|
"lighten and uplift
them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses"
-Baha'u'llah
|
|
|
Drumming
and dancing in delight
|
HARARE,
Zimbabwe, 25 January 2004 (BWNS) --
Musicians and dancers played a spectacular role
during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary
of the arrival of the Baha'i Faith in Zimbabwe.
A
variety concert that followed the opening
ceremony on 12 December 2003 showcased talents
of Baha'is from throughout the country.
Among
the performers was a Baha'i youth group from
Bulawayo, "Isitsha Sothando"
("Portal of Love"), which performed
the Ndebele tribe's traditional dance for
community celebrations.
"Letters
of the Living," a group from Mashonaland
Central Province, danced to the traditional
piano-like instrument, the mire, as they sang
about the coming of Baha'u'llah and the
subsequent introduction of His teachings to
Zimbabwe. |
Enjoying the festivities...participants
in the jubilee celebration in Zimbabwe, Mr. and
Mrs. Mariapera. Photo by Dana Allen.
|
The
Chiweshe Baha'i Choir sang and danced as members of the
group played drums that they had made themselves. The
Harare Baha'i youth and children also sang during the
event, and a Baha'i youth from Matabeleland, Sithule
Moyo, recited a poem.
Baha'is
from all provinces of Zimbabwe and nine other countries
attended the festivities that were held from 12 to 14
December 2003.
The event
followed smaller regional congresses held throughout the
nation in 2003 to mark the golden jubilee.
Television,
radio and newspapers provided extensive coverage of the
event. For example, a newspaper, "The Herald,"
which circulates nationwide, carried two major articles
on the Faith.
|
From
the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel, came a
congratulatory message from the Universal House of
Justice, which said in part: "Your assemblage
is a testimony to your devotion and brings to mind
those valiant souls whose sacrificial efforts laid
the foundation of the Faith in your country."
Those
pioneering Baha'is were remembered as the program,
chaired by master of ceremonies, Jonah Mungoshi,
began with a slide show depicting the Baha'is who
established the Faith in Zimbabwe (previously
called Southern Rhodesia).
The
most prominent of all the Baha'is who resided in
the country was John Robarts, who was appointed by
Shoghi Effendi as a Hand of the Cause in 1957. Mr.
Robarts served as a member of the National
Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa until
1959. With his wife Audrey, and their children, he
lived in Bulawayo from 1957 to 1967. |
Reciting a poem during the variety concert
at the jubilee...Sithule Moyo. |
In an
opening speech, Beth Allen, a member of the Continental
Board of Counsellors for Africa, said there was nothing
more joyful than to see the jubilee gathering.
"Today
we are gathered here heart and soul to commemorate not
only 50 years of the Faith in Zimbabwe but also to
celebrate the coming together of people whose varied
backgrounds and different cultures lend a beautiful
diversity to the colorful flower garden God has
created," Mrs. Allen said.
Opening address by Beth Allen (right),
pictured with master of ceremonies, Jonah Mungoshi. |
In
the official opening address, the founder and
acting vice-chancellor of the Women's University
in Africa, Hope Sadza, called the 50th anniversary
"a remarkable landmark."
Dr.
Sadza said she cherished the hope that the Baha'is
would "help Zimbabwe to become spiritually as
beautiful as physically she is, so that our lovely
country may become the abode of peace and
tranquility and the envy of the rest of the
world."
Among
those in the audience were a former cabinet
minister, a representative of the diplomatic
corps, leaders from Christian churches, and other
distinguished guests. |
A prominent
government official, Nathan Shamuyarira, briefly
addressed the conference, speaking about his high regard
for the Faith's teachings and principles, and the great
respect he has for Baha'is.
History
came alive at the jubilee when some of the early Baha'is
of Zimbabwe were introduced to the participants. They
included Izzat'u'llah Zahrai, Douglas Kadenhe, Nura
Faridian (now Steiner), Enayat and Iran Sohaili, and
former member of the Continental Board of Counsellors
for Africa Shidan Fat'he-Aazam and his wife Florence.
|
Mr.
