Bahá'í Faith in Cameroon
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'í Faith in Cameroon was established when the country was separated into two colonies - British
and French Cameroon
. The first Bahá'í
in Cameroon
was Enoch Olinga
, who had left his homeland of Uganda
to bring the religion to British Cameroon in 1953. Meherangiz Munsiff, a young Indian
woman who had moved from Britain
, arrived in French Cameroon April 1954 - both Olinga and Munsiff were honoured with the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. In 2003 Bahá'ís estimated there were 40,000 adherents of the religion in the country. The Association of Religion Data Archives
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
) estimated about 45,300 Bahá'ís in 2005.
In 1953, Shoghi Effendi
, the head of the Bahá'í Faith, planned an international teaching plan termed the Ten Year Crusade
. This was during a period of wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa
near the end of the period of the Colonisation of Africa
. During the plan Ali Nakhjavani
and his wife drove by car with two African pioneers
from Uganda
where the religion was growing very quickly to open new countries to the religion. The first pioneer in the region was Max Kinyerezi October 6th who settled in what was then French Equatorial Africa
, and then Enoch Olinga to British Cameroon on October 15. In Limbe (then called Victoria), through the efforts of Olinga, Jacob Tabot Awo converted to the religion becoming the first Cameroonian Bahá'í. During the following year there were many converts to the religion, many of whom were from the Basel Mission
system of Protestant Christians. Meherangiz Munsiff, a young Indian woman, arrived in French Cameroon
in April 1954 in Douala
after helping to found the Bahá'í Faith in Madagascar
. A letter from Olinga describes the advancement of the religion into 6 towns and translation work into the Duala language
had begun of a pamphlet.
As the number of Bahá'ís was growing rapidly, Shoghi Effendi asked if members of the religion could pioneer to neighboring areas where there were still no Bahá'ís. On April 21, 1954 a Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was formed and five young Cameroonians left during the Ridván
period, each becoming a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh; the various protectorates they arrived in merged into the modern countries of Cameroon, Ghana
, and Togo
. It was emphasized that western pioneers be self-effacing and focus their efforts not on the colonial leadership but on the native Africans - and that the pioneers must show by actions the sincerity of their sense of service to the Africans in bringing the religion and then the Africans who understand their new religion are to be given freedom to rise up and spread the religion according to their own sensibilities and the pioneers to disperse or step into the background. Enoch Olinga is specifically mentioned as an example of this process unfolding as he arose out of Uganda and repeated the quick growth of the religion. Because of the successive waves of people becoming Knights of Bahá'u'lláh, Enoch Olinga was entitled "Abd'l-Futuh", a Persian name meaning "the father of victories" by Shoghi Effendi. In very early 1955, Valerie Wilson, an Auxiliary Board member for Africa stationed in Monrovia, Liberia, embarked on what was considered a bold trip for a woman alone by car to travel on a trip across some 2000 miles to visit the Bahá'í groups functioning in the Gold Coast, Togoland and the British Cameroons. In April 1955 British Cameroon had eight assemblies.
, comprising areas from the Cameroons north to Tunisia
and parts west including Islands like the Canary Islands
. Early in 1957 the Bahá'ís in British Cameroon acquired a center and the population was noted at some 300 Bahá'is while the younger community of French Cameroon had between 10 and 20 Bahá'ís and there was a Bahá'í conference on the progress of the religion held in Mutengene
, near Tiko. In 1958 the Bahá'ís of Cameroon sent another pioneer, Willie Enang, to Ghana while multiple communities held local conferences on the progress of the religion in their area. Bahá'ís sometimes walked through dense forests to people who had not heard of Jesus Christ. By 1900 the entire Bahá'í population across North West Africa was 3000 and 1800 were in British Cameroon. Limbe, (then called Victoria), British Cameroon, hosted the convention for the election of the regional national assembly for north west Africa in 1960 and there were 45 delegates, including local chiefs and women, as well as Enoch Olinga. Enoch Olinga could not attend the dedication of the Bahá'í House of Worship
in his native Uganda because of political turmoil in Cameroon after independence. While over 1500 people and Bahá'ís from many places in Africa went, Olinga preferred to stay in Cameroon to help guide the Bahá'ís through times of unrest.
By 1963 the following cities in Cameroon had Bahá'ís communities:
Local Spiritual Assemblies in Cameroon:
Bahá'í groups (between 1 and 9 individuals):
Isolated individuals:
Later October 1963 at a large public meeting in Belgium the ambassador to Belgium from the Republic of Cameroons was a guest at a Bahá'í observance of United Nations Day
.
