Baháʼí Faith in Nigeria explained

After an isolated presence in the late 1920s,[1] the Baháʼí Faith in Nigeria begins with pioneering Baháʼís coming to Sub-Saharan West Africa in the 1950s especially following the efforts of Enoch Olinga who directly and indirectly affected the growth of the religion in Nigeria.[2] Following growth across West Africa a regional National Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1956.[3] As the community multiplied across cities and became diverse in its engagements, it elected its own National Spiritual Assembly by 1979.[4] Estimates of membership vary widely - a 2001 estimate by Operation World showed 1000 Baháʼís in 2001[5] while the Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 38,000 Baháʼís in 2005.[6]

Early years

Richard St. Barbe Baker lived and worked in some of the southern provinces of Nigeria in 1927-29, extending his Men of the Trees project of environmental conservation, and as a Baháʼí since 1925.[7] In 1941 Nigerian Kingsley MBadiwe spoke at the New York Baháʼí center.[8]

Wide-scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa was observed to begin in 1950s and accelerated in the 1960s.[9] In 1953, Shoghi Effendi, the head of the religion, planned an international teaching plan termed the Ten Year Crusade. During the teaching plan, Mr. and Mrs. Ali Nakhjavani drove by car with two African pioneers from Uganda to open new countries to the religion. The first pioneer settled in what was then French Equatorial Africa, and later Enoch Olinga went on to British Cameroon. By 1954, growth in the Baháʼí Faith in Cameroon resulted in five young Baháʼís who pioneered surrounding areas, each becoming a Knight of Baháʼu'lláh including Ghana, and Togo. Meanwhile, a Baháʼí book belonging to Olinga, Paris Talks, became the basis of a Baháʼí Church in Nigeria, in Calabar, which operated in 1955-56.[10] Concurrently in 1956 there were over 1000 Baháʼís across North-West Africa,[11] resulting in a regional National Spiritual Assembly including Nigeria with Olinga as the chairman with its seat in Tunis.[12] The church was disconnected from the Baháʼí community, but it applied the Baháʼí teachings with virtually all of the Cameroonian men on one large palm plantation. The church was established, flourished, and then collapsed utterly unrecognized and unknown to the Baháʼí pioneers and to the international Baháʼí community until one of the founders tried to return the book. Both leaders of the church later officially joined the religion, and they helped form the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Calabar in 1957 and served in other positions.[13]

Development of the community

By 1964, while associated with the regional National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa, Nigeria had a Local Spiritual Assembly in Aba (Nigeria), Afikpo, Akpabuyo, Aningeje, Asata Enugu(?), Calabar, Ibadan, Lagos, Nyaje, Owom, and Sapele, and smaller groups of Baháʼís in Ebute Metta, Ikot Okriba, Ojok, Old Ndebeji, Onitcha, and Oron, and isolated Baháʼís in Abakaliki, Abeokuta, Kontagura, Kwa Falls, Mbeban Village, and Umuahia.[14] Following the death of Shoghi Effendi, the elected Universal House of Justice was head of the religion and began to re-organize the Baháʼí communities of Africa by splitting off national communities to form their own National Assemblies, from 1967 though the 1990s.[15] From January to March 1970 Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum crossed Africa from east to west visiting many of these country's communities including Nigeria meeting with individuals and institutions both Baháʼí and civic.[16] After a Nigerian Civil War in 1967-70, the Baháʼí of Nigeria elected its own National Spiritual Assembly by 1979.

In 1982 the Baháʼí of Nigeria hosted one of five continental Conferences called for by the Universal House of Justice, held in honor of the anniversary of the death of Bahíyyih Khánum.[17]

In 1983 a National Baháʼí Children's committee developed several materials for Baháʼí schools in Nigeria, including lessons for children on the topics "Baháʼí History", "Living the Baháʼí Life", and "Baháʼí Teachings".