Zahrai was the first Baha'i to come to the country
during a Ten Year plan to take the teachings of
the Faith around the world. He was followed soon
after by Claire Gung, Eyneddin and Tahirih Ala'i,
and Kenneth and Roberta Christian. All six
received the accolade of Knight of Bahá'u'lláh
from Shoghi Effendi.
Mr.
Zahrai told the participants that the
"sweetest moment" of his life came
shortly after his arrival when he received a
cablegram from Shoghi Effendi which said,
"Fervently praying success."
Another
speaker was prominent Harare businessman, Mr.
Kadenhe. He became a Baha'i in 1958, one of tens
of thousands of people from all major tribes of
Zimbabwe who have joined the Faith from that time
until the present day. |
Izzat'u'llah Zahrai (left) and Jonah Mungoshi. |
Baha'is now
live in more than 1,600 localities in urban and rural
areas, and there are 43 Local Spiritual Assemblies. The
National Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1970. There
are Baha'i centers in Harare, Bulawayo, Chinamora,
Mubaira, and Murewa.
The Baha'is
have undertaken a range of social and economic projects
in Zimbabwe. For example, there are three Baha'i
pre-schools, most of whose pupils are not Baha'is.
Baha'is have conducted agricultural programs devoted to
improving cultivation of fruit and vegetables. There is
also a pilot program by the Baha'is to combat HIV/AIDS.
Hand of the Cause John Robarts (right) with
his wife, Audrey, and children, Patrick (left) and
Nina (second from left). |
The
Baha'i community has co-sponsored workshops on
women's rights, the family, and human rights with
the University of Zimbabwe, the Teachers'
Association, and government ministries.
History
of the community
During
intervals at the jubilee, an audio-visual
presentation of historic photographs was screened,
reminding Baha'is about the past difficulties and
triumphs, and of their precious heritage.
Shoghi
Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, visited
the country firstly by himself in 1929, and then
with his wife, Madame Ruhiyyih Rabbani, in 1941.
He visited the Victoria Falls, Matopos, and
Bulawayo. |
The first
indigenous person to accept the Faith was Morton Ndovi
in January, 1955 (he left for Malawi, then Nyasaland,
shortly afterwards). Other local people accepted the
Faith soon afterwards, and in April that same year the
first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Harare
(then called Salisbury).
The first
African woman to become a Baha'i in Zimbabwe was Mabel
Chiposi, who accepted the Faith in 1957. She passed away
two years later. Her husband, Leonard, continued serving
the Faith until his death in 1993.
|
Many
local people were introduced to Faith in a primary
school set up by two pioneers from the United
States, Larry and Carol Hautz.
They
had established a motel, service station, and a
snake farm on the Bulawayo road just outside
Salisbury (now Harare). The school was initially
for the 20 children of the staff, but it
eventually expanded to a total enrollment of 400.
The
first people of European descent to become Baha'is
in the country were the late Salvator
("Sue") Benatar, and his wife Sylvia
Benatar. Mrs. Benatar, a pianist who has performed
internationally, attended the jubilee and played a
selection of classical pieces.
Another
Baha'i pioneer working alongside the
ever-increasing numbers of African-born members of
the Faith was author and educationalist, Dr.
Genevieve Coy, whose course on living a
spiritually-based life was published as a
widely-circulating book, "Counsels of
Perfection." |
Mabel Chiposi. |
(Jubilee
photos by Dana Allen.)
(Historical
photos, except for last three portraits, courtesy of
"Heroes and Heroines of the Ten Year Crusade in
Southern Africa," compiled by Lowell Johnson and
Edith Johnson. Baha'i Publishing Trust, Johannesburg.)
|
|
| Published in
www.Bahaiworldnews.org |
|
|
|
|
|
Sponsor |
Please consider sponsoring the Uplifting Words website through
advertising. All proceeds go to improving the website.
For more details, please contact
us.
|
|
|
|
