Bahá'í Faith in Ethiopia
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'í Faith in Ethiopia begins after `Abdu'l-Bahá
wrote letters encouraging taking the religion to Africa in 1916. Probably the first Bahá'í to settle in the country came in early 1934 and with further pioneers by mid 1934 the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of the country was elected November in Addis Ababa
. In 1962 Ethiopia Bahá'ís had elected a National Spiritual Assembly. By 1963 there were seven localities with smaller groups of Bahá'ís in the country. The Association of Religion Data Archives
estimated some 27000 Bahá'ís in 2005. The community celebated its diamond jubilee in January 2009.
wrote a series of letters, or tablets, to the followers of the religion in the United States
in 1916-1917; these letters were compiled together in the book Tablets of the Divine Plan
. The eighth and twelfth of the tablets mentioned Africa
and were written on April 19, 1916 and February 15, 1917, respectively. Publication however was delayed in the United States until 1919—after the end of the First World War
and the Spanish flu
. The tablets were translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
on April 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12, 1919. `Abdu'l-Bahá mentions Bahá'ís traveling "…especially from America to Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, and travel through Japan and China. Likewise, from Germany teachers and believers may travel to the continents of America, Africa, Japan and China; in brief, they may travel through all the continents and islands of the globe" and " …the anthem of the oneness of the world of humanity may confer a new life upon all the children of men, and the tabernacle of universal peace be pitched on the apex of America; thus Europe and Africa may become vivified with the breaths of the Holy Spirit, this world may become another world, the body politic may attain to a new exhilaration…."
from Egypt gathered in Addis Ababa (see Bahá'í Faith in Egypt
.) The first to arrive was Sabri Elias in early 1934 who thus earned the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh
. By mid 1934 he was joined by families of Bahá'ís and in late 1934 they elected the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly. Its members were: Atto Sium Gabril, Atto Haila Gabril, Habib Boutros, Sabri Elias, Edouard Goubran, El-Saad Said, El-Saad Mansour, Abdu'llahi Ahmed, and Aurahil Egsabaihir. Sabri Elias traveled back and forth from Alexandria devoted to the work of translating and printing various materials including Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era in Amharic though he had to leave in 1935 and was able to return next in 1944 (having taken the opportunity to get married and undertake pilgrimage
) due to the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
. The members of the community had left and the assembly was next elected in 1945. In 1947 Ugo Giachery
rendered some assistance translating materials for the community to use. In early 1951 the Ethiopian community sent its first pioneer beyond Addis Ababa. Followed by Mr. and Mrs. Elias who left for Djibouti
in 1954. At the same time across the regional unit of Egypt and Abyssinia women were allowed to be and were elected according to the rules of Bahá'í administration to be members of assemblies including in Addis Ababa - members were: Mr G.M. Bahta Mrs Gila, Dr V. Kies, Sabri Elias, Mrs Sabri, Mr Alfred Shafi, Mr Birch, Sayed Mansour, and David A. Talbot. In 1952 some were elected officers - the members were Gila M. Bahta, David Talbot, Dr. V. Ries, Sabri Elias, Mrs. Gila (treasurer) Mrs. Elias Alfred Shafi, Mr. Birch Sayed Mansour.