. Following the death of Shoghi Effendi, the elected Universal House of Justice
was head of the religion and began to re-organized the Bahá'í communities of Africa by splitting off national communities to form their own National Assemblies from 1967 though the 1990s. In the presence of Hand of the Cause William Sears in 1967 the National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) of the Bahá'ís of Cameroon was elected for the first time thus splitting the country off from the regional National Assembly established in 1956 and had jurisdiction over neighboring areas of Spanish Guinea, Fernando Po, Cariseo and São Tomé and Príncipe Islands while the rest of the west central regional assembly continued over other countries. In 1967 the Bahá´ís of Cameroon initiated a proclamation project in Spanish territories of Fernando Poo and Rio Muni.
In December 1971 Cameroon hosted the first regional African youth conference in Yaounde. Bus loads and cars of youth came from Chad and the Central African Republic, including youth visiting from the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Iran, Canada and the United States then in Chad and Cameroon for a period of service to the community came - during the conference two radio interviews were given. Book exhibits were held in 1974 in the University in Yaounde and a classroom in the Pan-African Institute of the Buea which also attracted radio coverage. In 1978 an international Bahá'í youth Conference was held in Cameroon with 380 attendees from some 19 countries.
Though he had recently toured Cameroonian in 1975 in December 1979 a full account of the circumstances under which Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for Cameroon, Hand of the Cause, Enoch Olinga
had been murdered Sept. 16th 1977 in Uganda during political and social turmoil. Final answers may never be known why he and most of his family were murdered with confidence. A biography published in 1984 examined his impact in Cameroon and beyond. The first person in Cameroon to join the religion withstood beatings to persevere in his choice. The first woman to become a Bahá'í in Cameroon did so from his impact on her life though she had been an active Christian before - both she and her husband converted and were among the first to move to Togo and then Ghana. Another early Bahá'í, the first of the Bamiliki tribe, moved to what was then French Cameroon to help there. Another early contact joined the religion later but his wife was the first Bahá'í of Nigeria. The researcher again found that there was an emphasis not on rooting out cultural traditions among the peoples but instead focusing on awareness of the religion and awareness of scientific knowledge should not relate to social class. There were accusations of political intrigue of which Olinga was acquitted. It was judged that Olinga was always sincere and never belittled.
In 1982 the first Bahá'í under the assigned region to Cameroon of Fernando Po joined the religion. Joseph Sheppherd was a pioneer to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, circumstances woven into a book he later wrote which presents the Bahá'í Faith in a context of global change (see Bahá'í Faith in fiction
) and delves into the dynamics of pioneering as a method to gain understanding of spiritual issues compared to social issues, to struggle with a cultural naivete, which was published in Bahá'í News in December 1988.
In October 1967 the Bahá'ís of Cameroon were included in efforts, and multiplied instances of, observances of United Nations Day
across Cameroon including talks given by Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum
. In November Rúhíyyih Khanum dedicated the first school in the Cameroons which was dedicated first to classes studying the religion, (the first classes were held in December 1968.) The convention of 1968 had 45 delegates and an observer from Fernando Po island. The NSA of the country wrote a document, Declaration of Loyalty to Government, possibly dated from 1968, which declares the loyalty of the institution to the government of the country. But in 1969 large regions of Cameroon were still sparely populated, while the first school in eastern, formerly French, Cameroon had its first meeting in spring 1969. In 1977 a mobile school was established run from a van which toured for several months in 1977 visiting villages and farms. In 1978 three regional conferences were held. A conference on the progress of the religion at which it was announced there was an estimated 166 assemblies, 27 of which and established permanent centers, and beyond that some 832 towns and places Bahá'ís lived in Cameroon. A women's regional conference gathered 30 women at the national center and eighty Bahá'í gathered for a regional conference Mankon to discuss the progress of the religion. Meanwhile two individuals toured Cameroon in January; Hand of the Cause Rahmatu'llah Muhajir and Frenchman Armir Farhang-Imani each of whom who spoke to Bahá'í and public audiences. Rahmatu'llah Muhajir again visited Cameroon as part of a broader trip through west Africa summer 1979. Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone visited Cameroon in February 1979. In 1980 simultaneous regional Bahá'í schools were held in March in English and French with about 25 people attending each. A followup school was held in September at the end of which there was a wedding. In 1980 100 people including several national assembly members attended a national youth conference Yaounde. In 1982 a Bahá'í reached a remote region with pygmies and in three months was able convince 24 people to join the religion and another pioneer was moving to help him. A pair of academic researchers toured west Africa from Switzerland speaking to the public and Bahá'ís in 1985. They offered public talks "Women and Development" "How can woman assume her role in society?" and "Women and the Future of Mankind." and talks to Bahá'ís on "Excellence in All Things" and "Happiness in Marriage".
