Bahá'í Faith in Uganda

and his family,Citation | first = N. Richard | last = Francis | contribution = Enoch Olinga -Hand of the Cause of God, Father of Victories | year = 1998 | publisher = Bahá'í Faith Website of Reno, Nevada | url = http://bahai-library.com/index.php5?file=francis_olinga_biography ] the community continues to grow though estimates of the population range widely from 19,000 to 105,000 and the community's involvements have included diverse efforts to promote the welfare of the Ugandan people.

Early phase

On August 3rd, 1951 Mr and Mrs Músá Banání, Mr and Mrs Ali Nakhjavani, formerly from Iran and their baby daughter Bahiyyih and Philip Hainsworth arrived in Kampala. After receiving the news that Hand of the Cause Louis George Gregory — Hands of the Cause are a select group of Bahá'ís who achieved a distinguished rank in service to the religion — had died previously on July 31st, a commemorative meeting for Gregory was held in Kampala at which the five pioneers and Marguerite Preston (from Kenya) were joined by twelve Africans. In December, the first two native Ugandans had converted to the Bahá'í Faith — Fred Bigabwa (Mutoro tribe) and Chrispin Kajubi (Muganda tribe).Citation
last = Mughrab
first = Jan
title = Jubilee Celebration in Cameroon
periodical = Journal of the Bahá'í Community of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
publisher = National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom
volume=20
issue=5
year = 2004
url = http://www.bahaijournal.org.uk/cameroon.htm ] While Banání was on pilgrimage War War II veteran Enoch Olinga (of Teso and Atesot tribes) who had been attending classes taught by Nakhjavani in Kampala was the third Ugandan to become a Bahá'í and swore off alcohol though his alcoholism had already cost him his government job.

The first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in the country was elected in April 1952 in Kampala. The members of the assembly were Fred Bigabwa, Chrispin Kajubi, Peter Musoke, Enoch Olinga, Mr and Mrs Músá Banání, Mr and Mrs Ali Nakhjavani and Philip Hainsworth. [Citation
last = Hainsworth
first = Philip
author-link = Philip Hainsworth
title = It All Began 50 Years Ago ...
journal = Journal of the Bahá'í Community of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
publisher = National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom
volume = 2001
issue = May
pages =
year = May 2001
url = http://www.bahaijournal.org.uk/BJ200105/history.htm ] In 1952, Músá Banání was also appointed as a Hand of the Cause. By April 1953 nine more Assemblies were elected. In 1954 Olinga went on to Cameroon and was honoured with the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh.

Developing community

Wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa was observed to begin in 1950s and extend in the 1960s.cite web
title = Overview Of World Religions
work = General Essay on the Religions of Sub-Saharan Africa
publisher = Division of Religion and Philosophy, University of Cumbria
url = http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/geness.html
accessdate = 2008-04-16 ] In 1954 Uganda had 500 Bahá'ís in 80 localities, including 13 Local Spiritual Assemblies, representing 30 tribes, and had dispatched 9 pioneers to other African locations. In 1956 Olinga was elected as Chairman of the North West regional Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly and the Ugandan Bahá'í community came under the newly formed regional National Spiritual Assembly of Central & Eastern Africa,cite web
last = Hassall
first = Graham
title = Notes on Research on National Spiritual Assemblies
work = Asia Pacific Bahá'í Studies
publisher = Bahá'í Library Online
url = http://bahai-library.com/asia-pacific/Notes%20on%20Research/national_spiritual_assemblies.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-04] of which Nakhjavani was the Chairman.Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Two members of Universal House of Justice leave after 40 years service
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
date = 2003-04-29
url = http://news.bahai.org/story/206] In early 1957 Olinga attended the laying of the foundation stone of the first Bahá'í House of Worship of Africa (which was in Uganda) and in the fall he was appointed a Hand of the Cause. Conversions to the Bahá'í Faith in Uganda even reached into the prisons where Shoghi Effendi, then head of the religion, responded to letters by encouraging the inmates to use their "stumbled" history not to become "embittered or defeated" but "determined to make it a means of purifying your natures, improving your characters, and enabling you to become better citizens in the future." [cite web
last = Poirier
first = Prepared by Brent
title = "Turn Your Back to the Darkness, and Your Face to Me
work = Unpublished Compilations
publisher = Bahá'í Academic Library
date =
url = http://www.bahai-library.org/unpubl.compilations/triumph.html
accessdate = 2008-06-21 ]

House of Worship

The Bahá'í House of Worship in Uganda, named as the Mother Temple of Africa, is situated on Kikaya Hill on the outskirts of Kampala; it was dedicated on 13 January 1961. The building was designed by Mason Remey and the green dome is made of fixed mosaic tiles from Italy, the lower roof tiles are from Belgium, and the colored glass in the wall panels was brought from Germany. The walls of the temple are of precast stone quarried in Uganda and the timber used for making the doors and benches was also from Uganda. The fifty acre property includes the House of Worship, extensive gardens, a guest house, and an administrative center. [Citation
last = Rulekere
first = Gerald
title = Uganda's Bahá'í Temple - The Bahai Temple: Where nature, faith and artistic beauty reign
newspaper = UGPulse Uganda
date = 2006-11-07
url = http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/homepage.asp?ID=491] Both Hands of the Cause Enoch Olinga and Músá Banání are buried near the Temple.