in 1953. This was during a period of wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa
near the end of the period of Colonisation of Africa
. Pioneers
continued to arrive like Fred Schechter in 1954 and Dr. Amín'u'lláh Misbáh who lived there from 1955-1959. Bahá'í Holy days and Bahá'í Marriage
certificates were recognized in Addis Ababa, and the assembly obtained legal incorporation in 1955-56. The community subsequently became part of the regional National Assembly of North-East Africa in 1956. A summer school in 1958 was held in Eritrea, then part of Ethiopia, hosting a significant expansion of the effort which included Bahá'ís from several cities: Addis Ababa, Gondar, Adiqualla, Massawa, Agordat, Barentu, and Asmara. The program included a variety of subjects: "Baha'i Administration" by Charles Hassan of Addis Ababa, "Baha'i History" by Dr. Hushang Ahdieh of Asmara, "Islam" by Mrs. Jeanne Mesbah of Asmara, "The Laws and Ordinances of Baha'u'llah" by Dr. Farhoumand, and "Meditatinn" by Dr. Walter Niederreiter. The Bahá'ís were allowed to send official observers to the first session of the Economic Commission for Africa of the United Nations held in Addis Ababa in late 1958: Gila Bahta and Charles Hassan of Addis Ababa, and Ali Nakhjavani
of Kampala. They succeeded in meeting and discussing the religion with representatives to the Commission and discussing a variety of issues including the Persecution of Bahá'ís
in Iran. The first Bahá'í summer school in Addis Ababa was held in May 1959 and included an observance of the 12th Day of Ridván
. The average attendance during the school sessions was twenty-five, and included many Bahá'ís of Addis Ababa and their non-Bahá'í friends. In 1960 a group of sixty-five, half of them guests of the Baha'is showed considerable interest in an introductory talk on the religion in Addis Ababa in the Amharic language. In 1961 events began to multiply - members of the religion reached the towns of Volisso, Bedele
and Shashamane
, participated in the dedication of the Bahá'í House of Worship
in Uganda. and the assembly of Addis Ababa oversaw the first Bahá'í marriage. Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga
travelled extensively in East Africa in 1962 including Ethiopia by which time Ethiopia Bahá'ís had elected a National Spiritual Assembly. The same year a Bahá'í Ethiopian student studying in Germany was elected president of the non-partisan Ethiopian Student Union. By 1963 in addition to the assembly in Addis Ababa there were seven communities with smaller groups of Bahá'ís in Adua, Alemaya
, Debre Zeyit
, Dessie
, Dire Dawa
, Gondar
& Jimma
and twelve isolated members in other communities. And also in 1963 in a step of recognition of the religion the city government of Addis Ababa allocated land for use as a Bahá'í burial ground.
travelled through many countries including Ethiopia. She arrived in Ethiopia October 15 and spent a month touring the Bahá'í communities with coverage by print and, for the first time in Ethiopia radio, news outlets on her arrival. She was received by Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
the same day. In the half hour interview she communicated how she had long admired him because of the way he had conducted himself in the face of the many trials and hardships of his life, and by the way he had overcome them. Selassie gave her a gold medal from his Coronation. In the days afterwards she was escorted by civic authorities to Genet
where a regional conference was held, in part to celebrate the Bahá'í holy day of the Birth of the Báb, and dedicated the Banáni Teaching Institute. Villagers surprised the guests with a dance they had not shared previously and sung Bahá'í songs with English words - a language foreign to them - with clarity enough to be understood. At a stop in another village a couple local Muslim leaders converted to the religion in her presence. On return to Addis Ababa Rúhíyyih Khanum and some Ethiopian Bahá'ís were received by Princess Tenagnework
Worke Haile Selassie and her daughter Princess Seble Desta
. The following day the Bahá'í community sponsored an observance of United Nations Day
with a public lecture by a member of the United Nations Secretariat stationed in Ethiopia, prefaced by remarks by Rúhíyyih Khanum who was able to first present the Bahá'í attitude toward, and relationship with, the United Nations. The following day she flew to the Province of Harrari
where she was received by the provincial governor, though she fell ill and a member of the national assembly flew her to a Assab
to recoup. Then in Eritrea she addressed audiences of government servants, school principals and teachers, and a women's organization on topics of science and religion, the place of a religious morality and the civilizing role of women, often with questions from the audiences often late into the night. Later, in discussion with Prince Asrate Medhin Kassa it became known that while in exhile some years earlier he had borrowed and read a copy of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era in Amharic that had been given to the Emperor. Rúhíyyih Khanum then toured ancient sites of Ethiopia, Axum
and Lalibela. Then she went to Gondar where Bahá'ís had recently been attacked and then detained in circumstances soon implicating a local priest. The uproar over the event was such that another priest and several others converted to the religion. On return to Addis Ababa the Israeli Ambassador held a formal dinner in her honor. The next three nights she spoke to Bahá'í audiences and then celebrated the Bahá'í holy day of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh
and the trip to see the Bahá'ís of Sebeta
. On the last return to Addis Ababa Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen
received her then she resumed her tour of Africa by going next to Kenya.
were the largest delegation to the first African Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Of the 104 Non-Governmental Organization delegates and observers attending - representing seventy-four organizations from twenty countries in Africa- ten were Baha'is; and two Bahá'í representatives were the only participants from Mauritius and Swaziland. With background work in New York, preparatory work in Addis Ababa, and large participation by Bahá'ís, they received praise for their efforts and dependability by the NGO liaison representative of the Ethiopian government and by other UN personnel. A senior officer for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa was the speaker at the gathering sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa in Asmara late in 1973 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He spoke at length about the role of the Bahá'ís and like-minded organizations. He repeated his sentiments in 1980. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice
dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings
, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482.The modern Bahá'í community of Ethiopia has multiplied its interests internally and externally along these lines.