, 1979. Among the effort were articles in newspapers, tutorial schools in three cities, a women's conference in Liberia at which Cameroonians attended and radio interviews about the schools. There were women's and children's committees operating at a national level to sustain the teachers of the schools. A Bahá'í consultant traveled western Africa including Cameroon assisting communities in their efforts who was joined by volunteer from Canada who also traveled western Africa including Cameroon. And a Cameroonian woman, a headmistress of a nursery school volunteered to travel Cameroon encouraging projects and schools in the country.
and Hasan M. Balyuzi
in 1936. Among the comments at her 2003 funeral were these from the paramount chief of Buea
, HRH Samuel L. Endeley:
Another member of the NSA who died unexpectedly was Karen Bare who had come from Hawaii in 1969. She was known for offering hospitality and also walking to villages for classes she taught and was elected as Secretary to the NSA for a time. She died in a car accident in 1974 while visiting family in the United States.
, together with the responsibility to acquire a new National Bahá'í Centres
for which the Bahá’í community of the United Kingdom has been asked to help.
in Yaoundé to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the Bahá'í community in Cameroon. Mr. and Mrs. Nakhjavani and other guests of honour, went to Limbe to visit the Bahá'í s of the southwest province, and Buea where they were received by the paramount chief, and travelled to Douala.
estimated there were some 45000 Bahá'ís in 2005.
beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. 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. World-wide 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 Cameroonian community also became involved in a number of initiatives. In 1985 Bahá'ís established a tutorial school among the pygmies and the building infrastructure was to be expanded by the government now that a site had been developed. In 1990 the Cameroonian community held a nation-wide campaign on the growth of the religion named in honor of Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga with teams named after other Hands of the Cause.
of the religion. In 1985 a National Women's Committee of the Baha'is of Cameroon produced a statement "Equal Rights for Women and Men". The rate at which women participated in December school of 1986 increased. The Bahá'ís of Cameroon cooperated with an initiative of the Bahá'í International Community
in cooperation with UNIFEM
on a project to effect a change in the social status of women in village communities in eastern Cameroon and other countries. The changes in the community focused on the role of women but aimed strongly at educating the men. According to Tiati Zock, the national coordinator of the project in Cameroon, a survey done in early 1992 among some 45 families in each of the seven villages reported that the men made virtually all of the financial decisions alone. A follow-up survey, taken in 1993, indicated more than 80 percent of the families now make such decisions in consultation between husband and wife. The number of girls being sent to one village school had increased by 82 percent by 1993.
, Soa, and Yaoundé. The key research paper, "Cameroonian Tribal and Family Meetings and the Bahá'í Teachings," was presented by Chongwain Nkuo, a teacher at the Post and Telecommunication School. It was published in the December 2002 volume of the Cameroon Bahá'í Studies journal. After his presentation there was an evaluation of his work by the members of a jury including David Nkwenti, Head of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Yaoundé
. Nkwenti indicated he was going to expand academic interests in studying Bahá'í teachings and anthropological issues. Also in 2002, for United Nations Day
on October 24, members of the Buea religious community gathered for an interfaith panel discussion led by the Secretary General of the South West Province; the group included members or spokesmen of the Bahá'í Faith, the Muslim Imam, a representative of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese, and a representative of the Hindu community. A January 20, 2007 service in Buea at the Bahá'í Centre of Learning commemorated World Religion Day among a similar breadth of representation.
Cameroons
British Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in West Africa, now divided between Nigeria and Cameroon.The area of present-day Cameroon was claimed by Germany as a protectorate during the "Scramble for Africa" at the end of the 19th century...
and French Cameroon
Cameroun
Cameroun was a French and British mandate territory in central Africa, now constituting the majority of the territory of the Republic of Cameroon....
. The first Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
was 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...