Continued development

Before 1963 a number of Bahá'í schools were setup — two Louis Gregory Bahá'í Schools, one in Tilling, the home town of Olinga, [Citation
last = Hainsworth-Fadaie
first = Zarin
title = Uganda Jubilee – a participant’s account
journal = Journal of the Bahá'í Community of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
publisher = National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom
volume = 2001
issue = Nov/Dec
year = Nov/Dec, 2001
url = http://www.bahaijournal.org.uk/BJ200111/uganda.htm ] and the other in Dusai, as well as a Bahá'í publishing trust.cite web | url = http://bahai-library.com/?file=handscause_statistics_1953-63&chapter=1#22 | title = The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963| author = Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land | pages = p. 28 ] In 1963 Nakhjavani was elected to the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the worldwide Bahá'í community, while Olinga chaired the first Bahá'í World Congress which announced the election to the world. In 1964 the regional Assemblies were re-assigned and Uganda joined with the Central African Republic. Rapid expansion of the religion in the late 1960s was most particularly true in Uganda, Vietnam and Indonesia.Citation
last = Smith
first = Peter
authorlink = Peter Smith (Bahá'í)
last2 = Momen
first2 = Moojan
author2-link = Moojan Momen
title = The Baha'i Faith 1957-1988: A Survey of Contemporary Developments
journal = Religion
volume = 19
issue = 01
pages = pp. 63-91
year = 1989
url = http://www.bahai-library.org/articles/smith.momen.html
doi = 10.1016/0048-721X(89)90077-8 ]

Six conferences held in October 1967 around the world presented a viewing of a copy of the photograph of Bahá'u'lláh on the highly significant occasion commemorating the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's writing of the "Suriy-i-Mulúk" (Tablet to the Kings), which Shoghi Effendi describes as "the most momentous Tablet revealed by Bahá'u'lláh".cite book |first=Shoghi |last=Effendi |authorlink=Shoghi Effendi |year=1944 |title=God Passes By |publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust |location=Wilmette, Illinois, USA |id=ISBN 0-87743-020-9 |url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/|pages = pp. 171] After a meeting in Edirne (Adrianople), Turkey, the Hands of the Cause travelled to the conferences, 'each bearing the precious trust of a photograph of the Blessed Beauty, which it will be the privilege of those attending the Conferences to view.' Hand of the Cause 'Ali Akbar Furutan conveyed this photograph to the Conference for Africa at Uganda.. [cite book
last = House of Justice
first = Universal
authorlink = Universal House of Justice
title = Wellspring of Guidance, Messages 1963-1968
publisher = National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States
date = 1976
location = Wilmette, Illinois
pages = p. 109-112
url = http://bahai-library.com/published.uhj/wellspring.html
doi =
id =
isbn = 0877430322 ]

Other singular events included Bahá'í Dwight W. Allen winning an Award of Merit for the establishment of the Tororo Girls School in 1972,cite web
last = W. Allen
first = Dwight
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = About Dr. Dwight W. Allen
work = Old Dominion University Professor Webpages
publisher = Dr. Dwight W. Allen
date =
url = http://www.odu.edu/educ/dwallen/resumeallen.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-06-21 ] and the daughter of the first African-American woman Bahá'í, Zylpha Mapp-Robinson, who had pioneered in many places and who lived in Uganda nine years, was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda in 1976.Citation
title = Obituaries: 1950 - 1969
magazine = UMass Amherst Online
publisher = University of Massachusetts Amherst
year = Spring 2002
url = http://umassmag.com/Spring_2002/Obituaries__1950___1969_305.html ]

As part of a sweep across several Sub-Saharan countries, the Bahá'í Faith was banned in the 1970s in several countries: Burundi, 1974; Mali 1976; Uganda 1977; Congo, 1978; Niger, 1978. Uganda had had the largest Bahá'í community in Africa at the time and Olinga returned and sought the protection of the community during this difficult time when Idi Amin's regime ruled Uganda. See also Uganda under Idi Amin.