of south central Ethiopia, 18 in 1972 and 59 in 1974. In 1975 a total of seventy Local Spiritual Assemblies formed. A cultural clash in chosing leadership happened under such quick growth. People of Sidamo were used to an open atmosphere when choosing their leaders and had difficulty adjusting to secret ballot as normal in Bahá'í electoral process. Never the less the elections went forward and materials and classes were held covering the issues though human resources were thin under such rapid growth. Observers concluded that in 1975 things had gone well. In 1978 the Nure community organized and managed a local conference, and believers from other villages chaired the sessions. Succeeding local conferences were to be held in villages of Mudane and Dereba. In northern Ethiopia fighting had broken out. At one meeting Bahá'ís were inundated by refugee neighbors in an apartment building from shots fired. When the police arrived the Bahá'ís were vindicated from fears of cooperation in the attack when the chief of police discovered Bahá'ís were involved. He summoned his aides to help the wounded, apologetically made a purely ceremonial inspection of the house, and let them go, explaining that there was no need to investigate the Bahá'ís, that he knew the Bahá'ís were not a source of danger and he entertained no doubts about them. There are other stories of activities of small groups of Bahá'ís. In 1976 the first Baha'i newsletter in the Amharic language began publication. Sabri Elias, founder of the community in Ethiopia, and his wife, returned in 1977 for the national convention before flying on back to Djibouti
.
Forty-two Bahá'ís from Ethiopia attended a regional conference called for by the Universal House of Justice
in 2008 held in Johannesburg. The North American Temple Bahá'í choir went to Addis Ababa in January 2009 for the 75th anniversary of the Bahá'í Faith in Ethiopia and sang at Holy Trinity Cathedral
of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian National Museum and the Ethiopian National Theatre
. Members of the choir flew in from U.S., Canada, Australia and Africa. Speakers at the diamond jubilee included Ali Nakhjavani
and his wife Violette Nakhjavani.
) which addressed racial, national/ethnic prejudices and was used to talk about war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. There was a 2007 Ethiopian-Eritrean Bahá'í Conference held in the United States.
. They developed the project "Ha Hu in Nine Days," which was designed to help an illiterate person learn the Amharic alphabet in only nine days. It was presented to UNESCO representative in Ethiopia and liaison officer for the UN Economic Commission for Africa followed by the Minister of Education and chairman of the National Commission for IYC. Each meeting had a reporter from the English-language newspaper, The Ethiopian Herald. An experimental garden was setup in Sidamo Province
as a demonstration field in the compound of the regional center to train Bahá'í farmers in improved agricultural techniques. In 1989 a Bahá'í expert and businessman in using appropriate technology
from Swaziland traveled through six southern and eastern African countries including Ethiopia training local people in the manufacture of several kinds of fence-making machines and other technologies in building, agriculture and water programs. The 10-day training courses were organized by the National Spiritual Assemblies in each of the six countries. Dr. Fisseha Eshetu, the President of Unity University
, a Bahá'í inspired school, received a "Global Young Entrepreneur" award at the 7th World Summit of Young Entrepreneurs in 2000 after founding the institution in 1991. In 2001 Eshetu has taken positions on the development of the internet in Ethiopia. Unity University was the first private institution of higher education to open in Ethiopia, and as of 2001 the journalism program was the only university-level independent journalism program in the country. "Tsehai Loves Learning" is a television show of a hand puppet in the Amharic language. There are about 45 local children's classes being offered currently by Bahá'í communities in Ethiopia - more prominent schools are the School of the Nations of Ethiopia and One Planet International School.
(relying mostly on the World Christian Encyclopedia
) estimated some 27000 Bahá'ís in 2005.
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
wrote letters encouraging taking the religion to Africa in 1916. Probably the first Bahá'í to settle in the country came in early 1934 and with further pioneers by mid 1934 the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of the country was elected November in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. In 1962 Ethiopia Bahá'ís had elected a National Spiritual Assembly. By 1963 there were seven localities with smaller groups of Bahá'ís in the country. The Association of Religion Data Archives
Association of religion data archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997, and online since 1998, the archive was initially targeted at researchers interested in American religion...
estimated some 27000 Bahá'ís in 2005. The community celebated its diamond jubilee in January 2009.
`Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan
`Abdu'l-Bahá`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
wrote a series of letters, or tablets, to the followers of the religion in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1916-1917; these letters were compiled together in the book Tablets of the Divine Plan
Tablets of the Divine Plan
The Tablets of the Divine Plan collectively refers to 14 letters written between September 1916 and March 1917 by `Abdu'l-Bahá to Bahá'ís in the United States and Canada. Included in multiple books, the first five tablets were printed in America in Star of the West - Vol. VII, No. 10, September 8,...
. The eighth and twelfth of the tablets mentioned Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and were written on April 19, 1916 and February 15, 1917, respectively. Publication however was delayed in the United States until 1919—after the end of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
. The tablets were translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mírzá Aḥmad Sohráb was a Persian-American author and Bahá'í who co-founded the New History Society and the Caravan of East and West in New York, and was excommunicated from the Bahá'í Faith in 1939 by Shoghi Effendi.-Early life:...
on April 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12, 1919. `Abdu'l-Bahá mentions Bahá'ís traveling "…especially from America to Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, and travel through Japan and China. Likewise, from Germany teachers and believers may travel to the continents of America, Africa, Japan and China; in brief, they may travel through all the continents and islands of the globe" and " …the anthem of the oneness of the world of humanity may confer a new life upon all the children of men, and the tabernacle of universal peace be pitched on the apex of America; thus Europe and Africa may become vivified with the breaths of the Holy Spirit, this world may become another world, the body politic may attain to a new exhilaration…."
Establishment of the community
Early pioneersPioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
from Egypt gathered in Addis Ababa (see Bahá'í Faith in Egypt
Bahá'í Faith in Egypt
The Bahá'í Faith in Egypt has a history over a century old. Perhaps the first Bahá'ís arrive in 1863. Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the religion, was himself briefly in Egypt in 1868 when on his way to imprisonment in `Akká. The first Egyptians were converts by 1896...
.) The first to arrive was Sabri Elias in early 1934 who thus earned the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh
Knights of Bahá'u'lláh
The title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh was given by Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, to Bahá'ís who arose to open new territories to the Faith during the Ten Year Crusade....
. By mid 1934 he was joined by families of Bahá'ís and in late 1934 they elected the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly. Its members were: Atto Sium Gabril, Atto Haila Gabril, Habib Boutros, Sabri Elias, Edouard Goubran, El-Saad Said, El-Saad Mansour, Abdu'llahi Ahmed, and Aurahil Egsabaihir. Sabri Elias traveled back and forth from Alexandria devoted to the work of translating and printing various materials including Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era in Amharic though he had to leave in 1935 and was able to return next in 1944 (having taken the opportunity to get married and undertake pilgrimage
Bahá'í pilgrimage
A Bahá'í pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in Haifa, Akká, and Bahjí at the Bahá'í World Centre in Northwest Israel. Bahá'ís do not have access to other places designated as sites for pilgrimage....
) due to the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
. The members of the community had left and the assembly was next elected in 1945. In 1947 Ugo Giachery
Ugo Giachery
Ugo Giachery was a prominent Italian Bahá'í from an aristocratic family from Palermo. At an anniversary of the founding of the spiritual assembly of Perugia Giachery told the story of how, as a young wounded soldier, still ignorant of the Bahá'í Faith, he was in Perugia in 1916...
rendered some assistance translating materials for the community to use. In early 1951 the Ethiopian community sent its first pioneer beyond Addis Ababa. Followed by Mr. and Mrs. Elias who left for Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
in 1954. At the same time across the regional unit of Egypt and Abyssinia women were allowed to be and were elected according to the rules of Bahá'í administration to be members of assemblies including in Addis Ababa - members were: Mr G.M. Bahta Mrs Gila, Dr V. Kies, Sabri Elias, Mrs Sabri, Mr Alfred Shafi, Mr Birch, Sayed Mansour, and David A. Talbot. In 1952 some were elected officers - the members were Gila M. Bahta, David Talbot, Dr. V. Ries, Sabri Elias, Mrs. Gila (treasurer) Mrs. Elias Alfred Shafi, Mr. Birch Sayed Mansour.