, who had left his homeland of Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
to bring the religion to British Cameroon in 1953. Meherangiz Munsiff, a young Indian
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
woman who had moved from Britain
Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom
The Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom started in 1898 when Mrs. Mary Thornburgh-Cropper , an American by birth, become the first Bahá'í in England. Through the 1930s, the number of Bahá'ís in the United Kingdom grew, leading to a pioneer movement beginning after the Second World War with sixty...
, arrived in French Cameroon April 1954 - both Olinga and Munsiff were honoured with the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. In 2003 Bahá'ís estimated there were 40,000 adherents of the religion 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...
(relying on 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 about 45,300 Bahá'ís in 2005.
Early history
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
, the head of the Bahá'í Faith, planned an international teaching plan termed the Ten Year Crusade
Ten 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....
. 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 the 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 :...
. During the plan 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 drove by car with two African 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"...
from Uganda
Bahá'í Faith in Uganda
The Bahá'í Faith in Uganda started to grow in 1951 and in four years time there were 500 Bahá'ís in 80 localities, including 13 Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies, representing 30 tribes, and had dispatched 9 pioneers to other African locations...
where the religion was growing very quickly to open new countries to the religion. The first pioneer in the region was Max Kinyerezi October 6th who settled in what was then French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
, and then Enoch Olinga to British Cameroon on October 15. In Limbe (then called Victoria), through the efforts of Olinga, Jacob Tabot Awo converted to the religion becoming the first Cameroonian Bahá'í. During the following year there were many converts to the religion, many of whom were from the Basel Mission
Basel Mission
The Basel Mission is a Christian missionary society active from 1815 to 2001, when it was merged into Mission 21, the successor organization of Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione founded in 2001....
system of Protestant Christians. Meherangiz Munsiff, a young Indian woman, arrived in French Cameroon
Cameroons
British Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in West Africa, now divided between Nigeria and Cameroon.The area of present-day Cameroon was claimed by Germany as a protectorate during the "Scramble for Africa" at the end of the 19th century...
in April 1954 in Douala
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
after helping to found the Bahá'í Faith in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. A letter from Olinga describes the advancement of the religion into 6 towns and translation work into the Duala language
Duala language
Duala is the language spoken by the Duala people of Cameroon. The language belonges to the Bantu language family, and a subgroup of it called the Duala languages...
had begun of a pamphlet.
As the number of Bahá'ís was growing rapidly, Shoghi Effendi asked if members of the religion could pioneer to neighboring areas where there were still no Bahá'ís. On April 21, 1954 a Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was formed and five young Cameroonians left during the 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...
period, each becoming a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh; the various protectorates they arrived in merged into the modern countries of Cameroon, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, and Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
. It was emphasized that western pioneers be self-effacing and focus their efforts not on the colonial leadership but on the native Africans - and that the pioneers must show by actions the sincerity of their sense of service to the Africans in bringing the religion and then the Africans who understand their new religion are to be given freedom to rise up and spread the religion according to their own sensibilities and the pioneers to disperse or step into the background. Enoch Olinga is specifically mentioned as an example of this process unfolding as he arose out of Uganda and repeated the quick growth of the religion. Because of the successive waves of people becoming Knights of Bahá'u'lláh, Enoch Olinga was entitled "Abd'l-Futuh", a Persian name meaning "the father of victories" by Shoghi Effendi. In very early 1955, Valerie Wilson, an Auxiliary Board member for Africa stationed in Monrovia, Liberia, embarked on what was considered a bold trip for a woman alone by car to travel on a trip across some 2000 miles to visit the Bahá'í groups functioning in the Gold Coast, Togoland and the British Cameroons. In April 1955 British Cameroon had eight assemblies.
Growth
In 1956 a regional Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly of North West Africa was elected with Olinga as the chairman with its seat in TunisTunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, comprising areas from the Cameroons north to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and parts west including Islands like the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. Early in 1957 the Bahá'ís in British Cameroon acquired a center and the population was noted at some 300 Bahá'is while the younger community of French Cameroon had between 10 and 20 Bahá'ís and there was a Bahá'í conference on the progress of the religion held in Mutengene
Tiko
Tiko, Originally called ‘Keka’ by the Bakweris, is a town and important port in the southwest region of Cameroon. The settlement grew as a market town for Duala fishermen, Bakweri farmers and hunters from Molyko, Bwenga, Bulu and Bokova...
