Hands and the Auxiliary Board with the National Spiritual Assemblies and on the Nine Year Plan. John Robarts and Enoch Olinga attended, along with six Auxiliary Board members, eight Assembly members of the South and West African Assembly and eight from the South Central African Assembly.[21]

Establishment of an Independent Community[edit]

In 1970 the National Spiritual Assembly of Rhodesia was established at the first Bahá’í National Convention of Zimbabwe. The size of the Bahá’í community was estimated to be 1,000 around the time of the formation of the Assembly.[22] In October 1970 the newly formed National Assembly sponsored a two-week training institute which trained a dozen indigenous believers to teach the Faith who taught across the country, with communities being established in the Mtoko and Gokwe regions.

Rúhíyyih Khánum at Sunday School in Salisbury.

In March 1971 Rúhíyyih Khánum visited Zimbabwe during her tour of Africa after completing her tour of Zambia. She then spent three weeks in Salisbury where she stayed at the home of an early pioneer, recuperating for a period and then giving several talks on the Faith.[23] During her visit she visited Larry Hautz's school seven miles from Salisbury and spoke to a class, and also attended the funeral of an infant of a Bahá’í couple who had passed in the nearby community. She recommended that the National Spiritual Assembly have the Prayer for the Dead translated into native languages afterwards.[24] She departed Zimbabwe after three weeks for Panama for the opening of the House of Worship.[25]

In July 1971 John Sargent Sr. undertook a teaching trip to Gokwe with three other Bahá’ís. They visited the village of Seven where a football field and basketball court had been built by Bahá’ís and showed a slideshow. They then visited a village ruled by Chief Nemangwe who they presented with a blanket as per custom and the Chief, whose brother was already a Bahá’í, declared durng their visit. They then went back to Seven, then to Roja, then Gwavi where they met with the Local Assembly, then back to Nemangwe, then to Chichemba.[26]

Rúhíyyih Khánum returned to Salisbury in May 1972 and met with the National Spiritual Assembly and began giving talks at a number of meetings, including one at the University in Salisbury. She also spoke at a youth meeting in Highfield, and gave a talk in Sakuba, a town in the district of Umtali, and also undertook a three day trip to some villages with Shidan Fat'he-Aazam, visiting Mudarikwa, Chidenga, and Musanhi before returning to Salisbury.[27] She traveled from Salisbury to Gokwe district for two days and visited the villages of Mufungwo, Nemangwe, Karambe, Unyetu, and Daramombwe. She then visited the Zimbabwe ruins and then traveled to Bulawayo, arriving at the close of May, and gave a press conference and a six minute television interview. She then visited the village of Chikandakubio[28] She completed her tour of Rhodesia and traveled to Botswana on June 9, 1972.[29]

Progress Under the Plans[edit]

Bahá’í activity in Zimbabwe was stimulated at the beginning of the Five Year Plan in 1974, with a goal of establishing the Faith in five hundred localities being set for the country,[30] and also the goal of making teaching trips to Malawi.[31] In August 1974 Florence Mayberry visited Zimbabwe representing the International Teaching Center at a conference sponsored by the Continental Board of Counsellors in Salisbury. At the Conference the topics of women, children and youth activities, inter-Assembly cooperation for Goals of the Five Year Plan, and the creation of a distinct Bahá’í community were discussed.[32] In late 1974 Zimbabwe held its first national conference of the Five Year Plan at the Mudarikwa kraal in Mrewa.[33]

Attendees at the first Bahá’í Summer School for Rhodesia, 1977.

In January 1976 the first Bahá’í Children's School of Zimbabwe was held on Larry Hautz property with seventy-seven children attending.[34] In July 1976 a training institute for children's teachers was held in Salisbury with thirty Bahá’ís attending.[35] In August 1976 New Zealand Bahá’ís Russ and Gina Garcia made a ten day teaching trip to Zimbabwe where they toured the villages, speaking at thirteen meetings, and were interviewed on television in Salisbury.[36] In December 1976 an International Women's Conference was held at the Haziratu'l-Quds in Salisbury with thirty women attending. Amos Zauyamakando, Chair of the National Spiritual Assembly, opened the conference.[37]