Growth
The Bahá'í Community in Ethiopia came under the responsibility of the regional National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and Sudan during the Ten Year CrusadeTen Year Crusade
The Ten Year World Crusade was launched by Shoghi Effendi in an effort to facilitate an organized expansion of the Bahá'í Faith....
in 1953. This was during a period of wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
near the end of the period of Colonisation of Africa
Colonisation of Africa
The colonisation of Africa has a long history, the most famous phase being the European Scramble for Africa during the late 19th and early 20th century.- Ancient colonialism :...
. Pioneers
Pioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
continued to arrive like Fred Schechter in 1954 and Dr. Amín'u'lláh Misbáh who lived there from 1955-1959. Bahá'í Holy days and Bahá'í Marriage
Bahá'í marriage
Bahá'í marriage is union of a man and a woman. Its purpose is mainly spiritual and is to foster harmony, fellowship and unity between the two partners...
certificates were recognized in Addis Ababa, and the assembly obtained legal incorporation in 1955-56. The community subsequently became part of the regional National Assembly of North-East Africa in 1956. A summer school in 1958 was held in Eritrea, then part of Ethiopia, hosting a significant expansion of the effort which included Bahá'ís from several cities: Addis Ababa, Gondar, Adiqualla, Massawa, Agordat, Barentu, and Asmara. The program included a variety of subjects: "Baha'i Administration" by Charles Hassan of Addis Ababa, "Baha'i History" by Dr. Hushang Ahdieh of Asmara, "Islam" by Mrs. Jeanne Mesbah of Asmara, "The Laws and Ordinances of Baha'u'llah" by Dr. Farhoumand, and "Meditatinn" by Dr. Walter Niederreiter. The Bahá'ís were allowed to send official observers to the first session of the Economic Commission for Africa of the United Nations held in Addis Ababa in late 1958: Gila Bahta and Charles Hassan of Addis Ababa, and Ali Nakhjavani
Ali Nakhjavani
Alí-Yulláh Nakhjavání served as a member of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Bahá'í Faith, between 1963 and 2003....
of Kampala. They succeeded in meeting and discussing the religion with representatives to the Commission and discussing a variety of issues including the Persecution of Bahá'ís
Persecution of Bahá'ís
The persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...
in Iran. The first Bahá'í summer school in Addis Ababa was held in May 1959 and included an observance of the 12th Day of Ridván
Ridván
Riḍván is a twelve-day festival in the Bahá'í Faith, commemorating the commencement of Bahá'u'lláh's prophethood. It begins at sunset on April 20 and continues until sunset, May 2...
. The average attendance during the school sessions was twenty-five, and included many Bahá'ís of Addis Ababa and their non-Bahá'í friends. In 1960 a group of sixty-five, half of them guests of the Baha'is showed considerable interest in an introductory talk on the religion in Addis Ababa in the Amharic language. In 1961 events began to multiply - members of the religion reached the towns of Volisso, Bedele
Bedele
Bedele is a town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of and an elevation between above sea level. It is the larger of two towns in Bedele woreda....
and Shashamane
Shashamane
Shashamane is a town in central Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. The city lies on the Trans-African Highway 4 Cairo-Cape Town, about from the capital of Addis Ababa...
, participated in the dedication of the Bahá'í House of Worship
Bahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
in Uganda. and the assembly of Addis Ababa oversaw the first Bahá'í marriage. Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga
Enoch Olinga
Enoch Olinga was born to an Anglican family of the Iteso ethnic group in Uganda. He became a Bahá'í, earned the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh and was appointed as the youngest Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the religion. He served the interests of the religion widely and...
travelled extensively in East Africa in 1962 including Ethiopia by which time Ethiopia Bahá'ís had elected a National Spiritual Assembly. The same year a Bahá'í Ethiopian student studying in Germany was elected president of the non-partisan Ethiopian Student Union. By 1963 in addition to the assembly in Addis Ababa there were seven communities with smaller groups of Bahá'ís in Adua, Alemaya
Alemaya
Alemaya is a town in east-central Ethiopia. Located in the Misraq Hararghe Zone of the Oromia Region, the town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2047 meters above sea level....
, Debre Zeyit
Debre Zeyit
Debre Zeyit is a town of Ethiopia, lying south east of Addis Ababa. Since the late 1990s it has been officially known by the Oromo name, Bishoftu, which was its name until 1955...