In 1984 a West African Center for Baháʼí Studies presented papers at University of Ife, in Ile Ife.[18]

Founded in 1986, by 2004 the Baháʼí Justice Society had members in several countries including Nigeria.[19]

In 1996 Nigeria assisted in the election of the São Tomé National Spiritual Assembly.[20]

Modern community

The Baháʼís of Nigeria maintain a diversity of schools like the Harmatan Baháʼí school in Uyo,[21] nursery schools and development projects in six communities in the fields of literacy, child education and farming.[22]

The National Spiritual Assembly has appointed a National Baháʼí Office For The Advancement Of Women in Lagos.[23] The Baháʼís of Ibadan and Idi-Ose held interfaith conferences with Christian, Hindu, and Moslem women, on "Women, Equality and Religion".[24]

Demographics

Estimates of membership vary widely - a 2001 estimate by Operation World showed 1000 Baháʼís in 2001 while the Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 38,172 Baháʼís.

Notable individuals

Richard St. Barbe Baker was a well known forest conservationist and in 1927-9 he was the Assistant Conservator of Forests for the southern provinces of Nigeria.[25] [26]

Suheil Bushrui, who has done work on Perennial philosophy and is a noted scholar on Khalil Gibran[27] [28] and inaugurator of the University of Maryland, College Park Baháʼí Chair for World Peace,[29] first taught in Nigeria at University of Ibadan before leaving for Lebanon in 1968.[30]

Helen Elsie Austin lived in Lagos as a US Foreign Service Officer from 1960 to 1970, and serving as a Cultural attaché with the United States Information Agency. She also served in several roles on Baháʼí Spiritual Assemblies (the elected form of governance of the religion.)[31] [32]

Kiser Barnes was first elected as a member the Universal House of Justice in 2000. In the 1980s and 90s Barnes lived, worked professional, and served in the administration of the religion, in Nigeria. He was a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria from 1980 to 1993, and earned a master's degree. He was appointed to progressively higher positions of service from 1981 to 1993.[33]