, near Tiko. In 1958 the Bahá'ís of Cameroon sent another pioneer, Willie Enang, to Ghana while multiple communities held local conferences on the progress of the religion in their area. Bahá'ís sometimes walked through dense forests to people who had not heard of Jesus Christ. By 1900 the entire Bahá'í population across North West Africa was 3000 and 1800 were in British Cameroon. Limbe, (then called Victoria), British Cameroon, hosted the convention for the election of the regional national assembly for north west Africa in 1960 and there were 45 delegates, including local chiefs and women, as well as Enoch Olinga. Enoch Olinga could not attend 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 his native Uganda because of political turmoil in Cameroon after independence. While over 1500 people and Bahá'ís from many places in Africa went, Olinga preferred to stay in Cameroon to help guide the Bahá'ís through times of unrest.
By 1963 the following cities in Cameroon had Bahá'ís communities:
Local Spiritual Assemblies in Cameroon:
| Ashum | Atibon | Bakebe Bakebe Bakebe is a city in Cameroon located at , at an altitude of 2870 feet . Its time zone is UTC+1.... |
Bakogo | Bangapongo | Bara | Batchuakagbe | Batchuntai | Bekume | Boa | Buea Buea Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. The town is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon and has a population of 90,088 . Buea was the colonial capital of the German Kamerun from 1901 to 1919,and the capital of the Southern Cameroons from 1949 until 1961... |
| Douala Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country... |
Defang | Ebeagwa | Ebinsi | Ebonji | Edjuingang | Eshobi | Etoko | Eyang | Faitok | Fotabe |
| Kembong | Kombone | Kumba Kumba Kumba is a city in Southwest Province, western Cameroon also known around Cameroon as K town. It had a population of 144,268 . The N8 and N16 highways meet at Kumba.- History :... |
Mambo | Mamfe Mamfe Mamfe is a city and capital of the Manyu department of the Southwest Province in Cameroon. It is located from the border of Nigeria, on the Manyu River. It has a population of 20,300 . It is known as a centre for traditional religion and traditional medicine... |
Mbatop | Mbehetok | Mbinjong | Moliwe | Molyko | Muambong |
| Mukonyo | Mutengene | Muyuka Muyuka Muyuka is a town in Fako Division in the Southwest Province of Cameroon.The original tribe is the Balong tribe, but over the years, Muyuka have expanded into a beautiful town... |
Nchemba | Nfontem | Ngassang | Ngombuku | Nguti | Ntenembang | Nyang | Ossing |
| Sabes | Sumbe | Takpa | Takwai | Tali | Tiko Tiko Tiko, Originally called ‘Keka’ by the Bakweris, is a town and important port in the southwest region of Cameroon. The settlement grew as a market town for Duala fishermen, Bakweri farmers and hunters from Molyko, Bwenga, Bulu and Bokova... |
Tinto (1) | Tinto (2) | Tintombu | Tombel | Victoria (Limbe) |
Bahá'í groups (between 1 and 9 individuals):
| Bamenda Bamenda Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the North West Province. The city had a population of 269,530 at the 2005 Census, and is located 366 km north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé... |
Bato | Besongabang | Ekona |
| Ekpaw | Marumba | Mpundu | Tayor |
Isolated individuals:
| Bomono | Dibombari | Ebensuk | Melkai |
| Moanjo | Ndekwai | Nsoke | Yaoundé Yaoundé -Transportation:Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan neighborhoods... |
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...
.
Regionalization issues
And in 1963 the Cameroons were re-organized under the regional national assembly system to be with the West-Central African National Assembly. The second convention was held in Limbe - and that year its members were Stephen Tabe, Sampson Forchnk, Janet Mughrabi, Moses Akombi, Lillie Rosenberg, Oscar Njang, Jawad Mughrabi and Solomon Tanyi and Sherman Rosenberg. The convention of 1966 for the west central regional national assembly was held in MamfeMamfe
Mamfe is a city and capital of the Manyu department of the Southwest Province in Cameroon. It is located from the border of Nigeria, on the Manyu River. It has a population of 20,300 . It is known as a centre for traditional religion and traditional medicine...
. Following the death of Shoghi Effendi, the elected 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...
was head of the religion and began to re-organized the Bahá'í communities of Africa by splitting off national communities to form their own National Assemblies from 1967 though the 1990s. In the presence of Hand of the Cause William Sears in 1967 the National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) of the Bahá'ís of Cameroon was elected for the first time thus splitting the country off from the regional National Assembly established in 1956 and had jurisdiction over neighboring areas of Spanish Guinea, Fernando Po, Cariseo and São Tomé and Príncipe Islands while the rest of the west central regional assembly continued over other countries. In 1967 the Bahá´ís of Cameroon initiated a proclamation project in Spanish territories of Fernando Poo and Rio Muni.