, Dessie
Dessie
Dessie is a city and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located on the Addis Ababa - Asmara highway in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this city has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 2,470 and 2,550 meters above sea level.Dessie has postal service , and telephone...
, Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa is one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia . This chartered city is divided administratively into two woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura....
, Gondar
Gondar
Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
& Jimma
Jimma
Jimma, also Jima, is the largest city in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of . The town was the capital of Kaffa Province until the province was dissolved. Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administratively as a...
and twelve isolated members in other communities. And also in 1963 in a step of recognition of the religion the city government of Addis Ababa allocated land for use as a Bahá'í burial ground.
Regional organization
The Sudan/Egypt regional National Assembly existed until 1953 when it became a regional assembly for North East Africa. This included French Somaliland; Egypt, Sudan, Abyssinia, Libya, Eritrea, British Somaliland; Italian Somaliland; and Socotra Is. The regional assembly was again re-organized when the institutions of the religion were made illegal in Egypt in 1960 and again when Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia formed their own regional assembly in 1968 with members: Gila Michael Bahta, Dr. Leo Neiderreitter, Gamal Rushdy, Asfaw Tessema, Dr. Heshmat Farhoumand , Dr. Hushang Ahdieh, Ursula Samandari, Assefaw Habte Michael and Rabbi Teele Mariam. From 1968 into 69 there were a number of initiatives undertaken including reaching to outlying areas, international speakers and a winter school.Visit of Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum
From 1969 to 1973 Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih KhanumRúhíyyih Khanum
Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum , born Mary Sutherland Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921–1957. She was appointed by him as a Hand of the Cause, and served an important role in the transfer of authority from 1957–1963...
travelled through many countries including Ethiopia. She arrived in Ethiopia October 15 and spent a month touring the Bahá'í communities with coverage by print and, for the first time in Ethiopia radio, news outlets on her arrival. She was received by Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I , born Tafari Makonnen, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974...
the same day. In the half hour interview she communicated how she had long admired him because of the way he had conducted himself in the face of the many trials and hardships of his life, and by the way he had overcome them. Selassie gave her a gold medal from his Coronation. In the days afterwards she was escorted by civic authorities to Genet
Genet, Ethiopia
Genet is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1773 meters above sea level...
where a regional conference was held, in part to celebrate the Bahá'í holy day of the Birth of the Báb, and dedicated the Banáni Teaching Institute. Villagers surprised the guests with a dance they had not shared previously and sung Bahá'í songs with English words - a language foreign to them - with clarity enough to be understood. At a stop in another village a couple local Muslim leaders converted to the religion in her presence. On return to Addis Ababa Rúhíyyih Khanum and some Ethiopian Bahá'ís were received by Princess Tenagnework
Princess Tenagnework
Princess Tenagnework Haile Selassie, DBE, baptismal name Fikirte Mariam of Ethiopia was the eldest child of Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Menen Asfaw.-Early life:...
Worke Haile Selassie and her daughter Princess Seble Desta
Seble Desta
Princess Seble Desta is the daughter of Ras Desta Damtew and Princess Tenagnework, and granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. She is the widow of Dejazmach Kassa Haile Mariam, heir to the former Welega kingdom of Leqa Qallam....
. The following day the Bahá'í community sponsored an observance of United Nations Day
United Nations Day
In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly declared 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as which "shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for" its work.In 1971 the...
with a public lecture by a member of the United Nations Secretariat stationed in Ethiopia, prefaced by remarks by Rúhíyyih Khanum who was able to first present the Bahá'í attitude toward, and relationship with, the United Nations. The following day she flew to the Province of Harrari
Harari Region
Harari or officially, Harari People's National Regional State is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, covering the homeland of the Harari people...
where she was received by the provincial governor, though she fell ill and a member of the national assembly flew her to a Assab
Assab
Assab is a port city in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea on the west coast of the Red Sea. In 1989, it had a population of 39,600. Assab possesses an oil refinery, which was shut down in 1997 for economic reasons...
to recoup. Then in Eritrea she addressed audiences of government servants, school principals and teachers, and a women's organization on topics of science and religion, the place of a religious morality and the civilizing role of women, often with questions from the audiences often late into the night. Later, in discussion with Prince Asrate Medhin Kassa it became known that while in exhile some years earlier he had borrowed and read a copy of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era in Amharic that had been given to the Emperor. Rúhíyyih Khanum then toured ancient sites of Ethiopia, Axum
Axum
Axum or Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia which was the original capital of the eponymous kingdom of Axum. Population 56,500 . Axum was a naval and trading power that ruled the region from ca. 400 BC into the 10th century...