By 1977 Zimbabwe had established the Faith in five hundred and twenty six localities, surpassing its goal of five hundred for the Five Year Plan by twenty six two years ahead of the close of the plan.[38] In April 1977 the National Teaching Committee of Zimbabwe enacted a Six-Month teaching program for expansion.[39] In August 1977 the first Bahá’í Summer School of Zimbabwe was held at the Salisbury Motel Bahá’í School. Participants from Burnside, Greater Salisbury, Gwelo, Highfield, Mabvuko, Mont Marie, Mzilikazi, Nyamayaro, Salisbury West and Tafara attended, and also three Bahá’ís from Swaziland. While the number of attendees fluctuated during the five day camp the peak attendance was around one hundred. Larry Hautz attended the School and spoke on his memories of the Guardiahán.[40]

In 1978 a National Teaching Conference was held in Zimbabwe to review the progress of the Faith during the National Teaching Committee's Six-Month Program. It was found that since Ridvan 1977 five Local Spiritual Assemblies had been formed and thirty localities had been opened.[41]

John Robarts at dedication of Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Templeton Ranch.

In 1979 at the close of the Five Year Plan it was reported that Zimbabwe had established 103 Local Spiritual Assemblies, opened 566 localities to the Faith, incorporated 10 Assemblies, secured 31 local and district Bahá’í Centers, and secured 46 endowments. As of 1979 the National Spiritual Assembly was elected by forty delegates, and the country had Counsellor Shidan Fat'he-Aazam and four Auxiliary Board members for Africa assigned responsibility for protecting and propagating the Faith within it.[42] In October 1979 the first Regional Teaching Conference of Matabeleland was held in Bulawayo.[43] At the opening of the Seven Year Plan in 1979 Zimbabwe was set a goal of forming 180 Assemblies by 1986.[44]

In May 1980 a ten day teaching campaign was held in Que Que, Zimbabwe, which resulted in two hundred people declaring and nine Local Spiritual Assemblies being formed.[45] In March 1981 Hand of the Cause John Robarts was in Zimbabwe and he attended the dedication of a Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds at Templeton Ranch in Mtoroshanga,[46] in August a Bahá’í Children's Conference was held near Bulawayo,[47] in September 1981 a Bahá’í Regional Women's Conference was held in Mondoro,[48] and in December 1981 around 225 people attended the Zimbabwe Summer School.[49]

In 1982 three conferences were held in Zimbabwe to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the passing of Bahíyyih Khánum.[50] In October 1982 the Zimbabwe government recognized Bahá’í Holy Days, permitting employees and students to exempt themselves to observe them.[51] In February 1983 a new Bahá’í National Institute was dedicated in Harare with a five day program.[52] The same month a teaching team in Murewa secured 130 declarations and helped establish the Local Spiritual Assembly of Duku.[53]

In 1984 five Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed in the Mhondoro Farms area.[54] In 1984 a teaching campaign held in memory of Counsellor William Masehla, who passed in 1983, secured 812 declarations across 140 villages.[55] In August 1984 local Bahá’ís began sponsoring adult literacy classes at Lothian Farm.[56]

As of January 1985 Zimbabwe had formed 182 Local Spiritual Assemblies since 1979, surpassing its Seven Year Plan goal, however the majority of these had not been deepened or consolidated and the goal of consolidating 73 Assemblies was set for Zimbabwe. [57] The size of the Bahá’í community was estimated to be 20,000 as of 1985.[58]

Recent Events[edit]

A National Bahá’í Women's Conference attended by one hundred was held in Zimbabwe in January 1985.[59] In December 1985 a copy of The Promise of World Peace, the peace statement by the Universal House of Justice, was presented to Zimbabwe's Head of State, President Canaan Banana, directly.[60] In 1986 a Child Education Conference was held at the Bahá’í Institute in Zimbabwe with representatives from the government and UNICEF giving addresses.[61] In 1989 a teaching campaign in Rusape secured three hundred declarations.[62]

In December 1994 a Bahá'í International Summer School and Music and Drama Festival was held in Harare with an attendance of approximately seven hundred. A competition for choirs was held during the proceedings.[63] It was estimated that there were 35,000 Bahá'ís in Zimbabwe in 1995.[64]

In 2003 the 50th Anniversary of the Faith in Zimbabwe was celebrated. Several regional congresses were held to commemorate the occasion before a large three day event in Harare with attendees from across Zimbabwe and nine other countries. A variety concert opened the festivities after an opening ceremony and talks honoring the early pioneers to the country were given throughout the program. `Izzatu'lláh Zahrá'í, the first pioneer to the country, was one of the speakers. As of 2003 there were 43 Local Spiritual Assemblies in Zimbabwe, and Bahá'í Centers in Harare, Bulawayo, Chinamora, Mubaira, and Murewa.[65]

In 2017 the celebrations of the Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh received local press coverage in Bulawayo and Harare.[66][67]

See also[edit]

External Links[edit]

Official Website

References[edit]

  • The Peoples of God: Part 7, Rhodesia article published in Bahá’í News, No. 574, pp 3-5.