In December 1971 Cameroon hosted the first regional African youth conference in Yaounde. Bus loads and cars of youth came from Chad and the Central African Republic, including youth visiting from the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Iran, Canada and the United States then in Chad and Cameroon for a period of service to the community came - during the conference two radio interviews were given. Book exhibits were held in 1974 in the University in Yaounde and a classroom in the Pan-African Institute of the Buea which also attracted radio coverage. In 1978 an international Bahá'í youth Conference was held in Cameroon with 380 attendees from some 19 countries.
Though he had recently toured Cameroonian in 1975 in December 1979 a full account of the circumstances under which Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for Cameroon, 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...
had been murdered Sept. 16th 1977 in Uganda during political and social turmoil. Final answers may never be known why he and most of his family were murdered with confidence. A biography published in 1984 examined his impact in Cameroon and beyond. The first person in Cameroon to join the religion withstood beatings to persevere in his choice. The first woman to become a Bahá'í in Cameroon did so from his impact on her life though she had been an active Christian before - both she and her husband converted and were among the first to move to Togo and then Ghana. Another early Bahá'í, the first of the Bamiliki tribe, moved to what was then French Cameroon to help there. Another early contact joined the religion later but his wife was the first Bahá'í of Nigeria. The researcher again found that there was an emphasis not on rooting out cultural traditions among the peoples but instead focusing on awareness of the religion and awareness of scientific knowledge should not relate to social class. There were accusations of political intrigue of which Olinga was acquitted. It was judged that Olinga was always sincere and never belittled.
In 1982 the first Bahá'í under the assigned region to Cameroon of Fernando Po joined the religion. Joseph Sheppherd was a pioneer to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, circumstances woven into a book he later wrote which presents the Bahá'í Faith in a context of global change (see Bahá'í Faith in fiction
Bahá'í Faith in fiction
The Bahá'í Faith has appeared in fiction in multiple forms. The mention of the Bahá'í Faith, prominent members, or even individual believers have appeared in a variety of fictional forms including science fiction, and fantasy, as well as styles of short stories, novelettes, and novels, and even...
) and delves into the dynamics of pioneering as a method to gain understanding of spiritual issues compared to social issues, to struggle with a cultural naivete, which was published in Bahá'í News in December 1988.
Intranational developments
In 1967 local assemblies began to acquire or build local centers as one of many activities of the community some of which continued into 1968. Informational packets and interviews were granted to major print and radio news outlets and coverage of events continued.In October 1967 the Bahá'ís of Cameroon were included in efforts, and multiplied instances of, observances 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...
across Cameroon including talks given by Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum
Rúhíyyih 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...
. In November Rúhíyyih Khanum dedicated the first school in the Cameroons which was dedicated first to classes studying the religion, (the first classes were held in December 1968.) The convention of 1968 had 45 delegates and an observer from Fernando Po island. The NSA of the country wrote a document, Declaration of Loyalty to Government, possibly dated from 1968, which declares the loyalty of the institution to the government of the country. But in 1969 large regions of Cameroon were still sparely populated, while the first school in eastern, formerly French, Cameroon had its first meeting in spring 1969. In 1977 a mobile school was established run from a van which toured for several months in 1977 visiting villages and farms. In 1978 three regional conferences were held. A conference on the progress of the religion at which it was announced there was an estimated 166 assemblies, 27 of which and established permanent centers, and beyond that some 832 towns and places Bahá'ís lived in Cameroon. A women's regional conference gathered 30 women at the national center and eighty Bahá'í gathered for a regional conference Mankon to discuss the progress of the religion. Meanwhile two individuals toured Cameroon in January; Hand of the Cause Rahmatu'llah Muhajir and Frenchman Armir Farhang-Imani each of whom who spoke to Bahá'í and public audiences. Rahmatu'llah Muhajir again visited Cameroon as part of a broader trip through west Africa summer 1979. Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone visited Cameroon in February 1979. In 1980 simultaneous regional Bahá'í schools were held in March in English and French with about 25 people attending each. A followup school was held in September at the end of which there was a wedding. In 1980 100 people including several national assembly members attended a national youth conference Yaounde. In 1982 a Bahá'í reached a remote region with pygmies and in three months was able convince 24 people to join the religion and another pioneer was moving to help him. A pair of academic researchers toured west Africa from Switzerland speaking to the public and Bahá'ís in 1985. They offered public talks "Women and Development" "How can woman assume her role in society?" and "Women and the Future of Mankind." and talks to Bahá'ís on "Excellence in All Things" and "Happiness in Marriage".