and Lalibela. Then she went to Gondar where Bahá'ís had recently been attacked and then detained in circumstances soon implicating a local priest. The uproar over the event was such that another priest and several others converted to the religion. On return to Addis Ababa the Israeli Ambassador held a formal dinner in her honor. The next three nights she spoke to Bahá'í audiences and then celebrated the Bahá'í holy day of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh
Birth of Bahá'u'lláh
The Birth of Bahá'u'lláh is one of nine holy days in the Bahá'í calendar that is celebrated by Bahá'ís and during which work is suspended. The holy day celebrates the birth of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith....
and the trip to see the Bahá'ís of Sebeta
Sebeta
Sebeta is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Mirab Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2,356 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Alem Gena woreda....
. On the last return to Addis Ababa Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen
Amha Selassie of Ethiopia
Amha Selassie, GCMG, GCVO, GBE was the last Emperor of Ethiopia. First proclaimed Emperor during the unsuccessful coup attempt by the Imperial Guards against his father Haile Selassie I in December 1960, he initially went along with this proclamation under duress. The coup collapsed within days...
received her then she resumed her tour of Africa by going next to Kenya.
Modern community
Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern. That involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics even then. In 1970 representatives from seven National Spiritual Assemblies in Africa and from the Bahá'í International CommunityBahá'í International Community
The Bahá'í International Community, or the BIC, is an international non-governmental organization representing the members of the Bahá'í Faith; it was first chartered in March 1948 with the United Nations, and currently has affiliates in over 180 countries and territories.The BIC seeks to "promote...
were the largest delegation to the first African Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Of the 104 Non-Governmental Organization delegates and observers attending - representing seventy-four organizations from twenty countries in Africa- ten were Baha'is; and two Bahá'í representatives were the only participants from Mauritius and Swaziland. With background work in New York, preparatory work in Addis Ababa, and large participation by Bahá'ís, they received praise for their efforts and dependability by the NGO liaison representative of the Ethiopian government and by other UN personnel. A senior officer for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa was the speaker at the gathering sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa in Asmara late in 1973 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He spoke at length about the role of the Bahá'ís and like-minded organizations. He repeated his sentiments in 1980. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings
Bahá'í teachings
The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by successive leaders including `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, `Abdu'l-Bahá's...
, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482.The modern Bahá'í community of Ethiopia has multiplied its interests internally and externally along these lines.
Growth
In 1969 there was one assembly in the Sidamo ProvinceSidamo Province
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and after 1978 at Awasa. It was named after an ethnic group native to Ethiopia, called the Sidamo, or more particularly, Sidama, who are located in the south-central part of that country...
of south central Ethiopia, 18 in 1972 and 59 in 1974. In 1975 a total of seventy Local Spiritual Assemblies formed. A cultural clash in chosing leadership happened under such quick growth. People of Sidamo were used to an open atmosphere when choosing their leaders and had difficulty adjusting to secret ballot as normal in Bahá'í electoral process. Never the less the elections went forward and materials and classes were held covering the issues though human resources were thin under such rapid growth. Observers concluded that in 1975 things had gone well. In 1978 the Nure community organized and managed a local conference, and believers from other villages chaired the sessions. Succeeding local conferences were to be held in villages of Mudane and Dereba. In northern Ethiopia fighting had broken out. At one meeting Bahá'ís were inundated by refugee neighbors in an apartment building from shots fired. When the police arrived the Bahá'ís were vindicated from fears of cooperation in the attack when the chief of police discovered Bahá'ís were involved. He summoned his aides to help the wounded, apologetically made a purely ceremonial inspection of the house, and let them go, explaining that there was no need to investigate the Bahá'ís, that he knew the Bahá'ís were not a source of danger and he entertained no doubts about them. There are other stories of activities of small groups of Bahá'ís. In 1976 the first Baha'i newsletter in the Amharic language began publication. Sabri Elias, founder of the community in Ethiopia, and his wife, returned in 1977 for the national convention before flying on back to Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
.