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  2. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 503, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  3. ↑ Baháʼí World: In Memoriam, 1992-1997, pp 15-16
  4. ↑ Redman, E. The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press, London. pp 100
  5. ↑ Bahá’í News, No. 277, pp 6-7
  6. ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 280, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ Earl Redman, The Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, George Ronald Press: London, pp 9
  8. ↑ Baha'i World, Vol. 13, p xxxvii
  9. ↑ Baha'i World, Vol. 13, p xvii
  10. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/275/
  11. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/275/
  12. ↑ Baha'i News (1958). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 324, Pg(s) 15. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ Baha'i News (1959). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 336, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ Baha'i News (1960). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 351, Pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ Baha'i News (1960). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 353, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ Baha'i News (1960). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 356, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ Baha'i News (1960). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 356, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ Baha'i News (1961). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 369, Pg(s) 14. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ Baha'i News (1963). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 393, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ Baha'i News (1964). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 405, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ Baha'i News (1966). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 418, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ Baha'i News (1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 653, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  23. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 503, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  24. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 503, Pg(s) 18. View as PDF.
  25. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 504, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  26. ↑ Bahá’í News, No. 488, pp 28-30
  27. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 504, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  28. ↑ Bahá’í News, No. 504, p 13-14
  29. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 505, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  30. ↑ Baha'i News (1977). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 554, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  31. ↑ Baha'i News (1978). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 562, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  32. ↑ Baha'i News (1974). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 525, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF.
  33. ↑ Baha'i News (1975). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 529, Pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
  34. ↑ Baha'i News (1976). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 541, Pg(s) 19. View as PDF.
  35. ↑ Baha'i News (1976). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 546, Pg(s) 18. View as PDF.
  36. ↑ Baha'i News (1977). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 550, Pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  37. ↑ Baha'i News (1977). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 551, Pg(s) 18. View as PDF.
  38. ↑ Baha'i News (1977). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 554, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  39. ↑ Baha'i News (1978). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 564, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  40. ↑ Baha'i News (1977). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 561, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF.
  41. ↑ Baha'i News (1978). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 564, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  42. ↑ Baha'i News (1979). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 581, Pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  43. ↑ Baha'i News (1980). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 589, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  44. ↑ Baha'i News (1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 646, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
  45. ↑ Baha'i News (1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 598, Pg(s) 15. View as PDF.
  46. ↑ Baha'i News (1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 604, Pg(s) 15. View as PDF.
  47. ↑ Baha'i News (1982). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 610, Pg(s) 19. View as PDF.
  48. ↑ Baha'i News (1982). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 612, Pg(s) 19. View as PDF.
  49. ↑ Baha'i News (1982). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 616, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  50. ↑ Baha'i News (1982). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 620, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  51. ↑ Baha'i News (1987). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 674, Pg(s) 15. View as PDF.
  52. ↑ Baha'i News (1983). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 628, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  53. ↑ Baha'i News (1984). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 642, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  54. ↑ Baha'i News (1984). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 636, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  55. ↑ Baha'i News (1984). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 643, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  56. ↑ Baha'i News (1986). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 660, Pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
  57. ↑ Baha'i News (1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 646, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
  58. ↑ Baha'i News (1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 653, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
  59. ↑ Baha'i News (1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 650, Pg(s) 19. View as PDF.
  60. ↑ Baha'i News (1988). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 683, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF.
  61. ↑ Baha'i News (1987). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 678, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  62. ↑ Baha'i News (1989). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 698, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  63. ↑ Bahá'í International Community (1994). Bahá'ís and the Arts: Part II. Profiles. Bahá'í International Community. Archived copy retrieved 2019-3-22.
  64. ↑ https://relzim.org/major-religions-zimbabwe/other-religions/
  65. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/275/
  66. ↑ https://morningmirror.africanherd.com/mirrors/mirror757.htm
  67. ↑ https://www.herald.co.zw/harare-prepares-for-bahais-bicentennial-celebrations/


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