Tour of Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum
From January to March 1970 Rúhíyyih Khanum crossed Africa from east to west visiting many country's communities including Cameroon, meeting with individuals and institutions both Bahá'í and civic. In October 1971 Rúhíyyih Khanum returned from western Africa. She stopped for a time in Mamfe and spoke to the Bahá'ís there and emphasized the role of women in the growth of the religion. From Mamfe she traveled more widely seeing villages and regional chiefs, attending weddings and giving talks at schools. In many places she took note of women in prominent positions in the community and sometimes spoke to about the Bahá'í law of monogamy to contrast with the traditional cultural practice of polygamy and other traditional forms. A prominent meeting was of the regional conference calling for the progress of the religion in the region. She took part in the program of observances of United Nations Day sharing the stage with members of the staff of the Secretary-General of the UN as well as the staff of the Prime Minister of Cameroon. Reaching Buea she met with the Prime Minister and mentioned her wide travels in relative safety with kind assistance of villagers and truck drivers. From there she continued her travels through Douala and Yaounde and in each case also neighboring villages while also making time for radio interviews and at the University of Cameroon before moving on to Zaire.International Year of the Child
Cameroon was one of the countries Bahá'í organized a series of events in honor of 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...
, 1979. Among the effort were articles in newspapers, tutorial schools in three cities, a women's conference in Liberia at which Cameroonians attended and radio interviews about the schools. There were women's and children's committees operating at a national level to sustain the teachers of the schools. A Bahá'í consultant traveled western Africa including Cameroon assisting communities in their efforts who was joined by volunteer from Canada who also traveled western Africa including Cameroon. And a Cameroonian woman, a headmistress of a nursery school volunteered to travel Cameroon encouraging projects and schools in the country.
Commemorating pioneers
Among those elected to the NSA was Ursula Samandari, who was elected to the institution in the years of 1972-74 and 1975–80, after being elected to the same institution in North East Africa and the British Isles. She had learned of the Bahá'í Faith from Richard St. Barbe BakerRichard St. Barbe Baker
Richard St. Barbe Baker was an English forester, environmental activist and author, who contributed greatly to worldwide reforestation efforts. As a leader, he founded an organization, still active today, whose many chapters carry out reforestation internationally.-Early years:He was born in...
and Hasan M. Balyuzi
Hasan M. Balyuzi
Hasan M. Balyuzi was a prominent Iranian Bahá'í. He was born in Iran, but he spent most of his life in Britain. Balyuzi was an Afnán, a descendant of the Báb's family, on both sides of his family. His father was governor of the Persian Gulf ports and later minister of the interior of Iran.In 1925...
in 1936. Among the comments at her 2003 funeral were these from the paramount chief of Buea
Buea
Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. The town is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon and has a population of 90,088 . Buea was the colonial capital of the German Kamerun from 1901 to 1919,and the capital of the Southern Cameroons from 1949 until 1961...
, HRH Samuel L. Endeley:
"My dear Sister, You lived with us like one of us, you served faithfully and lovingly to win souls into God's redeeming grace. You loved us and our country, Cameroon, and you have demonstrated this in dying here like the good soldier of God you have lived to be. You died with your boots on. We thank God for all you were to us. May your soul rest with the good God, our creator, in perfect peace."
Another member of the NSA who died unexpectedly was Karen Bare who had come from Hawaii in 1969. She was known for offering hospitality and also walking to villages for classes she taught and was elected as Secretary to the NSA for a time. She died in a car accident in 1974 while visiting family in the United States.
Modern community
By 2001 the National Spiritual Assembly was registered with the Government of Cameroon as one of the few non-Christian religions. Also in 2003 a project had begun to move the seat of the National Spiritual Assembly from Limbe, in the west, to the central capital, YaoundéYaoundé
-Transportation:Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan neighborhoods...
, together with the responsibility to acquire a new National Bahá'í Centres
Haziratu'l-Quds
The term Haziratu'l-Quds or Bahá'í centre refers to national, regional and local Bahá'í administrative centres....
for which the Bahá’í community of the United Kingdom has been asked to help.