"This was principally the result of a campaign by a number of Arab countries. Since these countries were also by this time providers of development aid, this overt attack on the Baha'is was supported by covert moves such as linking the aid money to a particular country to the action that it took against the Baha'is. This was partially successful and a number of countries did ban the Baha'is for a time. However, the Baha'is were able to demonstrate to these governments that they were not agents of Zionism nor anti-Islamic and succeeded in having the ban reversed in all of these countries except Niger."

During the rule of Idi Amin, on the evening of Sunday, September 16, 1979, five soldiers entered Olinga's home and killed Olinga and all his family. After the Uganda-Tanzania War and when the ban on the religion being rescinded, Ugandan Bahá'ís re-formed their National Spiritual Assembly in 1981, though the Ugandan Bush War dragged on. In 1986-7 Dwight W. Allen returned to Uganda and was the project coordinator for the Donors' Conference for the Rehabilitation of Makerere University.

Multiplying involvements

The Ugandan Bahá'í community has been involved in a wide range of projects many of which benefit the nation. In 1993 the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Uganda set up a project to develop a middle-level management training program for community level primary health care workers. The focus was on prevention of childhood diseases, maternal-infant health care, and community building. [cite web
coauthors = Canadian Baha'i International Development Agency
title = Chronological history of funded activities (xls download)
work = Canadian Baha'i International Development Agency
publisher = Canadian Baha'i International Development Agency
date = 2006-02-06
url = http://www.cbida.ca/cbida_trackrecord.xls
accessdate = 2008-06-21] Later, the Uganda Bahá'í Institute for Development set up a project introducing use of the latrine, immunization, with nets to fight off malaria-bearing mosquitoes, and people learned the importance of clean water in a Ugandan village. [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
last2 = Worth
first2 = Steve
title = In Uganda, community health workers effect long term changes
periodical = One Country
volume = 11
issue = 02
year = July-September 1999
url = http://www.onecountry.org/e112/e11201as.htm ] In 2000, the Bahá'ís of Uganda shared their activities in the areas of education, family health, moral training for children, publishing, and collaboration with other non-governmental organizations at a national United Nations Day celebration held at the Muguluka Primary School near Jinja. [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Baha'is take part in Uganda's national UN Day celebration
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
date = 2000-11-10
url = http://news.bahai.org/story/76 ] After receiving her Ph.D. at age 78, Zylpha Mapp-Robinson returned to Uganda at age 86 in the year 2000 to create the Ugandan Institution for the advancement of Women. In 2002 a National Conference in Guyana on "Spiritual Approach to the Challenge of HIV/AIDS" sponsored by the Varqa Foundation, UNICEF, & Bahá'í International Community highlighted experiences in Uganda dealing with the AIDS epidemic by including the role of the spiritual training of children on virtues like humility, reverence, kindliness, respect and courtesy, and unity in diversity so that they would lead moral lives and overcome not only AIDS but alcohol and drug abuse, violence, crime, prejudice, hatred, intolerance and poverty. [Citation
contribution = National Conference on "Spiritual Approach to the Challenge of HIV/AIDS"
contribution-url = http://www.sdnp.org.gy/varqa/varqa_reports/dec13_conference_report.html
title = Reports - Youth Can Move the World
date = 2002-12-13
place = Guyana
publisher = Varqa Foundation
url = http://www.sdnp.org.gy/varqa/reports.html ] In 2004 the Bahá'í based Uganda Program of Literacy for Transformation helped participants acquire the skills, knowledge, and incentive for a “lifelong self-improvement plan” — coupled with an emphasis on moral education and inter-religious harmony. [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = In Uganda, a focus on practical knowledge boosts literacy efforts
periodical = One Country
volume = 16
issue = 01
year = April-June 2004
url = http://www.onecountry.org/e161/e16101as_Uganda_Uplift_story.htm ]

The Ugandan Bahá'í community has also encouraged the practice of the arts. Eighteen youth from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania joined together to form Youth in Motion, a Bahá'í Workshop (see Oscar DeGruy) aimed at expressing the message brought by Bahá'u'lláh. The group traveled for four months, performing before a total of more than 50,000 people in three countries. [cite web
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
authorlink = Bahá'í International Community
coauthors =
title = Bahá'í Youth: "A New Kind of People"
work = 1994-95 edition of The Bahá'í World
publisher = Bahá'í International Community
year = 1996
url = http://info.bahai.org/article-1-9-2-8.html
accessdate = 2008-06-21 ] In 1998 Bahá'í Margaret Nagawa held a showing at the Ugandan National Museum, [Citation
last = Nagawa
first = Margaret
title = News & Letters
periodical = Arts Dialogue
publisher = Bahá'í Association For the Arts
volume = 1999
issue = June
year = 1999
url = http://bahai-library.com/bafa/48.htm ] and award winning Bahá'í Edel'Akongu Ekodelele Eyperu died in 2002. [Citation
last = van Kerkhof
first = Sonja
title = Edel'Akongu Ekodelele Eyperu singer, songwriter, guitarist, Uganda
periodical = Arts Dialogue
publisher = Bahá´í Association For the Arts
volume = 2002
issue = November
year = 2002
url = http://bahai-library.com/bafa/e/eyperu.htm ]