See also

Further reading

The Baháʼí Faith In Nigeria, Dialogue & Alliance, Winter 1992, p104, by Loni Bramson-Lerche.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Universal House of Justice. In Memoriam. The Baháʼí World. XVIII. Baháʼí World Centre. Table of Contents and pp. 619, 632, 802–4. 1986. 0-85398-234-1.
  2. News: Mughrab. Jan. Jubilee Celebration in Cameroon. Baháʼí Journal of the Baháʼí Community of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 20. 5. 2004.
  3. Web site: The Baháʼí Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Baháʼí Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963. Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land . 22, 46.
  4. Web site: MacEoin . Denis . William Collins . Children/education (Listings) . The Babi and Baha'i Religions: An Annotated Bibliography . Greenwood Press's ongoing series of Bibliographies and Indexes in Religious Studies . See entries pp. 60-63, 80, 139 . 2008-03-26.
  5. Web site: Republic of Niger for August 29. Operation World. Paternoster Lifestyle. 2001. 2008-05-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080322044443/http://www.operationworld.org/country/nige/owtext.html . 2008-03-22.
  6. Web site: Most Baha'i Nations (2005) . QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions > . The Association of Religion Data Archives . 2005 . 2009-07-04 . 2016-01-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160123095007/http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp . dead .
  7. Community. Baháʼí International. Baháʼí International Community. We are what we eat, globally. One Country. 18. 3. October–December 2006.
  8. News: African Prince Speaks . The New York Age . 4 . 15 November 1941 . June 9, 2013.
  9. Web site: Overview Of World Religions . General Essay on the Religions of Sub-Saharan Africa . . 2008-04-16 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071209082606/http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/geness.html . 2007-12-09 .
  10. Lee . Anthony . The Baháʼí Church of Calabar, West Africa: The Problem of Levels in Religious History . Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies . 1 . 6 . November 1997 . Cole. Juan R.I. . Maneck . Susan. September 19, 2014.
  11. Web site: Effendi. Shoghi. Shoghi Effendi. Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land. North West Africa. Baháʼí World 1954-63. Baháʼí International Community. 1963. 2008-05-04.
  12. Book: Francis, N. Richard . Enoch Olinga -Hand of the Cause of God, Father of Victories . 1998 . Baháʼí Faith Website of Reno, Nevada . Olinga, Enoch .
  13. Lee . Anthony A. . The Baha'i Church of Calabar, West Africa: The Problem of Levels in Religious History . Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies . 1 . 6 . November 1997 .
  14. http://bahai-library.com/handscause_statistics_1953-63&chapter=1#22 "The Baháʼí Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Baháʼí Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963"
  15. Web site: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼí of South Africa . Baháʼís in South Africa - Progress of the Baháʼí Faith in South Africa since 1911 . Official Website . National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of South Africa . 1997 . 2008-03-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080408202119/http://www.bahai.org.za/cm/node/19 . 8 April 2008 . dead .
  16. Hand of the Cause of God Rúhíyyih Khanum Travels Six Thousand Miles Across Africa . Baháʼí News . June 1970 . 3–18 . 209.
  17. Book: Marks , Geoffry W. . Universal House of Justice. Universal House of Justice. Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-86. Baháʼí Publishing Trust of the United States. 1996. Wilmette, IL. vii (Table of Contents). 0-87743-239-2 .
  18. Book: Lerche , Charles O. . ed. Anthony A. Lee. Circle of Peace: Reflections on the Baha'I Teachings. Kalimat Press. 1985. 57. 0-933770-28-6.
  19. Web site: Main Page. Official Webpage. Baháʼí Justice Society. 2004-07-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20080403030152/http://bahaijusticesociety.org/ . April 3, 2008 . 2008-05-18.
  20. Web site: Justice. Universal House of. Universal House of Justice. Letter To all National Spiritual Assemblies. Newspaper and Magazine articles, pre-1997. Baháʼí Academics Resource Library. 1996-02-11. 2008-05-18.
  21. Web site: Foxhall. R. Photos from Uyo. UNjobs Association of Geneva. 2007-12-23. 2008-05-08.
  22. Web site: Community. Baháʼí International. In the Field: Some Examples. Baháʼí Topics. Baháʼí International Community. 2006. 2008-05-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20080512132612/http://info.bahai.org/article-1-8-1-3.html. 12 May 2008 . live.
  23. Web site: Women's Organizations - Nigeria. Global List of Women's Organizations - A Subdivision of Fullmoon's Web. Denise Osted. 2004-08-27. 2008-05-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20080411011658/http://www.distel.ca/womlist/countries/nigeria.html. 11 April 2008 . live.
  24. Community. Baháʼí International. Baháʼí International Community. Women, Equality and Religion. One Country. 2006.
  25. Book: St. Barbe Baker , Richard . My Life, My Trees. Forres, Scotland. Findhorn Press. 1985. 0-905249-63-1.
  26. Web site: The Spirit of Agriculture. Educational & Deepening Material:Baháʼí Studies Series and Seminar Papers. Baháʼí Publishing Trust of the UK. 2008. 2011-11-25.
  27. Web site: Khahlil.org. Baháʼí scholar receives interfaith honor. Khahlil.org. 2006. 2008-05-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060527082321/http://www.kahlil.org/bushrui.html . 2006-05-27.
  28. Scholar and Humanitarian Suheil Bushrui to share vision of peace. Moravian College. October 2004. 2008-05-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20060901174705/http://www.moravian.edu/news/releases/2004/111.htm. 2006-09-01. dead.
  29. Web site: Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland. Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM)Welcomes Dr. John Grayzel. GVPT News. Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. February 2006. 2008-05-13.
  30. News: International Community. Baháʼí . Baháʼí International Community. From literature to peace: a scholar who strives to be a bridge between cultures. One Country. 15. 2. July–September 2003.
  31. Web site: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of the United States . Selected profiles of African-American Baháʼís . National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of the United States . 2008-04-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927092140/http://www.bahai.us/node/77 . 2007-09-27 .
  32. News: Baháʼí International Community. Baháʼí International Community. Standing up for justice and truth. Baháʼí World News Service. 2004-12-05.
  33. Web site: Biographies of Co-Chairs, Faith Participants and Other Invitees. World Faiths and Development - Dialogue. The World Bank Group. https://web.archive.org/web/20080704142125/http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/faithsdialogue/bio.htm . July 4, 2008 . 2008-05-18.

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