Jubiliee
Over 600 Bahá’ís and their friends gathered at the Palais des congrèsConvention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
in Yaoundé to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the Bahá'í community in Cameroon. Mr. and Mrs. Nakhjavani and other guests of honour, went to Limbe to visit the Bahá'í s of the southwest province, and Buea where they were received by the paramount chief, and travelled to Douala.
Demographics
In 2003 the Bahá'í community claimed 40,000 adherents and 58 Local Spiritual Assemblies, (there is another estimate from 2007-8 of more than 130,000 Bahá'is in Cameroon and another of members of the religion in 1744 localities in Cameroon.) However 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...
estimated there were some 45000 Bahá'ís in 2005.
Multiplying interests
Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic developmentSocio-economic development (Bahá'í)
Since its inception the Bahá'í Faith has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and...
beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. 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. World-wide 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 Cameroonian community also became involved in a number of initiatives. In 1985 Bahá'ís established a tutorial school among the pygmies and the building infrastructure was to be expanded by the government now that a site had been developed. In 1990 the Cameroonian community held a nation-wide campaign on the growth of the religion named in honor of Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga with teams named after other Hands of the Cause.
Involvement in advocacy for women
The Cameroonian Bahá'í community has initiated and cooperated with a number of projects attempting to equalize the position of women, a primary principleBahá'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...
of the religion. In 1985 a National Women's Committee of the Baha'is of Cameroon produced a statement "Equal Rights for Women and Men". The rate at which women participated in December school of 1986 increased. The Bahá'ís of Cameroon cooperated with an initiative of the Bahá'í International Community
Bahá'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...
in cooperation with UNIFEM
UNIFEM
The United Nations Development Fund for Women, commonly known as UNIFEM was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International Women's Year. Its first director was Dr. Margaret Snyder, Ph.D...
on a project to effect a change in the social status of women in village communities in eastern Cameroon and other countries. The changes in the community focused on the role of women but aimed strongly at educating the men. According to Tiati Zock, the national coordinator of the project in Cameroon, a survey done in early 1992 among some 45 families in each of the seven villages reported that the men made virtually all of the financial decisions alone. A follow-up survey, taken in 1993, indicated more than 80 percent of the families now make such decisions in consultation between husband and wife. The number of girls being sent to one village school had increased by 82 percent by 1993.
Academic and civic forums
The Bahá'í community of Cameroon has been involved in forums for wrestling with social issues in Cameroon in both academic and civic forums. In 1987 Cameroonian university students gathered in a conference from multiple tribes along with international students to facilitate an exchange of ideas on issues they all faced in society. This theme evolved in Yaoundé into the theme "African Youth Facing the Challenges of Modern Society" in 1988 and "The Role of Youth in a World in Search of Peace" in 1989. Annual youth conferences in the northwest evolved and continued through 1990 and echoed many of these themes while also making efforts on other themes. In 2002 the second Cameroon Bahá'í Academy took place at the Regional Bahá'í Centre at Yaoundé with 28 scholars from Buea, Douala, DschangDschang
Dschang is a city located in the West Province of Cameroon, with an estimated population of 87,000 in 2001, growing dramatically from 21,705 recorded in 1981. The 2006 Population is estimated to be 200,000 inhabitants....
, Soa, and Yaoundé. The key research paper, "Cameroonian Tribal and Family Meetings and the Bahá'í Teachings," was presented by Chongwain Nkuo, a teacher at the Post and Telecommunication School. It was published in the December 2002 volume of the Cameroon Bahá'í Studies journal. After his presentation there was an evaluation of his work by the members of a jury including David Nkwenti, Head of the Department of Anthropology of the University of Yaoundé
University of Yaoundé
The University of Yaoundé is a leading university in Cameroon, located in Yaoundé.It was built with the help of France and opened in 1962 as the Federal University of Yaoundé, dropping the "Federal" in 1972 when the country was reorganized....
. Nkwenti indicated he was going to expand academic interests in studying Bahá'í teachings and anthropological issues. Also in 2002, for 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...
on October 24, members of the Buea religious community gathered for an interfaith panel discussion led by the Secretary General of the South West Province; the group included members or spokesmen of the Bahá'í Faith, the Muslim Imam, a representative of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese, and a representative of the Hindu community. A January 20, 2007 service in Buea at the Bahá'í Centre of Learning commemorated World Religion Day among a similar breadth of representation.