In 2001 a week-long celebration featuring a statement by Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, some 2000 [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Baha'i Community of Uganda celebrates its 50th anniversary (slideshow - slide 3)
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
date = 2001-08-05
url = http://news.bahai.org/multimedia/slideshow.php?storyid=135 ] of the Ugandan Baha'i community commemorated the 50th anniversary of its founding. [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Baha'i Community of Uganda celebrates its 50th anniversary
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
date = 2001-08-05
url =http://news.bahai.org/story/135 ]

The Bahá'ís of Uganda have continued to be involved in social issues; in 2007 a movie on development issues in Uganda was produced by the Bahá'ís named "Opening a Space - The Discourse on Science, Religion and Development in Uganda" [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Ugandans study approaches to development
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
date = 2007-11-30
url = http://news.bahai.org/story/590 ] and on 25 November 2007 the Bahá'í House of Worship was a rallying point on for the "Speak out! Stand out!" campaign on preventing violence against women. [cite web
title = Speak out! Stand out! Commit to preventing Violence against Women
work = SMS Campaign
publisher = Women of Uganda Network
date = 2007-12-06
url = http://www.wougnet.org/Alerts/speakoutgenderviolence.html
accessdate = 2008-06-21 ] Bahá'í delegates from Uganda and 14 other countries convened in New York from February 23 – March 7 for the 52nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2008. [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
contribution = Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
contribution-url = http://www.bic.org/areas-of-work/csw/bahai-activities-at-the-2008-commission-on-the
title = 52nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
year = 2008
pages =
place =
publisher = 52nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
url = http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/52sess.htm
doi =
id = ]

Ugandan Bahá'ís have also participated in recent international Bahá'í events. Ugandan youth were among the 149 assembled at the National Bahá’í Center in Burundi in August 2006. [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Youth conference in Burundi focuses on social transformation
journal = One Country
volume = 18
issue = 02
year = July-September 2006
url = http://www.onecountry.org/e182/e18209as_Burundi_Youth_Conference.htm ] In 2007 Bahá'ís in Entebbe helped organize World Religion Day commemorations. [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Congo Republic issues stamp for World Religion Day
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
date = 2007-01-31
url = http://news.bahai.org/story/503 ] In 2008 one of the delegates from Uganda was one of the 19 tellers who counted the secret ballots for the election of the Universal House of Justice. [Citation
last =@comcast.net
first = bradpokorny
title = Baha'i News: In a global procession, Baha'is cast ballots for the Universal House of Justice
newspaper = Worldwide Faith News
date = 2008-04-29
url = http://www.wfn.org/2008/04/msg00273.html ]

Demographics

During the years of 2000-2002 estimates of the Ugandan Bahá'í community ranged widely; while the official census counted almost 19,000 Bahá'í,cite web|url=http://www.ubos.org/onlinefiles/uploads/ubos/pdf%20documents/2002%20Census%20Final%20Reportdoc.pdf|title=2002 Uganda Population and Housing Census - Main Report|publisher=Uganda Bureau of Statistics|accessdate=2008-03-26|format=PDF] other sources range from 66,000 [cite web | url = http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_bahai.html | publisher = Adherents.com | title = The Largest Baha'i Communities | accessdate = 2008-06-21 | date = 2005-09-30] to 105,000 Bahá'ís in the country.Citation
title = Philip Hainsworth
newspaper = Telegraph.co.uk
publisher = Telegraph Media Group Limited
date = 2001-12-20
url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1365926/Philip-Hainsworth.html ] By 2005 US Dept. State statistics estimated Hinduism, the Bahá'í Faith, and Judaism together formed 2% of the national population. [cite web | url = http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51501.htm Ukraine | title = International Religious Freedom Report | year = 2005 | date = 2005-11-08 | accessdate = 2008-06-21 | author = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor | publisher = United States State Department] About 300 Bahá'í believers were in Kampala. [Citation
last = Kakembo
first = Titus
title = Uganda: Being a Baha'i Faithful
newspaper = AllAfrica.com
publisher = New Vision
date = 2007-12-08
url = http://allafrica.com/stories/200712100939.html ]

ee also

*History of Uganda
*Religion in Uganda

References

External linds

* [http://news.bahai.org/story/590 Ugandans study approaches to development] a film on Ugandan development issues.
* [http://members.aol.com/louisggregory/ The Louis Gregory Project]