Forty-two Bahá'ís from Ethiopia attended a regional conference called for by the Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
in 2008 held in Johannesburg. The North American Temple Bahá'í choir went to Addis Ababa in January 2009 for the 75th anniversary of the Bahá'í Faith in Ethiopia and sang at Holy Trinity Cathedral
Holy Trinity Cathedral (Addis Ababa)
Holy Trinity Cathedral, known in Amharic as Kidist Selassie, is the highest ranking Orthodox cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary...
of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian National Museum and the Ethiopian National Theatre
Ethiopian National Theatre
The Ethiopian National Theatre is a national theatre group of Ethiopia, based in central Addis Ababa.Formerly known as the Haile Selassie I Theatre, the hall had begun to be built during the Italian occupation as the Cinema Marconi with some 350 seats. However, in 1955 the building was completed...
. Members of the choir flew in from U.S., Canada, Australia and Africa. Speakers at the diamond jubilee included Ali Nakhjavani
Ali Nakhjavani
Alí-Yulláh Nakhjavání served as a member of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Bahá'í Faith, between 1963 and 2003....
and his wife Violette Nakhjavani.
International peace
In the 1990s a Racism Dance was translated by an Ethiopian Bahá'í Youth Workshop (see Oscar DeGruyOscar DeGruy
Oscar DeGruy is an American actor who has appeared in over a dozen films and TV shows over 30 years, started the Bahá'í Youth Workshop performance model in 1974, and has assisted Hip hop artists.-Acting career:...
) which addressed racial, national/ethnic prejudices and was used to talk about war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. There was a 2007 Ethiopian-Eritrean Bahá'í Conference held in the United States.
Education
Among the Bahá'í teachings is the importance of education. In 1980 the National Assembly of Auxiliary Board consulted on a project for the International Year of the ChildInternational Year of the Child
* Maureen Millicent Bomford founded International Year of The Child and it was endorsed by the United Nations. Maureen was born in Canterbury Punchbowl in 1930 and had four brothers. Her father was a Mayor and she always learned to appreciate the value of leadership. As the wife of a prominent...
. They developed the project "Ha Hu in Nine Days," which was designed to help an illiterate person learn the Amharic alphabet in only nine days. It was presented to UNESCO representative in Ethiopia and liaison officer for the UN Economic Commission for Africa followed by the Minister of Education and chairman of the National Commission for IYC. Each meeting had a reporter from the English-language newspaper, The Ethiopian Herald. An experimental garden was setup in Sidamo Province
Sidamo Province
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and after 1978 at Awasa. It was named after an ethnic group native to Ethiopia, called the Sidamo, or more particularly, Sidama, who are located in the south-central part of that country...
as a demonstration field in the compound of the regional center to train Bahá'í farmers in improved agricultural techniques. In 1989 a Bahá'í expert and businessman in using appropriate technology
Appropriate technology
Appropriate technology is an ideological movement originally articulated as "intermediate technology" by the economist Dr...
from Swaziland traveled through six southern and eastern African countries including Ethiopia training local people in the manufacture of several kinds of fence-making machines and other technologies in building, agriculture and water programs. The 10-day training courses were organized by the National Spiritual Assemblies in each of the six countries. Dr. Fisseha Eshetu, the President of Unity University
Unity University
Unity University is the first privately owned institute of higher learning to be awarded full-fledged university status in Ethiopia by the Ministry of Education...
, a Bahá'í inspired school, received a "Global Young Entrepreneur" award at the 7th World Summit of Young Entrepreneurs in 2000 after founding the institution in 1991. In 2001 Eshetu has taken positions on the development of the internet in Ethiopia. Unity University was the first private institution of higher education to open in Ethiopia, and as of 2001 the journalism program was the only university-level independent journalism program in the country. "Tsehai Loves Learning" is a television show of a hand puppet in the Amharic language. There are about 45 local children's classes being offered currently by Bahá'í communities in Ethiopia - more prominent schools are the School of the Nations of Ethiopia and One Planet International School.
Demographics
The Association of Religion Data ArchivesAssociation of religion data archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997, and online since 1998, the archive was initially targeted at researchers interested in American religion...
(relying mostly on the World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia is a reference work published by Oxford University Press, known for providing membership statistics for major and minor world religions in every country of the world, including historical data and projections of future populations.The first edition, by David B. Barrett,...
) estimated some 27000 Bahá'ís in 2005.