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"lighten and uplift
them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses"
-Baha'u'llah
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Secret
rendezvous of faith
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WINDHOEK,
Namibia, 19 February 2004 (BWNS) --
The first Namibian to become a Baha'i told
participants at jubilee celebrations here about
how he joined the Faith after secret meetings
with the person who brought the teachings to
this country.
Hilifa
Andreas Nekundi said that because he was black
and Englishman Ted Cardell was white, they had
to have their meetings in secret to avoid
becoming victims of the oppressive apartheid
policies then in force.
Mr.
Nekundi told his dramatic story as part of a
gathering held from 19 to 21 December 2003 to
mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the
Baha'i Faith in Namibia (then called South West
Africa). |
Hilifa Andreas Nekundi and Gerda Aiff at the
jubilee celebrations in Namibia. Photo by
Brigitte Aiff.
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Mr. Nekundi
(also known as Tate Hilifa) first heard about the Baha'i
teachings in 1955 from Mr. Cardell, who had arrived in
the country two years earlier.
The first
Baha'i to settle there, Mr. Cardell received the
accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from Shoghi Effendi.
Mr. Cardell
first encountered Mr. Nekundi while looking for someone
to translate a Baha'i pamphlet from English into
Kwanyama, the language of one of the biggest tribes in
the country. Mr. Nekundi, an official police translator,
agreed to help.
Over a
period of six weeks the two men would drive to an
isolated place outside the city in the evenings and work
on the translation by torchlight.
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The
Baha'i writings attracted Mr. Nekundi, and shortly
afterwards he sent a letter to the then-head of
the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.
"I
am one of the smallest seeds of which the sower
had sowed in the garden of South West
Africa," he wrote.
"I
am still a baby in this Spirit [Faith]. I have no
roots yet. But to do my best is just to pray to
God for it, and give myself into thy hands to
guard my prayer to him who is the Divine
God."
Shoghi
Effendi replied: "Assuring you of a most
hearty welcome into the Baha'i Faith and of my
loving and fervent prayers for your success and
spiritual advancement."
Mr.
Nekundi later served on the first Local Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha'is of Windoek, and the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
Namibia. |
Crista Ndjahara, a member of the National
Spiritual Assembly of Namibia, addresses
participants at the jubilee. Photo by Haynes
McFadden. |
Today
Baha'is live in 247 localities in Namibia, and there are
25 Local Spiritual Assemblies.
At the
jubilee celebrations there were many local Baha'is, a
prominent representative of the government, and Baha'i
guests from Malawi, South Africa, Botswana, Germany,
United Kingdom, and the United States.
The
participants also heard reminiscences from Gerda Aiff,
who settled in Namibia with her husband, Martin Aiff,
and their six young children in 1959.
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Gerda and Martin Aiff with their six children,
following their arrival in South West Africa,
1959.
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The
family lived a life that was split in two parts
because of the need to protect the Baha'i
community, Mrs. Aiff, 82, told the gathering.
If it
were known that white and blacks were mixing,
there would have been swift and devastating
repercussions for a community whose fundamental
teaching, the oneness of humanity, ran directly
counter to the racist policies then prevailing.
"While
the (white) women were sitting in front of the
house pretending to be relaxed, in the background
the men would hold study classes with the African
friends." |
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Mrs. Aiff said that meetings of white and African
Baha'is were generally impossible because of the
segregation laws, so the Baha'is had to find a way
of communicating with each other.
A
courier between the two groups was found in Martin
Onesmus, an African Baha'i who was an employee of
the Aiff's.
Because
he lived on their premises, he could take messages
from them to the African Baha'is.
In
1965 Mr. Onesmus was elected as one of the members
of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Windhoek.
"Now
seeing so many friends, free to teach (the Baha'i
Faith) and be together -- my family, children,
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren -- is an
overwhelming joy," said Mrs. Aiff with great
emotion.
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A
guest of honor at the jubilee was a member of the
local Baha'i community, Sandra Tjitendero. She
read the speech of her husband, Dr. Mose
Tjitendero, the speaker of the Namibian
parliament, who was ill on the day he was due to
speak.
Dr.
Tjitendero praised the principles of the Baha'i
Faith and said that they not only gave personal
inspiration to him but they are also the highest
aspiration of the government of Namibia. |
Drumming in joy and unity... |
"There
is no doubt in my mind that this jubilee celebrates,
among other things, the power of faith, the courage and
spirit of those early Baha'is in Namibia, who despite
the hostile political and social environment that
existed at the time, persevered to demonstrate the
principle of unity and oneness," Dr. Tjitendero
said.
Dr.
Tjitendero recovered from his illness and joined the
festivities the following evening.
Also
present at the event was Maina Mkandawire, a member of
the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa who
resides in Malawi, and Lally Lucretia Warren, a former
member of the Board and now a member of the National
Spiritual Assembly of Botswana.
Baha'i
youth from different regions of the country entertained
participants with musical and dance performances.
Some of the members of the Omaruru children's
choir. |
The
40-member Omaruru children's choir, from the
Erongo area, sang songs in English and Otijherero.
Also performing was a dancing choir from the
Kavango region of Namibia.
A
slide presentation portrayed the history and
growth of the Faith in the country. It told of the
encouraging visits during the apartheid years by
Hands of the Cause of God Ruhiyyih Rabbani,
Adelbert Muhlschlegel, Rahmatullah Muhajir, and
William Sears.
Namibia
television covered the jubilee during a Sunday
morning religious program. |
Satellite
celebrations were also held in the coastal towns of
Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.
(Jubilee
photos by Haynes McFadden and Brigitte Aiff.)
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| Published in
www.Bahaiworldnews.org |
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